Christmas | True History, Meaning, Origin, Traditions, Practices and Facts

You are welcome to another informative post on your favorite blog, suresuccess.ng. On today’s post, we shall try to find out what is the true meaning of Christmas. In so doing, we shall examine the origin and history of Christmas, and pick out interesting facts, traditions, and practices that go with the holiday.

Introduction

Christmas is celebrated annually on the 25th day of December. Lately, it has become both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide family, cultural and commercial phenomenon. For over two thousand years, people around the world and across different races and cultures have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature.

Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jesus was a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular Christmas customs include

• exchange of gifts.
• decorating Christmas trees.
• attending church service for carols and lessons.
• sharing meals with family and friends.
• and, of course, waiting in eager expectation for Santa Claus to arrive.

December 25—Christmas Day—has been a national holiday in Nigeria and many other countries around world.

The Origin of Christmas

If you read through the four synoptic Gospels, and even the entire new testament of the Bible, you will discover that the Bible provides no clue as to the birth day or date of Jesus Christ. Because of that, the exact origin of assigning December 25 as the birth date of Jesus Christ is unclear.

But December 25 was first identified as the birth date of Jesus Christ by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221. This later became the universally accepted date. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of a popular holiday in the Roman Empire called the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”). It was a day on which the winter solstice is celebrated as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the announcing of the rebirth of spring and summer.

Indeed, after December 25 had become widely accepted as the birth date of Jesus. Many Christian writers frequently made the connection between the rebirth of the sun and the birth of the Son. Of course, this view posed many difficulties one of which was a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival — the early church was so intent on standing out as a light in the darkness and distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices.

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Second View of the Origin of Christmas

There is a second view of the origin of Christmas. This view suggests that December 25 became the birth date of Jesus Christ by a priori reasoning that identified the spring equinox as the date of the world was created and the fourth day of creation, when the light was created, as the day of the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ (i.e., March 25). So December 25, nine months later, then became the birth date of Jesus Christ.

It is, however, worthy to note that the early Christian community distinguished between the identification of the date of Jesus’ birth and the liturgical celebration of that event. The actual observance of the birth day of Jesus Christ was long in coming. In particular, during the first two hundred years of Christianity. There was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus Christ.

Numerous Church Fathers made very critical comments about the pagan custom or tradition of celebrating birthdays. They opined that saints and martyrs should be honored on the days of their martyrdom—their true “birthdays,” from the church’s perspective (death is the doorway to life in Heaven).

The Origin of Christmas Eve

As we have seen above, December 25 has come to be the universally accepted as the birth day of Jesus Christ. However, for several centuries and in many parts of the world, Christmas was celebrated not as a single day, but as a whole season. The season begins with December 24, also referred to as Christmas Eve.

This practice of celebrating the evening before the big day is probably an echo from ancient Jewish reckoning of days. Among the ancient Jews, a day began at exactly six o’clock in the evening and ran until six o’clock the following evening. This reckoning can be confirmed from the creation account of Moses where he would always remark, “An evening and a morning were the first day.”

Christmas really means “Christ-mass.” Although the date is a guess which has elicited several explanations, the tradition of observing it goes back to at least the fourth century. Under the influence of the church and with a lot of criticism, Christian traditions replaced pagan solstice festivals throughout Europe.

Often the more innocent pagan practices, such as bringing in a Yule log, decorating with holly and the like, were carried over into the Christmas celebration, transfigured with new ‘Christian’ meaning.

The Christian Meaning Behind Ancient Traditions

Evergreen Trees

The Evergreen Trees were the symbol of life eternal. They were introduced to the Reformation Church by Martin Luther as a picture of our eternal life in Christ.

Candles

The Candles symbolize that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.

Holly

Holly speaks of the thorns in the crown of Jesus Christ.

Red

Red is a color of Christmas that symbolizes the blood and death of Jesus Christ.

Gifts

Gifts are a reminder of the gifts the Magi from the East presented to baby Jesus each of which speak to a component of His incarnation. Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh: Majesty in life, Bitter agony in Death and He as God’s Perfect gift to us.

Yule Log

The Yule Log was a symbol by which the entire men in a household identified with Christ and His Cross. So they would carry a log large enough to burn for 12 days into the house. Then they would start the fire with a fragment from the previous years’ log. Thus, referring to the eternal existence of Christ before His birth. The Yule Log, therefore, speaks of warmth, unity, joy and the security of endless life.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe was an ancient symbol from the times of the Roman empire. It was under the mistletoe that old enmities and broken or soured friendships were restored. So the Mistletoe symbolizes that Christ was the One who took away the enmity and gave us peace with God the Father.

Bells

Bells are associated with announcing news and Christ is the good news.

Modern Traditions

The Origin of Santa Claus

Many modern day Christians oppose the whole idea or concept of Santa Claus during Christmas celebration. They argue that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. And Santa Claus is beclouding the meaning and purpose of Christmas by drawing too much attention away from Christ. But that probably stems out of their ignorance of the origin of Santa Claus.

The name Santa Claus is the anglicized form of the Dutch name for St. Nicholas Sinterklaas. He was the supposed early Bishop of a church in Asia Minor [the modern country of Turkey]. Though the modern Santa Claus is associated with a world of make-belief and fantasy, the historical St. Nicholas was a godly man renown for his charity and generosity.

For example, he became aware of some desperate needs in his congregation, and a family having to sell their children into slavery. So one night he came and left a chunk of money on their doorstep. It was gold in a stocking.

The most accurate and widely accepted sources suggest that Saint Nicholas was born around AD 280 in Patara, in Asia Minor. He later grew to became the bishop of Myra in modern-day Turkey. Nicholas died about at AD 343 on or near December 6.

History of St. Nicholas and Christmas

Just like the example cited above, there are a wealth of stories about Nicholas’ life—many of them emphasize his kindness and  generosity. After his death on December 6, a tradition of gift-giving or exchange was begun in his honor.

Saint Nicholas Day is still observed on December 6 in many countries around the world. But in others, the practices associated with the day were combined with Christmas. It seemed only natural to many Christians that a tradition marked by giving would merge with the birth of Christ, who is the greatest gift ever given to the world.

But as pointed out already, the merger happened to the dismay of many Christian leaders who thought that Saint Nicholas started to draw too much attention away from Christ.

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In Germany, parents were urged to teach their kids that the Christ-Child was the gift-giver. Actually, the name Kriss Kringle is the anglicized form of the German name for the “Christ-Child.” Ironically, in America the name Kriss Kringle came to be used synonymously with St. Nicholas, St. Nick, Santa Claus and even the English name Father Christmas; and of course, from America to the rest of the world.

Many years after the life and death of St. Nicholas, he was typically depicted as a tall, thin, bearded cleric in paintings and photos. But today, he has been made to evolve into the Santa Claus that we know today. Similar to the bishop’s vestments worn by the Dutch Sinterklaas, Santa Claus was given a white beard and red suit.

But the “chubby and plump” appearance of modern day Santa Claus is generally traced to the 19th century poem “’Twas The Night Before Christmas”. The poem was a desirable attempt to create a more friendly image of Santa Claus and reassure children that they had “nothing to dread.”

The Origin of Christmas Cards

It is widely believed that Christmas Cards started in 1844 when an English artist named William Dobson drew up some pictures in England for use during the Christmas season. The cards found local use in England and soon spread to America.

In 1846 Cole and Horsley saw the commercial potential of this growing tradition and started the commercial production of what is now over a billion dollar industry. This industry sees roughly 4 billion cards sent each year in America alone.

The Origin of the Christmas Tree

There are many accounts that claim to explain the origin of the Christmas tree. The three most popular and widely accepted accounts are from Germany — making it the likeliest place of origin.

St. Boniface and the Felling of Thor’s Oak

The first story is about St. Boniface who was a missionary to some of the remotest tribes of Germany in the 8th century. He was probably best known for what is called the “Felling of Thor’s Oak.” The story has it that upon entering a town in northern Hesse, Saint Boniface learned that the people worshiped the god Thor. They believed Thor resided in a great oak tree among them. Boniface determined that if he wanted to gain an audience with the people, he would have to confront Thor.

So he announced before the entire people that he was going to cut down the oak, and he openly challenged the god Thor to strike him down during or after the felling of the oak. Miraculously, as Boniface began to cut the Thor’s oak, a mighty wind blew and hurled the tree to the ground. According to Tradition, a fir tree was growing in the roots of the great Oak, and Boniface claimed the tree as a symbol of Christ.

As you would expect, the people readily accepted St. Boniface’s message. And the fir tree eventually came to be associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. And a celebration of the day when the Almighty God (who could hurl down a gigantic oak) chose to humbly enter the world as a babe.

Medieval Religious Plays in Germany

Another plausible source of the Christmas tree (and from many indications, the most likely) comes from medieval religious plays in Germany. Among the most popular and interesting of these plays was the “Paradise” play. The paradise play started with the creation of man. It acted out the first sin. And then showed Adam and Eve being fiercely expelled from Paradise (the Garden of Eden).

It closed with the promise of a coming Savior. This made the play a particular favorite during the Christmas season in which the birth of the Savior is celebrated. In the play, the Garden of Eden (Paradise) was represented by a fir tree hung with apples and surrounded by many candles.

Martin Luther

A third tradition about the origin of the Christmas tree attributes it to Martin Luther, a very prominent and influential leader of the Reformation. Some say that on Christmas Eve, Martin Luther was walking through the woods near his home. He was enamored by the beauty of how the snow shimmered in the moonlight on the branches of the trees. In an effort to re-create the exact magnificent sight for his family, he cut down the tree, placed it in his home, and decorated it with candles.

What is Christmas? When is Christmas celebrated? How is Christmas celebrated? Does Christmas have pagan roots? Did Christmas start in Germany? What is the true meaning behind Christmas? Why 25th December is celebrated as Christmas? What is Christmas in simple words? What countries celebrate Christmas on December 25?

Frequently Asked Questions About Christmas

What is Christmas?

Christmas is the joyful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. It’s a time to reflect on God’s love, share kindness with others, and embrace the spirit of hope, peace, and goodwill. That’s the true meaning of Christmas.

What is the Origin of Christmas?

The origin of Christmas lies in the biblical account of Jesus Christ’s birth, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Early Christians began celebrating His birth on December 25, aligning it with existing Roman festivities like Saturnalia to spread the gospel more effectively. Over time, Christmas became a global tradition centered on love, generosity, and the message of salvation.

History of Christmas

The history of Christmas began over 2,000 years ago with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Early Christians commemorated His birth as a cornerstone of their faith, but it wasn’t until the 4th century that December 25 was officially recognized as the date for Christmas, coinciding with Roman winter solstice celebrations.

During the Middle Ages, Christmas evolved into a mix of Christian and cultural traditions, featuring feasts, carols, and communal celebrations. By the 19th century, figures like Charles Dickens and the popularity of Santa Claus reshaped Christmas into the family-focused, gift-giving celebration we know today. Through it all, its core remains the celebration of Christ’s birth and the message of love and hope.

What is Christmas all about?

Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, who came into the world as a gift of love and salvation from God. It’s a season of gratitude, giving, and spreading joy to others. At its heart, Christmas reminds us to embrace peace, share kindness, and reflect on the hope that Christ’s birth brings to humanity.

Why do we celebrate Christmas?

We celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior who brought hope, peace, and salvation to the world. It’s a time to reflect on God’s love, show gratitude, and share joy with others through acts of kindness and giving. Christmas reminds us of the power of love and the light Christ brings into our lives.

Why is it called Christmas?

The word “Christmas” comes from the Old English phrase Cristes Maesse, meaning “Mass of Christ.” It refers to the special church service held to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Over time, Cristes Maesse evolved into “Christmas,” symbolizing a global celebration of Christ’s love and the joy of His coming into the world.

Christmas facts

Here are some interesting facts about Christmas:

1. Christmas Trees: The tradition of decorating Christmas trees began in Germany in the 16th century, where people used candles to light them up.

2. Santa Claus: The modern image of Santa Claus, with his red suit and white beard, was popularized by Coca-Cola advertisements in the 1930s.

3. Jingle Bells: This famous Christmas song was originally written for Thanksgiving in 1857!

4. World’s Tallest Christmas Tree: The tallest Christmas tree ever displayed was over 221 feet tall and was erected in a mall in Washington State in 1950.

5. Gift-giving: This tradition is inspired by the wise men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus.

6. Xmas: The “X” in Xmas comes from the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos.

7. Silent Night: The song “Silent Night” was first performed in 1818 in Austria with just a guitar accompaniment because the church organ was broken.

8. Christmas on Ice: Christmas is celebrated in summer in the Southern Hemisphere, like Australia and South Africa, where it’s warm during December!

These little facts remind us how rich and diverse the Christmas tradition truly is.

Merry Christmas!