Origin of the Christmas Festival: Birth of Jesus

Why do people think Christmas is a wonderful and special day? In fact, many of you have never thought about it. Christmas is full of wonder, meaning, and tradition. But where do all these things, practices, and rituals that we know come from?

In this article we will talk about the Origin of the Christmas Festival that we celebrate today as the Birth of Jesus . 👼

If you want to know more about the story of Jesus' birth, here are several articles that might interest you:

• Was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
• Who were the Three Wise Men?
• All about Archangel Gabriel the divine message
• Christmas Prayers
• Prayers to the Three Wise Men

1) Meaning of Christmas

A. Definition of Christmas

Christmas derives from the Latin verb "nasci", meaning " to be born ", and is a popular December festival celebrated by many people around the world. The earlier term "Yule" may have come from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the winter solstice (a pagan festival). The English term Christmas is of fairly recent origin. Corresponding terms in other languages: Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, Noël in French, probably all refer to the nativity (birth of Jesus). The German word Weihnachten means " holy night ".

B. Reference to the Birth of Christ

Christmas or the Mass of Christ, has long been known as the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ . The celebration first began to be observed around the beginning of the third century, which dates back to 273 CE. Embracing Christmas takes us back to an ancient time when the Holy Spirit was born . The word used to describe the day of Jesus’ birth became a hymn to celebrate that day. The story of the Christmas holiday is derived from the angels bringing the good news to the shepherds of Bethlehem of the birth of the savior. Although the angels were the first to sing to celebrate his birth, we can share in the joy of his coming by singing with him today. 🤗

C. Christmas Family Party

By the end of the eighteenth century, the practice of giving gifts to family members had become well established. The holiday evidently reminded Christians of God's gift in giving birth to the Holy Spirit. The practice of gift-giving, which dates back to the fifteenth century, contributed to the idea that Christmas was a secular celebration (occurring every hundred years) and centered on family and friends . 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The tradition of celebrating Christmas as a family celebration is beautifully illustrated by a number of English Christmas carols such as "Here We Come A-Wassailing" or "Deck the Halls." It is also seen in the practice of sending Christmas cards that began in England in the nineteenth century. Furthermore, in countries like Austria, Germany, or France, the link between the Christian holiday and the family holiday is made by identifying the baby Jesus as the giver of gifts to the family. Santa Claus would have a priori taken the place of the giver of gifts but, we will come back to that later. Christmas offered families a day when they could give attention and gifts to their children without seeming to spoil them.

D. The Origin of Christmas Gifts

Christmas is considered by most people to be a wonderful time that emphasizes: giving, family togetherness, music, decorations, feasting, and caroling in the neighborhood. All of this is supposed to center around the worship of Christ. The gifts are a reminder of the gifts of the three Wise Men who gave gifts to the baby Jesus at his birth. On the other hand, in The Bibliotheca Sacra, it is mentioned that the exchange of gifts between friends is a feature ofSaturnalia , and must have been adopted from the Christian pagans. In Europe, when the evening of December 24th became the time for the exchange of gifts, the Christmas Mass was set for late afternoon. The Mass may also be held late in the evening, so that when religious families return home, they can offer the gifts to the children. 🎁

For children as for adults, everyone receives one or more gifts. The goal is to have a good time discovering what is hidden in all the wrapped gifts. For children, the most known gifts are stuffed animals, clothes and fun games. And for adults, there are gifts such as clothes, wall hangings for Christmas , jewelry for women, a watch for men, etc.

E. The Origin of Santa Claus

In some European countries, Saint Nicholas appears on his feast day on December 6, bringing modest gifts: sweets and other presents for children. He was the icon for ancient Christians as the giver of gifts. Over time, the role increasingly centered on Santa Claus as the source of gifts for family and children. 🎅 Although his name and attire are a version of the traditional garb, Santa's role of questioning children about their behavior is considered a secular religious figure (foreign to religion).

F. Christmas Celebration Around the World

In South and Central America, centuries-old religious traditions mark the celebration of Christmas. In Mexico , this celebration is very marked with children trying to break a piñata filled with toys and candy. 🍭 Christmas is also a big day and a summer festival in Brazil . It includes picnics, fireworks and other festivities, as well as a solemn procession of priests to the church to celebrate midnight mass. Japan serves as an illustration of another kind. In this predominantly Buddhist and Shinto country, the secular aspects of the holidays: Christmas trees, decorations, even Christmas carols, are largely dominant instead of the religious aspects.

When traveling to other countries, it is very likely that we will witness different festivities for the celebration of Christmas.

2) Birth of Jesus

A. Date of Christmas: December 25 (Saturnalia)

The first reference to Christmas on December 25th dates to the second century after the birth of Jesus. It is likely that the first Christmas celebrations occurred in response to the Roman Saturnalia , a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice, the return of the sun, and honored Saturn the God of Seeds. Saturnalia was a turbulent time and much contested by the more austere rulers of Christendom. Christmas developed, one scholar says, as a way to replace sun worship with worship of the Son. In the fifth century, the Western church ordained that Christmas be celebrated forever on these feast days until Saturnalia was over. Because the birth of Christ was unknown, it had to be dated. In 529 AD, just after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday in memory of Christ's birth.

B. Date of the Birth of Jesus

HYPOTHESIS 1: AUTONOMOUS

Many encyclopedias say that Christ was not born on December 25th. The Catholic Encyclopedia confirms this directly. Presumably, Christ would have been born in the fall . A long technical explanation would prove it. Note Adam Clarke's Commentary: "The Jews were accustomed to send their sheep into the deserts about Passover (early spring) and to bring them home at the beginning of the first rain" (volume 5, page 370). The first rains began in early and mid-fall. And since these shepherds had not yet brought their flocks into the manger, this would be a good argument that October had not yet begun and that therefore our Lord would not have been born on December 25th. Yes, because with the animals in the manger, the holy family would not have had enough space to settle in. 😕

Luke 2:8 explains that at the birth of Christ, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Notice that they “abided” in the field. This never happened in December. Ezra 10:9-13 and Song of Solomon 2:11 show that winter was the rainy season and shepherds could not spend the night in cold, open fields. 🥶❄️

HYPOTHESIS 2: DECEMBER 25

The precise origin of the attribution of December 25 as the birthdate of Jesus is not very clear. The New Testament gives no clues in this regard. A very explicit quote states that: In the Roman world, Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of rejoicing and gift-giving. December 25 was also considered the birthdate of the Iranian mystery god Mithras, the Sun of Justice. At the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and gifts were given to children and the poor. Added to these observations are the German and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated Gaul, Britain, and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, Yule logs and cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and good wishes all commemorated various aspects of this holiday season. Fires and lights symbolizing warmth and lasting life have always been associated with the winter festival, both pagan and Christian (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol. II, p. 903).

In any case, we do not know the exact date of Jesus' birth. Whether it is December 25th, late September, or any other day of the year, we should take every opportunity to reflect on the birth of Christ and his message of hope. Living with Jesus Christ close to us is the best experience a person can have. If you want to flourish with the Holy Spirit, you should try decorating your religious home with this beautiful Jesus Birth Painting . 😌

DECEMBER 26: AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY

Given the importance of Christmas as one of the major Christian holidays, most European countries consider December 26th as a second Christmas . This practice recalls the ancient Christian liturgical notion that the celebration of Christmas, along with Easter and Pentecost, should last the entire week. However, the week of celebration was reduced successively to Christmas Day to a single holiday, December 26th. Some people, in addition to the gifts already given on Christmas Eve, would give additional gifts, and more specifically, gifts for children (such as a Mickey Mouse Duvet Cover 😃).

For adults, there are plenty of gift ideas you could find. Like for example a decorative teapot .

C. Christmas for Eastern Orthodox

Today, in the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated on January 7 , which is 13 days after December 25. He calls this day Epiphany, meaning "appearance," or Three Kings Day. This is the day when the three wise men are believed to have finally found Jesus in the manger. The Eastern Orthodox churches also honor Christmas on December 25. However, for those who continue to use the Julian calendar for their liturgical observances, this date corresponds to January 7 of the Gregorian calendar.

D. 6 Ways to Celebrate Christmas with Jesus

• Give Jesus a gift
• Like Christ, give to those who cannot give back to you.
• Pause to feel the darkness outside at night, then thank God for sending the light
• Read God's sacred scriptures to your family
• Start some traditions that point to Christ
• Enjoy this wonderful time of year

3) Story of the Birth of Jesus

A. Appearance of the Angel Gabriel

Nearly 2,000 years ago, a young woman from the city of Nazareth named Mary was visited by an angel named Gabriel . 🧚‍♂️ The angel Gabriel told the Jewish woman that she would have a son named Jesus and that he would be the Son of God. Being a virgin, Mary was frightened and troubled by the angel’s words. At that time, Mary was engaged to her future husband Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. Mary, had committed to marry Joseph, but before they could unite, she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel Gabriel visited Joseph and told him that Mary would be pregnant by the Lord and that she would have a son named Jesus who would save the people from their sins. Just before this meeting, Joseph was planning to quietly divorce Mary when she told him the news. He knew the child was not his, and Mary's apparent infidelity carried a serious social stigma. The angel then told him in his dream, " Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit " (Matthew 1:18-21). Joseph then made the decision to stay with Mary to save the people from their sins. Joseph's noble character was one of the reasons God chose him to be the earthly father of the Messiah.

B. Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem

Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because of an order from the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. He ordered that all the people in their hometowns take a census (registration). Since Joseph was from the lineage of David, he had to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. Nazareth and Bethlehem are in the land now called Israel. It is about 65 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the journey probably took them several days. After this long journey pregnant on a donkey, Mary and Joseph finally arrived in Bethlehem. There, they were told that there was no place to sleep. Unfortunately, the inns were all full. Seeing that Mary was due to give birth any moment, an innkeeper told Joseph that they could stay in his stable. Happy, Mary and Joseph settled down on the hay to rest.

C. The Coming of the Holy Spirit

That night Jesus was born . 👼 The manger contained fresh hay and made a good bed for the baby. Some shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem, tending their flocks of sheep. And suddenly an angel appeared to them and brought them the good news that the Savior, the Messiah, had been born. The angel told the shepherds that they could find him lying in a manger. A whole group of angels appeared, saying, “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! ” The shepherds rushed to Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had told them. When they saw Jesus, they spread the news, and all who heard them were amazed. When the shepherds left Mary, Mary quietly thought about their words. She couldn't realize that she was sleeping next to the savior of the world.🤱

" The source of this great joy is the birth of the Savior. But Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth with the birth of the Messiah. Each of them is considered the foundation and fulfillment of the joy of every child born into the world. " 🤲 (John Paul II Encyclical, March 25, 1995).

D. The Three Wise Men (gift offerings)

A man named Herod was the king of Judea. He called the wise men to a meeting and told them to find the new king so that he could go and worship him too. After a while, the three wise men , also known as the Magi, saw the bright star in the sky that rested over the place where Jesus was born. The three wise men came from a country in the Far East to find Jesus. They then started on their journey and during the journey, Herod met them. He told them to come back and tell him where the little king was so that he could go and worship him too. But secretly, Herod was plotting to kill the child. The wise men then continued to follow the star in search of the newborn king. They found Jesus with his mother Mary in Bethlehem. The Magi fell down and worshiped him, offering treasures of gold, frankincense and myrrh among the most beautiful things in the ancient world. When they left, they did not return to Herod. They had been warned in a dream of his plot to murder the child.

E. Herod the Great

Jesus was born around 4 BC at the end of the reign of Herod, the king of Judea . King Herod had lied to the wise men that he wanted to worship Jesus. He was afraid that this new "king" would replace him as king of Judea. He didn't understand that Jesus would grow up to be king of God's spiritual kingdom, not king of Judea. What Herod really wanted was to find Jesus and kill him! Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had not returned to tell him where to find Jesus. 😠 He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem to find the Lord. But God had told Joseph in his dream to flee to Egypt. Joseph then took Mary and Jesus to live in Egypt where they would be safe from Herod. Joseph, Mary and Jesus stayed in Egypt until Herod died, then they returned to Nazareth.

F. Basilica of the Nativity: Birth of Jesus