Christmas: History and Its Inner Purpose
We all know and celebrate Christmas because it is the birth date of our Lord Jesus Christ. But is it really the true birth date of our Jesus Christ? There is nothing in the bible that said December 25th is the birth date of Jesus Christ. So why do we celebrate December 25th every year as Christmas Day and when did people start celebrating it?
In ancient times, the Romans did not celebrate December 25th as the birth of Christ; instead celebrate it in honor of Saturnus (the harvest God) and Mithras (the ancient God of Light). The Romans inherited this celebration from the pagans which celebrate it as the night that the Great Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God. This celebration occurs between December 20 and 22 while the Romans celebrate it between December 17 and 24.
Early Christians did not recognized December 25th as the birth date of Christ even after Constantine the Great declared it as an immovable date to celebrate Christmas. They see the date as a celebrating a pagan festival thus Christmas did not gain recognition at that time.
So when did Christmas became popular?
Christmas became popular only during the 19th century when writer like Washington Irving wrote a book titled “The Keeping of Christmas at Bracebridge Hall” in 1820. Christmas gain massive popularity when in 1834, Britain’s Queen Victoria brought her German husband, Prince Albert, into Windsor Castle, introducing the tradition of the Christmas tree and carols that were held in Europe to the British Empire and a week before Christmas day, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol (in which he wrote that Scrooge required Cratchit to work, and that the US Congress met on Christmas Day). Christmas became so popular then that governments and even churches could not deny the importance of celebrating it. From then on, countries all over the world recognize and celebrate Christmas as the date of birth of Jesus Christ.
Today, we celebrate Christmas on December 25th as the date of birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here in the Philippines, Christmas season starts on December 16th, the start of a 9 day Novena (Simbang Gabi) to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ and ends on January 6th, The Feast of Epiphany.
Whichever way we celebrate Christmas, let us not forget the true meaning and purpose on why we celebrate it. Christmas is the time we see the birth of our savior from our sins thus looking forward to have a new life in coming new year. Christmas gives us hope that no matter how hard times are, that life continues with the birth of Jesus Christ.
reference: History of Christmas
