Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of of Jesus
Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.
The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or
Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called
Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that
Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-
Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place
after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it
at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to
Christmas.
Christmas is now celebrated by people around the world ,
whether they are Christians or not. It's a time when family and
friends come together and remember the good things they
have. People, and especially children, also like Christmas as
it's a time when you give and receive presents !

THE DATE OF CHRISMAS

No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in
the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December?
The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when
it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't
happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere
between 2BC and 7BC (there isn't a 0AD - the years go from
1BC to 1AD!).
The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on
December 25th was in 336AD, during the time of the Roman
Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman
Emperor). A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared
that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th
December.
There are many different traditions and theories as to why
Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. A very early
Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that
she would have a very special baby, Jesus (called the
Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated
today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is
the 25th December! March 25th was also the day some early
Christians thought the world had been made, and also the day
that Jesus died on when he was an adult.
December 25th might have also been chosen because the
Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter
festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took
place in December around this date - so it was a time when
people already celebrated things. Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the
early Christians thought that this was the right time to
celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the
customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian
meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!
St Augustine was the person who really started Christmas in
the UK by introducing Christianity in the 6th century. He came
from countries that used the Roman Calendar, so western
countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then
people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the
25th December all over the world!


SO WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?

There's a strong and practical reason why Jesus might not
have been born in the winter, but in the spring or the autumn!
It can get very cold in the winter and it's unlikely that the
shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills (as
those hills can get quite a lot of snow sometimes!).
During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival
called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had
escaped from slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus
was born. Lots of lambs would have been needed during the
Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in
Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire travelled to
Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, so it would have been a
good time for the Romans to take a census. Mary and Joseph
went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six
miles from Jerusalem).
In the autumn (in September or October) there's the Jewish
festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the
festival that's mentioned the most times in the Bible! It is
when Jewish people remember that they depended on God for
all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and spent 40
years in the desert. It also celebrates the end of the harvest.
During the festival, Jews live outside in temporary shelters
(the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth'
or 'hut').
Many people who have studied the Bible, think that Sukkot
would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with
the description of there being 'no room in the inn'. It also
would have been a good time to take the Roman Census as
many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival and they would
have brought their own tents/shelters with them! (It wouldn't
have been practical for Joseph and Mary to carry their own
shelter as Mary was pregnant.)
The possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem seems to point
either spring or autumn.
So whenever you celebrate Christmas, remember that you're
celebrating a real event that happened about 2000 years ago,
that God sent his Son into the world as a Christmas present for
everyone!
As well as Christmas and the solstice, there are some other
festivals that are held in late December. Hanukkah is
celebrated by Jews; and the festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated
by some Africans and African Americans takes place from
December 26th to January 1st.

Cc.Lalasticlala

all hail Jesus All praises due to God