The Origin of Christmas: Once Upon a Fairy Tale

Christmas is a worldwide holiday celebrated by Christians all over the world as the day Jesus was born. However, the origin of Christmas wasn’t that simple. In fact, no one knows for sure the date of birth of Jesus.

Then, why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? Where did Christmas originally come from? What is the history of Christmas? Let’s find out the legend of this holiday in this article!

Let’s uncover the origin of the first Christmas. Photo by Drone in Warsaw - stock.adobe.com

How did Christmas start? - Origin and Development

Contrary to what most people thought, there is actually no origin of Christmas in the Bible. Jesus’s date of birth remains to be a myth, as there are no documents confirming it.

Christmas emerged much later when Christianity had a certain popularity. Its development is marked through 04 periods: the 4th century, the Middle Ages, the 17th century, and the 19th century.

The First Celebration

The first celebration of a day called “Christmas” was in 336 A.D. in Rome, when Emperor Constantine sought to unify the Roman Empire under Christianity while coinciding with existing pagan festivals, such as the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun).

As the Roman Empire expanded, the origin of Christmas traditions spread across Europe. However, how Christmas was celebrated back then was quite different.

Christmas In Early Days

In the first few centuries that people started to embrace Christmas, they enjoyed it more like a festival for days. People did go to churches. But there are also costumes, games, entertainment, etc., organised publicly on the street for everyone. 

This is the time when decorating with greeneries such as mistletoe and ivy became popular. The most significant tradition during this time was the disruption of social norms, as the lower classes were allowed to come and demand treatment from the wealthy upper classes.

Saturnalia and Christmas

The pagan origin of Christmas can be traced back to Saturnalia, an ancient festival organised by the Romans to honour the God of agriculture and harvest, Saturn. The festival occurred for a week, from December 17th to December 23rd.

During this time, people will enjoy feasts and public celebrations. Slaves were treated as equals by owners, gifts were given between family members, and parties were held in public without being frowned upon.

The similarity between Saturnalia and Christmas (in the early days) can easily be seen, from the date to how they are celebrated. Then why did the Romans decide to have two different events with so much similarity? The answer is that Christmas was meant to benefit from the popularity of the pagan festival Saturnalia.

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th then? The whole origin of Christmas can be seen as a strategic move to increase the impact of Christianity. Pope Julius I is believed to be the “mastermind” behind this plan (although this is still up for debate).

Despite many beliefs that Jesus's birthday was actually in Spring, he chose December 25th so that people who are currently celebrating Saturnalia can adapt and welcome Christmas better.

As time goes, Saturnalia began to become absorbed by Christmas.

Many of Saturnalia's customs, such as decorating with greenery, have influenced modern Christmas traditions. Photo by Archivist - stock.adobe.com

When Christmas Was Cancelled

The history of Christmas also has its rough days. In the 17th century, the celebration was disrupted due to the impact of Puritans. They believed that, because the Bible didn’t state Jesus's date of birth, it shouldn’t be celebrated to return to the pure nature of the original Christian doctrine.

Leaders who followed Puritanism banned Christmas in England. But it was thankfully returned in 1645 when Charles II was inaugurated as king. During this time, the Puritans migrated to America, where they continued to spread their influence to discourage this holiday. 

The Modern Origin Of Christmas Celebrations

The 19th century was truly the turning point that shaped how we celebrate Christmas nowadays. This has a significant contribution from literary works, when writers started to romanticise Christmas in the medieval period.

Stories in which Christmas is a time for family and friends to gather, united despite social status, are created. An image of a warm-hearted event where everyone can have fun became popular. 

In England, new traditions to celebrate Christmas were initiated by royalties alongside old ones. Queen Victoria and her husband made decorating Christmas trees in the living room fashionable, setting an example for everyone to follow.

A new efficient post system was invented, which led to the popularity of sending Christmas cards and giving each other gifts. People started singing carols in public in exchange for drinks and food, representing Christmas carolers coming to doors nowadays.

For Americans, the popular tale “The Christmas Carol” made a huge impact on the conflicting social situation at that time, ending the discouragement of this holiday that the Puritans set. Immigrants brought their own festive traditions, which spread through churches and communities, and in turn, shaped how Christmas is celebrated across the country today.

Singing Christmas Carols publicly started to become traditional in the 19th century. Photo by Marcos - stock.adobe.com

Contemporary Customs In The West

Nowadays, the West remains the cradles of Christmas, as it is considered one of the biggest holidays of the year. This holiday is the time for families to unite, a time for sharing and forgiving.

You will see carolers going from door to door to spread the joy of the holiday. Churches will also organise public events like prayers, plays, or charity to honour the true origin of Christmas celebrations.

Christmas songs will be played everywhere. Christmas markets are open. Shops will be full of gifts and decorations. Brands will produce limited advent calendars to count down till December 25th. The streets are lit up with the holiday spirit.

People will get their days off to come back to their hometowns and gather with their family members. Decorations are prepared, with the significant trademarks being the Christmas tree, mistletoes, holly wreaths, etc. Some places even hold competitions within the neighbourhood to see which family has the best decoration.

On the night of December 24th, families will gather to have a feast together. The traditional food varies in each country, but usually, it consists of things like roast meat, pudding, gingerbread cookies, log cake, eggnog, etc. The presents will be prepared and left under the Christmas tree to be opened on the morning of December 25th. The origin of Christmas celebrations lives on through public and personal festivities.

The Christmas tree has its origins in Germany and has become a central symbol. Photo by Myshkovskyi - stock.adobe.com

Contemporary Customs In Other Areas

Other areas of the world also celebrate Christmas due to the influence of Western culture. However, how it is celebrated differs based on the popularity of Christianity in that country.

In Latin America or Africa, where Christianity is the most popular religion, Christmas is a huge celebration. The tradition is almost the same as how Christmas is celebrated in the West, except for the food, due to geographical characteristics. People also go to churches, and families also gather to enjoy feasts. Some countries even have street festivals with fireworks and parades.

In some special countries like Ethiopia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th instead of December 25th. This is because these countries use the Julian Calendar, which is 13 days behind our calendar (also known as the Gregorian Calendar). 

The overall activities are still the same, with church services and family gatherings. However, their Christmas decorations are more religious, and Ethiopia, especially, even has a traditional sport played on this occasion.

In Asia, where there are other religions and distinct ideologies, many countries don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious event. Shops are still decorated with Christmas themes, and there are also entertainment activities held publicly to participate. But it leans more on enjoying the festive spirit of the occasion. People can choose how they want to enjoy the day, whether to go out or gather at home, to give presents or not. 

Of course, except for the Phillippines. This country is known to have one of the longest and most significant Christmas seasons in the world. Their Christmas season begins in September, with various festivals and religious events occurring. Nine days before Christmas, many people will attend Simbang Gabi, where many morning Masses are organised.

Australia’s Christmas falls in the summer, so Aussies celebrate on the beach. Photo by Lennart - stock.adobe.com

Who invented Santa Claus?

Santa Claus is one of the most notable symbols of Christmas. The origin of Christmas’ most iconic character is believed to be Saint Nicholas, a bishop in the 4th century, who gave presents to the poor.

Throughout the years, this figure has been imported and modified by different countries and cultures. Starting with Sinterklaas by the Dutch, then Father Christmas of the UK. An image of a white-bearded man who is merry in red clothes, giving out gifts for children, was set.

Later, when Christmas started to be celebrated widely in America, they also added their own image of Santa Claus through the arts. He became a chubby old guy with a reindeer sleigh, magically travelling everywhere during the night with a big laugh and sending presents through chimneys.

The final factor in turning Santa Claus into a symbol of Christmas as we know it today is the commercial from Coca-Cola. In 1930, they hired an artist to create a series of advertisements in which Santa Claus enjoyed Coca. The huge impact of these advertisements simultaneously made Santa Claus more popular, framing his image in the public mind.

Coca-Cola popularised the image of Santa Claus. Photo by petunyia - stock.adobe.com

Christmas Facts

Christmas might be your favourite holiday, but are you sure you know all about this festive season? Check out these Christmas facts with us to see how many will you get:

1. The name “Christmas” originates from the old English word Crīstes mæsse, which means “Christ’s Mass”.

2. It wasn’t until 1870 that Christmas was officially announced as a federal holiday.

3. Christmas Tree is actually a pagan tradition instead of the Christian.

4. The tradition of giving Christmas cards is actually a recent invention from the 19th century.

5. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was created in a Marketing campaign in the 20th century.

6. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby is considered the most popular song of Christmas, recognized by the Guinness Book.

7. The holly wreath represents the sacrifice of Jesus, with holly as his crown and berries as his blood.

8. The abbreviation "Xmas" comes from the first letter of the Greek word for Christ.

9. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe actually originates from Saturnalia. This plant represents fertility.

10. Santa Claus only started living in the North Pole in 1863. And it’s also the result of pop culture by the Americans.

Conclusion

The history of Christmas spans centuries. The way we celebrate this holiday nowadays is through the collection and reformation of many cultural and political activities that have taken place throughout history. It represents how our society has evolved and the transformation of social situations.

Above is the origin of Christmas and how it varies throughout time and destinations. Hope that this article has given you a different perspective on this cheerful holiday. Have a holly jolly Christmas everyone!

Claire Thuc