Why is December 25 Christmas?

Answer 1

A:December 25 is the day, just after the winter solstice, when the sun begins to rise above the horizon earlier. It was thus the birthday of the sun gods.

It is unclear what Emperor Constantine's understanding of Christianity was, an there is a view that he thought of Jesus as an incarnation of the sun god. In any case, the fourth-century Christian emperors sought to appropriate all the important pagan festivals for Christianity, so that people would attend Christian celebrations and not the pagan ones. Thus, Christmas was made to be the 25th of December.

Answer 2

A:

Tradition says that Jesus was born od December 25th, Christmas Day, although we do not actually know when he was really born. December 25th was also the birthday of the sun god, so in the fourth century the same birthday was attributed to Jesus in order to distract attention from the old pagan customs.

Answer 3

In the northern hemisphere, December 21 is the shortest day in the year. However, because of the diameter of the sun, it appears as if the days do not begin to get longer until December 25. Thus, those who worshipped the sun god treated December 25th as the birthday of their god.

Before the fourth century CE, December 25 was celebrated as the birthday of Sol Invictus (among others), whose religion was a serious competitor to Christianity. When Christianity had gained state patronage, the Church nominated this date as the birthday of Jesus, thus forcing pagans to choose publicly between Christianity and Sol Invictus.

Answer 4

December 25 was the date that pagans in Rome celebrated the birth of the sun god Mithra. When the Emperor Constantine became a Christian, he changed Dec. 25 from the birth of the sun god to the birth of the Son of God. No one knows for certain when Jesus was actually born. He was probably not born in December, because not too many sheep herders would be out in the fields in December with their sheep, as it would be too cold. That would be the sheep herders whom the angels spoke to.

Answer 5

Santa didn't start out as Santa. He was a priest, his name was St. Nicholas. Where the Kris Kringle comes in, I have no idea. But Christman was oringinally a pagen religion.

Answer 6

the birth of Jesus