Secrets you need to know about Christmas
The name Christmas is derived from the names “mass on Christ’s Day.” Earlier, the festival was referred to as Yule, a name derived from the Germans’ winter solstice as jõl and by the people of England or as they were formerly referred to the Anglo-Saxons. The festival is celebrated on the 25th December annually as a remembrance of Christ’s birth. But no substantial proof has ever been given that on this particular day, Christ was born.
While this day was meant to be a Christian’s institution, this festival is celebrated even among the pagans as a secular holiday for families. Furthermore, the cause of the celebration itself has been lost sight of. Its religious purposes are never regarded, especially in this 21st century. The holiday that has now become secular and is now devoid of Christianity and in their place Santa clause, a mythical figure, has been placed.
Is 25th December the day when Christ was born?
The first Christmas celebration on 25th December is traced to be in 336, during the time of Roman Emperor Constantine, the first Emperor of Rome to become a Christian. Various Roman festivals took place on 25th December; thus, some individuals have believed that these festivals influenced the celebration of Christmas on that day.
While this may appear to be true, some individuals believe that this festival’s dating has nothing to do with the Romans’ influence.
It is commonly known that December is in the winter season. When Christ was born, the shepherds were out on the hills with their flock. It gets very cold during the winter season. Therefore it is very unlikely that the shepherds went out with their flock at this time of the year.
This practical evidence proves that Christ was not born on the 25th December thus making the dating of Christmas questionable.
The 25th March belief
It is estimated that it takes approximately 9 months or 40 weeks (the number used interchangeably with 9 months) of pregnancy for a child to be delivered.
An ancient tradition of the Christian states that on the 25th March (The month of Nisan, according to the Jewish calendar), the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a special baby called Jesus. In calculation, nine months added to the 25th March, landed them on the 25th December.
Moreover, the 25th March date was chosen because individuals believed that Jesus Christ died an adult on that day. Therefore they thought Christ was conceived and died on the same day of the year.
However, this belief is not independent. It is entirely dependent on the belief that Christ was born on the 25th December, the day Christians celebrate Christmas. Giving reason to all this, with the recent scientific data about the duration of pregnancies, only a small 4% of the pregnancies take exactly 9 months before the baby is delivered. This makes it very unlikely that Mary could have delivered on Christmas day, 25th December.
Therefore, we can rightfully say that Christmas is a celebration of the Christians in remembrance of the birth of Christ.