Why x-mas is celebrated on 25th December?

Answer 1

Christmas is a Christian holiday held on December 25 which celebrates the birth of Jesus. Eastern Orthodox Churches, which use the Julian Calendar to determine feast days, celebrate on January 7 by the Gregorian Calendar. Both dates are merely traditional and neither is thought to be the actual birthdate of Jesus.

Although no one knows what date Jesus was born on, there were several reasons for early Christians to favor December 25. The date is nine months after the Festival of Annunciation (March 25), and hence the Incarnation. It is also the date on which the Romans marked the winter solstice.

Around 220, the theologian Tertullian declared that Jesus died on March 25, AD 29. Although this is not a plausible date for the crucifixion, it does suggest that March 25 had significance for the church even before it was used as a basis to calculate Christmas. Modern scholars favor a crucifixion date of April 3, AD 33 (also the date of a partial lunar eclipse).[2] (These are Julian calendar dates. Subtract two days for a Gregorian date.)

By 240, a list of significant events was being assigned to March 25, partly because it was believed to be the date of the vernal equinox. These events include creation, the fall of Adam, and, most relevantly, the Incarnation.[3] The view that the Incarnation occurred on the same date as crucifixion is consistent with a Jewish belief that prophets died at an "integral age," either an anniversary of their birth or of their conception.[4][5]

Aside from being nine months later than Annunciation, December 25 is also the date the Romans marked the winter solstice, which they referred to as bruma. For this reason, some have suggested the opposite of the theory outlined above, i.e. that the date of Christmas was chosen to be the same as that of the solstice and that the date of Annunciation was calculated on this basis. (The Julian calendar was originally only one day off, with the solstice falling on December 24 in 45 BC. Due to calendar slippage, the date of the astronomical solstice has moved back so that it now falls on either December 21 or December 22).

The idea that December 25 is Jesus' birthday was popularized by Sextus Julius Africanus in Chronographiai (AD 221), an early reference book for Christians. This identification did not at first inspire feasting or celebration. In 245, the theologian Origen denounced the idea of celebrating the birthday of Jesus "as if he were a king pharaoh." Only sinners, not saints, celebrate their birthdays, Origen contended.

In 274, Emperor Aurelian designated December 25 as the festival of Sol Invictus (the "unconquered sun"). Aurelian may have chosen this date because the solstice was considered the birthday of Mithras, a syncretic god of Persian origin. Mithras is often identified with Sol Invictus, although Sol was originally a separate Syrian god.
Mural painting of Jesus from the catacombs of Rome, late 4th century.
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Mural painting of Jesus from the catacombs of Rome, late 4th century.

Mithras was a god of light and a child of the earth who sprang up next to a sacred stream. He was born bearing a torch and armed with a knife. Some later Mithratic beliefs were derived from Christianity, such as the belief that Mithras' birth was attended by shepherds. Sundays were dedicated to Mithras and caves were often used for his worship. A series of emperors promoted Mithraism beginning with Commodus. The cult emphasized loyalty to the emperor and Roman soldiers were expected to participate. Mithraism collapsed rapidly after Constantine I withdrew imperial favor (312), despite being at the peak of its popularity only a few years earlier.

As Constantine ended persecution, Christians began to debate the nature of Christ. The Alexandrian school argued that he was the divine word made flesh (see John 1:14), while the Antioch school held that he was born human and infused with the Holy Spirit at the time of his baptism (see Mark 1:9-11). A feast celebrating Christ's birth gave the church an opportunity to promote the intermediate view that Christ was divine from the time of his incarnation.[6] Mary, a minor figure for early Christians, gained prominence as the theotokos, or god-bearer. There were Christmas celebrations in Rome as early as 336. December 25 was added to the calendar as a feast day in 350.[6]

Answer 2

Traditionally, it's the day Jesus was born.

However, many people now believe that Jesus wasn't born December 25th. He may have been born on January 7th. The Orthodox Christian church still celebrates X-mas on January 7th.

Christmas was moved to December 25th to coincide with a pagan holiday. This got more pagans to celebrate Jesus' birthday. This move was one of the reasons why the church split in 1043. It was then that the Pope went to Rome and the Patriarch of the Orthodox church went to Constantinopole.

Did you ever ask yourself why you have a x-mas tree and what it has to do with Jesus' birth? Well, now you know that it is a remnant of an old pagan tradition of worshipping trees.

Answer 3

Christmas, Pagan Origins of
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The date of December 25 to celebrate Christ’s birth was chosen to conform to the old, pagan Roman holidays called "Saturnalia" and "Brumalia." The ancient Romans kept these holidays around the time of the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Here are some excerpts about this festival from The Book of the Bible by Riedel, Tracy & Moskwitz:

Because the Roman emperor Aurelian fixed December 25th for the winter solstice holiday in AD 274, it is thought that the early Christians adopted this day for their Christ-mass so that they would be less conspicuous in the observance of their holiday.

Most scholars believe that the birthday of Jesus was never known and that the December date was chosen solely for convenience.

The earliest known observance of Christmas on December 25th was the year AD 336 in Rome, as recorded in a calendar of the period.

Throughout antiquity other dates for the birth were advanced: March 25, April 19, November 17, among others, but there is no evidence, literary or historical, that supports any of these dates.

Almost everywhere in Europe, in both Roman and Teutonic [northern European] countries, the period around the winter solstice was celebrated with lights, to celebrate the increase of sunlight to come, and with greenery, usually evergreens, to represent the coming of spring and eternal cycles of growth. At the Saturnalia festival (December 17-24), Romans would present each other with sprigs of holly as gifts for the holiday. When Teutonic tribes began to usurp power from the Romans in Europe, they brought their Yule, or winter feast, traditions with them. The Yule log and wassailing (i.e., toasting each others’ health with alcoholic drinks) are two of these traditions.

The origin of the Christmas tree is usually traced to Saint Boniface, who in the 8th century persuaded the Teutonic tribes to abandon worship of the sacred oak of Odin, a remnant of Druidism, and to confer it instead on the fir, a more appropriate symbol of Jesus and eternal life. [Trees, however, have been used in pagan, idolatrous worship for many thousands of years. Numerous references to this can be found throughout the Old Testament (I Kings 14:23; II Kings 16:2-4; 17:10; II Chronicles 28:4; I Samuel 40:18-20; 57:5; 66:17; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6,13; 10:1-5; Ezekiel 6:13).]

Answer 4

NOW THIS IS THE TRUTH!

December 25th, Is The Day That Christ Was Conceived!
September 30th, Is The Day That Christ Was Born!

Period The End!

Answer 5

The Bible would not rather point out the right date of Christmas. consistent with danger using fact the 1st followers of Christ very be responsive to nicely of his date of beginning yet after time it grew to become into forgotten. Then the emperor Constantine mixed the Pagan gala's with Christmas. December twenty 5th occurs to be the beginning of Mithra, the god of sunshine. This grew to become into made the two to unite the pagans and Christians or to make Christian conversion greater ordinary.

Answer 6

It co-insides with the pagan celebration of the winter solstice, which occur on the 21st to the 23rd December. It is symbolic of the planets rebirth. It also allowed early Christains who were persecuted for practicing christianity to worship in the open but still in secret as their celebration co-insidered with the celeberation that were already occuring.

Answer 7

To celebrate Christ's birthday

Answer 8

That is around the time of the Yule celebration jand ust like every other holiday the christians needed to create their own holiday close to it.

Answer 9

why do you celebrate 14 feb why do you celebrate ur birthday thats how people celebrate x-mas

Answer 10

It was to coincide with a Roman pagan holiday. Forgot all the details but Jesus wasn't born on Dec 25.