I have always wondered this. Christians base their calander on the birth of Christ, but Christmas is December 25th. Why isn't Christmas Day on January 1? Why the week difference?
2007-01-03 07:02:46 · 18 answers · asked by smittie2452 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The reasons are:
1) The calendar existed before the supposed birth of the christ. They just moved the years a few decades but didn't move the calendar system, the 4 years adjustments nor the months divisions or weeks divisions, the calendar is the same Julius Caesar implemented around 40 BC, they moved the starting year, but not the starting day and month, we even still have months that pay tribute to gods like Janus (January), Mars (March), Maia (May) and June and days that pay tribute to nordic gods. So, they set the birthday in an existing calendar. Our calendar is 99% pagan, so don't be surprised that the calendar don’t start with the supposed christ birthday.
2) Nobody know when Jesus was born (assuming he existed). What we know is that he wasn't born in year 1, but more likely in year 4 BC to 10 BC. They miscalculated it. Now they missed the year, what do you think about the month and day?
3) There was a pagan celebration in december 25th, they just used that excuse to celebrate the birth of the christ and get (partially) rid of a pagan celebration. I guess that today, the celebration is more pagan than christian. Gotta love the irony.
Bye,
2007-01-03 07:31:40 · answer #1 · answered by Oedipus Schmoedipus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seriously? Christ wasn't born January 1st either. The 25th was made Christmas day so it was shared with the Pagan holiday. It is well known that this is because Christians wanted the holiday to be easily accepted by pagans. This has nothing to do with January or a week from The New Year. At any rate, don't you celebrate some form of Christmas? Gift giving, Santa claus, big yummy meal usually consisting of a turkey or ham or both? Many blessings to you!
2007-01-03 07:09:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Eventhough i'm a Christian i comprehend that Christmas did not initiate as Christmas. it began as yule. In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated yule from December 21, the wintry climate solstice, with the aid of January. In attractiveness of the return of the solar, fathers and sons might carry homestead large logs, which they might set on hearth. the individuals might ceremonial dinner till the log burned out, that would take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each and each spark from the hearth represented a sparkling pig or calf which could be born for the period of the arriving 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. So look into the link under and learn the actual foundation of the day the Roman Catholic Church claimed as Christmas.
2016-10-19 10:12:18 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who said Christmas = End of the year. I do not understand your association between Christmas and New Year. Two different celebrations for two different reasons. Christmas Day isn't no on January 1 because that is not the day selected for the celebration of the birth of the Savior. Plain and simple.
2007-01-03 07:06:26 · answer #4 · answered by Presagio 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christ was not born in December like most Christians believe. He was actually born around Easter (the same time of the year in which he died).
When Constantine was using Christianity to gain power, they had a problem with some pagans not wanting to part with their old believes. So as a tool to convert them, they adopted some of their customs and event dates.
2007-01-03 07:08:48 · answer #5 · answered by Dano 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because it used to be a widely celebrated Pagan holidays. So instead of trying to get everyone to celebrate a different day (and get them to stop celebrating a holiday that has be celebrated for 1000s of years) they pirated the holiday and turned it into Christmas. Jesus wasn't even born in December.
2007-01-03 07:05:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The birth of Jesus Christ didn't take place in the winter and certainly not on December 25th.
Early Christians simply supplanted pagan solstice festivals with their own celebration.
Later, the capitalists saw an opportunity to exploit Christians and turned it into the guilt-ridden free-spending debt festival we have today.
2007-01-03 07:05:48 · answer #7 · answered by You Should Be Pied 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I celebrate Christmas on December 25th because that is the day that my calendar says it is. It's a day I have off from work. :)
2007-01-03 07:09:35 · answer #8 · answered by BaseballGrrl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This may be when the calender got messed up. Most say Jesus was born around 3 BC or so.
2007-01-03 07:08:38 · answer #9 · answered by RB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the reason is because that is the day that we believe it all happened. setting it back would be like having your b day on the 7th and waiting till the 14th every year to celebrate ...does that make much sense?
2007-01-03 07:07:25 · answer #10 · answered by Kayla Marie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋