If Christ wasn't born in December, why is it called Christmas?????

Answer 1

Oroginally it was a pagan holiday to celebrate the "rebirth" (the hours of sunlight in a day were now getting longer) of the sun.

Answer 2

Actually there is a reason why Jesus is said to have been born in December and not the old popular solstice belief (ever notice the solstice never falls on Christmas).

Anyway the date in December is fixed from his death date. All religions consider the death date more important then birthdate. Anyway, the original death date assigned because of the passover was March 25, this was done by both Hippotlyus and Tertullian in the early third century. The theory in divinity has always been that a perfect life dies at the same time it was concieved (placing Jesus' conception date on March 25 as well). March 25 is exactly 9 months before December 25. That is how the date for Christmas was set.

That is also how the date for the feast of John the Baptist was set, since he is 6 months older then Christ according to the bible.

Also while Christmas is December 25, the feast of the Nativity is the 24, which is the actual birthdate considered through time.

Anyway it is all verifiable through early writings and can easily be found in the ancient medieval sourcebooks.

Now I am not saying it was not passed down from previous religions the concept of perfect life and the date of March 25. But if it did (which is more then likely) it was not from a existing, competing religion. The goal was not to "win" or incorporate but to erase the competetors.

If Christ was fashioned after any previous deity it was one whose popularity had been dwindling and had a shrine on what is now Vatican Hill. Not the ones people commonly mention.

Answer 3

The Roman Catholic Church, during the dark ages, instituted the Mass each week as part of its religious services. It was later that the Christ Mass was brought about at the time of the winter solstice (when pagans would sacrifice a person to the Sun god because the days were getting shorter - Dec 22nd - but no notice of days getting longer until 24th and therefore celebrated on 25th).
Check out Easter (Ishtar) for why we celebrate the Resurrection on this pagan holiday instead of the true resurrection day (The Wave Sheaf or First Fruits) following Passover.
Passover (Preparation Day)Jewish date=Abib 14 Jesus died
Feast of Unleavened Bread began (Sabbath) =Abib15 rested
First Fruits (1st day of week)=Abib 16 Resurrected
Check out the last two sources below for an interesting read.
God bless you as you seek Him with the whole heart!

Answer 4

I'm sorry, but Christ was not born in December. He was born at the same time that the sheep were bearing their young, which was the reason that the shepherds were abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night.

The reason we celebrate Christmas on December 25 was that it was a pagan holiday that the church wanted to Christianize. The church called it Christmas and decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus at that time. They wanted to turn the pagans toward Christ and give them a Christian holiday.

There is no reason to get all bent out of shape about this. What difference does it make when we celebrate Jesus' birth?

Answer 5

Because "Mass" is the word Catholics use for their church services/meetings. Christmas was made up 4-5 centuries after Jesus by the Roman Catholics from the Sun god services and such of Rome.

You can find the history of it and its pagan origin in the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia which is free online.

The Christmas tree is an ancient pagan custom actually condemned very specifically in Jeremiah chapter 10 (though the name Christmas is not used of course).

Answer 6

Christmas was originally a pagan holiday called Yule, which is a celebration of the Winter Solstice. Christians adopted it to celebrate the birth of Jesus as a way to force pagans to convert. Happy Yule!

Answer 7

The King Come to the Earth



The true meaning of Christmas is born out as we look to what God has said regarding the event, and its place in the series of events.



Isaiah 9:6 ; Luke 1:31-33

In Isaiah, the prophet tells the nation about the baby (son born, child given)
Gabriel tells Mary about the baby (Great, King, eternal)


The Wise men didn't seek a baby, but a king Matthew 2:2



They came to worship—giving gifts—

Gold—Kingly Gift
Frankincense—Priestly Gift
Myrrh—Prophetic Gift (Luke 13:33)


Mankind had been waiting for a deliver ever since the fall, and the promise of a redeemer (Genesis 3:15 )

But not all looked for the same thing in a Redeemer
Israel looked for the redeemer to come and deliver them from Roman occupation, to become a sovereign, glorious world power once again
Even after His resurrection, they still looked for this (Acts 1:6 )


There was a confusion regarding the nature of His Kingdom, and the nature of the King
It was their misunderstanding of the Scripture


Israel looked for a King:



1. To restore the Kingdom in all its earthly magnificence

2 Samuel 7:17

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 16:5



2. They looked to be delivered from Rome

Isaiah 49:8-9



3. They looked for peace and prosperity to be established

Isaiah 14:7

Isaiah 11:6-10



· They did not look for wrong things

· The scriptures are totally true.

· They were locked into an earthly kingdom point of view

· How dangerous it is to narrow your understanding!



· This child was from the line of David

· He carried the blood of kings (Mary)

· He had legal right to the Throne (Joseph)

· He was born a peasant, the son of a peasants---how far had Israel fallen!

· But this King came to establish a new kingdom



1. He gives life to the lifeless

Ephesians 2:1

John 10:10



2. He releases us from the dominion of Satan

Hebrews 2:14

1 John 3:8



3. He brings us into peace with God

Romans 5:1



The Whole Plan from God's View!

Christmas is the most incredible event that had ever taken place
God became a man
The fulfillment of a plan begun before the world was made
The results would be the eternal destiny of many
1 Corinthians 15:24-27
1 Corinthians 15:56-58
So, as we enjoy the wonderful sentiment of the season
The Christmas cookies, the parties, the gifts and get-togethers…
Let us not forget that Bethlehem was the Normandy of the Kingdom of God—the beach head landing of the invading force
The beginning of the end of Satan's rule
The kingdom of darkness would lose its power
The baby was a king
He came to claim what was His
He came to defeat the Devil, and undo his destruction
No wonder Herod tried to kill Him!
Bethlehem , without Calvary, is of no consequence to anyone
But because there was a Bethlehem, there could be a Calvary


Let us not miss His Kingdom because we have a vision beneath His purpose!

Answer 8

Christmas is the Mass that celebrates the FACT that God became incarnate in Christ -- not the DAY that God became incarnate in Christ.

Answer 9

It was a gimmick to get the Pagans to convert. Happy Solstice!

Answer 10

Rome created this day in honor of one of their gods