Christmas
Christmas meaning ("Christ's
Mass") is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesu Christ and a widely
observed cultural holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by billions of
people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it
closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide, which
ends after the twelfth night. Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's
nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians, and is an
integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
While the birth year of Jesus is
estimated among modern historians to have been between 7 and 2 BC, the exact
month and day of his birth are unknown. His birth is mentioned in two of the
four canonical gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian
Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East,
although some churches celebrate on the December 25 of the older Julian
calendar, which corresponds to January in the modern-day Gregorian calendar.
The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day
exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been
conceived, or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred
near southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a further solar
connection has been suggested because of a biblical verse identifying Jesus as
the "Sun of righteousness".
The celebratory customs
associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pagan, pre-Christian,
Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the
holiday include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas
cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas
decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands,
wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often
interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas,
and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the
Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because
gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened
economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has
become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses.
The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the
past few centuries in many regions of the world.