Why Is Christmas on December 25? What You Should Know About Jesus' Birth

Christmas is believed to have first been celebrated in 336 AD by the Romans, but it did not become a widespread Christian festival until the ninth century.

It is held on December 25 each year to mark the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God.

Christmas has also become a commercial phenomenon, with shops offering discounts before and after the holiday for people to buy presents for loved ones.

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated was on December 25, 336, during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine I, the first Christian ruler of Rome.

Origin of the Name

The name "Christmas" comes from Mass of Christ (of Jesus), according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

"Christ" originates from the Greek word "Christos," or "anointed one," which comes from the Hebrew meaning "Messiah." According to Britannica, in Judaism, The Messiah is the name of the expected king meant to deliver the Jewish nation.

Why Christmas Is Celebrated on December 25?

There are several theories as to why Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25.

The most popular is Christ's birth, as many Christians believe that this was the date Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Bible tells the story of the Lord being born in the holy town of Bethlehem, Palestine, in a manger in a stable, as there was nowhere for Him and Mary to stay.

However, the holy book does not tell us the date on which Jesus was born, according to Herleik Baklid, a humanities professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

"Between 350 and 360 after the birth of Jesus Christ, the first celebration of Christmas started in Rome," Baklid told Newsweek. "At this time, the cult of the god Mithra and the cult of the emperor were important in Rome.

"The 25th of December was celebrated as the birthday of Mithra who was god of the sun, and the 25th of December was an important date in different religions. To compete with these other religions, the date of the birth of Jesus Christ was fixed to 25th December."

Baklid said the religious-political decision proved to be "very successful."

"As far as we know, the 25th of December as the birthday of Jesus Christ is first documented in 354. During the first 50 years of the fifth century, all the Christians participated in the celebration of Christmas at the 25th of December," Baklid added.

He said building up to this was the council of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) in 325 called the feast of Epiphany, which was spread throughout the Roman Empire.

"This feast was celebrated to remember different events in the life of Jesus Christ: for instance, his baptism, the miracle at the wedding in Cana (the transformation of water into wine), but also to remember the birth of Jesus Christ," Baklid said.

"The feast of the Epiphany was the 6th of January. Despite this, the church wanted a special feast to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In its opinion, the birth of Jesus moved too far into the the background in the celebration of Epiphany," he added.

"At this time, there were different religions that competed with each other in the Roman Empire, and to strengthen the situation of the Christian Church, they decided to create a special feast to remember the birth of Jesus Christ and to highlight that God became a human being," Baklid said.

"The feasts were days the church also had the opportunity to preach Christianity and thus strengthen its religion."

Brian Earl, hosts the podcast Christmas Past, which looks into the history of the holiday, told Newsweek that December 25 is recognized as the date of the Nativity by all Christians except the Armenian Church, which has recognized January 6 since the fourth century.

"The birth date of Jesus wouldn't have been considered significant," Earl said. "The death date of a martyr would have been marked as a sort of 'new birthday.'"

He added that in the fourth century, when Christmas was first established, different people suggested different dates to recognize.

"Hippolytus thought it was November 17; Clement of Alexandria picked December 18. Many other dates were proposed too, including some in the spring," Earl said.

"When persecutions of Christianity stopped after 313, the Christian leadership in Rome settled on December 25 as the day to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity," he added.

"Some have also suggested that the date was picked to allow Christians to co-opt (or to celebrate under the cover of) general pagan activities: Saturnalia, December 17 to 24; Sol Invictus on December 25: or Kalends on January 1."

In some parts of the world, Christians celebrate Christmas on March 25, exactly nine months before December 25.

On March 25, many Christians believe that Mary was told she would have a very special baby, and this is called the Annunciation. Some believe that, on this date, the world had been made, but it is also the same day Jesus died as an adult.

That date was chosen as it is near the Vernal, or spring, Equinox, when the day and night are the same length.