Christmas

The Christian celebration of the birth of JESUS on December 25. The English name derives from the phrase "Christ's Mass." Christmas is probably the most popular Christian celebration. The earliest celebration of Christmas that we know about took place in Rome in the middle of the fourth century. This is the period during which CHRISTIANITY was in the process of becoming the offi cial religion of the Roman Empire. A century earlier the Roman emperor Aurelian (ruled 270–275) had made the WORSHIP of Sol Invictus, "The unconquered sun," the offi cial religion of the empire. In 274 he had required all subjects of Rome to celebrate the birth of the sun on December 25. This is the date when days in the Northern Hemisphere begin to grow longer again. Many speculate that Aurelian's celebration of the birth of the sun was the origin of the celebration of Christmas on December 25. During the fourth century the celebration of Jesus' birth on December 25 spread. Many churches in the eastern half of the Roman Empire— the ancestors of today's Orthodox churches (see EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY)—were already celebrating Jesus' birth and BAPTISM on January 6. They continued to celebrate Jesus' baptism on that day. On December 25 they remembered his birth and the visits of the shepherds and the magi. Churches in the western half of the Roman Empire—the ancestors of today's Catholic and Protestant churches (see ROMAN CATHOLICISM and PROTESTANISM)—thought of the day somewhat differently. On December 25 they celebrated Jesus' birth and the visit of the shepherds. On January 6, called Epiphany, they celebrated the visit of the magi. A rich variety of popular customs has developed around the celebration of Christmas. In North America Christmas observances include sculpted scenes of Jesus' birth known as creches, special songs known as Christmas carols, an evergreen tree decorated with ornaments and lights, legends about a popular fi gure named Santa Claus who gives gifts (especially to children), the sending of greeting cards, and midnight worship services. Each of these elements has a different origin. Francis of Assisi (see FRANCIS OF ASSISI AND FRANCISCANS) began the tradition of building creches to celebrate Christmas in the late Middle Ages. Christmas carols began in the late Middle Ages, too. At that time it became customary on Christmas to replace the kinds of hymns used for ordinary festivals with songs of a more popular nature. The Christmas tree originated in Germany, although precisely when is unknown. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria's husband, who was German, brought the custom to English-speaking countries. Americans invented the legends of Santa Claus from a variety of sources, while the custom of sending greeting cards began in England in the 19th century. The oldest of the elements is the one from which Christmas takes its name: the celebration of an early morning mass, eventually at midnight. Despite the popularity of the festival, not all Christians observe Christmas. When the festival was fi rst introduced, the church in JERUSALEM refused to recognize it for 200 years. The ARMENIAN CHURCH still insists on celebrating the birth of Jesus on January 6. Some Protestants have also rejected Christmas. To them, it is a human invention that has no basis in the BIBLE. One such group was the Puritans (see PURITANISM). Because of Puritan infl uence, Christmas was not widely observed in the United States until the mid-1800s. The "plain people," such as the AMISH, still refuse to observe it.