SELaplana >> Religion >> When Did Christians Start to Celebrate Christmas?

Question:

I was born, baptized, confirmed and raised as Catholic. I followed Catholic rituals and teachings.

I have question that I already asked my self since my High School days. It is about Christmas. Is Christmas celebrated by the Apostles before?

Answer:

We couldn’t find the term “Christmas” in the Bible. Which also means, Apostle didn’t know about the Christmas celebration.

But just like what you knew, Christmas is a holiday celebrated to commemorates the birthday of Christ. And as recorded in the Bible, it was not the birthday of Christ that was being celebrated by them to commemorate Christ but it was the death of Christ.

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

I Corinthians 11:23-26, New International Version

Therefore, Apostles did not celebrate Christmas even the birthday of  Christ.

But when did Christians start to celebrate Christmas?

The original celebration on December 25 was not actually the Christmas or the birth of Christ but the birthday of the unconquered sun god (Dies Natalis Solis Invicti). Sol Invictus or “sun god” is a Roman pagan god.

And it was believed that Constantine I (the first Christian Roman Emperor) influenced the christianization of the birthday of the unconquered sun god as the birthday of Christ. That’s when Christian started to celebrate the birth of Christ or Christmas.

Famously, the Roman Empire did not immediately take to the young religion, burning some Christians and throwing others to the lions. But as the new creed gathered momentum, polytheistic Rome had to take notice. Constantine I was the first Christian emperor of Rome, and in 313AD passed an edict permitting the practice of the religion and forcing the return of goods confiscated from the Church. He also worked to make Christianity more palatable to his still pagan subjects, by co-opting the December festivals of Saturn and Mithras for a celebration of Christ’s birth.

Telegraph

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Tags: Birthday of christ, Catholic, Catholic Festival, Christ, Christmas, Christmas Celebration, Commeration of Birthday of Christ, December 25, Start of Christmas Celebration
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