What are the Christian origins of Christmas

The following video provides a brief explanation of the history of Christmas, from the Middle Ages up through the late 1800s, including the origins of the word "Christmas". For teaching resources

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The Winter Solstice celebrations of Saturnalia and Yule predated Christmas. So, when did Christmas actually become “Christmas”?

Sometime during the 4th Century, the Roman Catholic Church made the decision to acknowledge the date of December 25th as the birthday of Jesus Christ. The actual date of Jesus’ birth was unknown, yet Christians longed for a day on which they could celebrate. The church chose this late December day because of the already existing Winter Solstice celebrations that most cultures were accustomed to recognizing during that portion of the year.

Throughout the Middle Ages, churches across Europe began holding special services known as a Mass on December 25th. These services became known as Christ Mass, which eventually led to the modern name of the holiday “Christmas.”

However, most of us would not recognize a Christmas celebration from the Middle Ages. Christmas was a spirited time full of mischief and hijinks. Merry revelers would visit the homes of the wealthy, where they would bang on their doors and demand entry. Once inside, they would refuse to leave until they were served the best food and drink. If the homeowner refused, the visitors would threaten to play a trick or prank.

Believe it or not, in 1652, Christmas was actually outlawed in England and the New England colonies, partially because some thought it was too wild (amongst many other reasons). Businesses were even forced to stay open on Christmas Day. However, people refused to stop celebrating. They simply hid their festivities from the authorities. In 1656, Christmas was restored as a legal holiday.

However, in the late 1700s, in America, Christmas was viewed as an English holiday, and since the Americans had just fought the Revolutionary War against the English, they wanted no part of such a holiday. Therefore, for many, many years, December 25th was just another day in America.

Finally, sometime around the 1820s, Christmas began the process of taking on its modern shape. As more and more Americans began celebrating the holiday, traditions began to emerge and spread from place to place. Eventually, Christmas would become the holiday that we all know and love.