What About Christmas Day ?

The first Christmas celebration took place on the 25 December 336 in Rome according to the Chronograph of 354. However, Christmas did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century, when Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day. The theory has been that Christians chose the 25th December so that they might continue to enjoy Roman pagan festivals under the guise of Christian worship.¹ This theory originated with two church scholars namely, Paul Ernst Jablonski, a German Protestant, and Dom Jean Hardouin, a Benedictine monk. They both claimed that Christians had appropriated pagan festivals for their own use.² The theory was further promulgated by anthropologist James George Frazer’s 1890 comparative study of religion and mythology.³

The pagan festival referred to here was the Sol Invictus (The Unconquered Sun), which Aurelian established in 274 and celebrated on December 25th. Prior to Sol Invictus, the Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a seven-day festival in honor of the Roman agricultural god Saturn, on December 17th. This was a national holiday celebrated with wreaths, candles, feasting, and gift-giving.⁴

Modern scholars argue that while Christians were aware of the Sol Invictus on 25^th December, it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas.⁵ Evidence from the second century suggests that Christians were remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ which sprang up organically from the authentic devotion of ordinary believers.⁶ For example, Clement of Alexandria, writing in the second century, hinted that discussions about Jesus’ birthdate were already taking place in North Africa. He wrote:

“There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20 in our calendar] … And treating of His Passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [March 21]; and others on the 25th of Pharmuthi [April 21] and others say that on the 19th of Pharmuthi [April 15] the Savior suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21].”

It seems the 25th day of the Egyptian months was key in determining the nativity of Jesus. A Christian Roman historian called Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) dated Jesus’ conception to 25^th March. In other words, nine months from 25^th March comes down to 25th December.⁷ Sun worship (Sol Invictus) was introduced 34 years after Africanus’ death.

Clearly, discussions and celebrations of the Nativity of Jesus Christ was ongoing before Christmas became a liturgical celebration in the fourth centuries. In addition, scholars believe that the Sol Invictus, instituted by Emperor Aurelian, was intended to give pagan significance to a date that was already important to Roman Christians. Sun worship did not play a prominent role in Rome prior to Aurelian.⁸

It is worth noting that besides the 25^th December date, Christians in the East celebrated the birth of Christ on January 6th. Etheria Silvia of Bordeaux, after her pilgrimage to Israel in 385 wrote that 6th January was celebrated as the feast day of Christ’s Birth in Bethlehem. Likewise, Ephiphanius of Salamis in the fourth century was unequivocal about 6th January as the day of Christ’s Birth.⁹ The Armenian church, like other Eastern Orthodox churches, continues to celebrate Christ’s birthday on January 6th.

The question of whether or not to celebrate Christmas is beyond the scope of this article. Nonetheless, the church’s efforts through the ages to establish a holiday to celebrate Christ’s birth attest to the importance the Christian community places on Jesus Christ. He is the Light of the world. The prophet said of Him, “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great Light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16). This passage demonstrates that Jesus is the true “Sun of Righteousness,” chosen by God above all demons and principalities.

Adam C. English, Christmas: Theological Anticipations, p. 73. Google Books. ▲
William J. Tighe, “Calculating Christmas”. Touchstone. 16 (10), 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20081211044524/http://touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=16-10-012-v. Last visited, December 30, 2022. ▲
Valerie Strauss, “Why is Christmas on Dec. 25? A brief history lesson that may surprise you.” The Washington Post. December 25, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/12/25/why-is-christmas-on-dec-25-a-brief-history-lesson-that-may-surprise-you/. Last visited, December 30, 2022. ▲
“Saturnalia,” History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/saturnalia. Last visited, December 30, 2022. ▲
S.E. Hijmans, Sol, the sun in the art and religions of Rome. Doctoral dissertation 2009, p. 595. ▲
Adam C. English, Christmas: Theological Anticipations, p. 71. ▲
“Why Is Christmas in December?” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-christmas-in-december. Last visited, December 30, 2022. ▲
William J. Tighe, “Calculating Christmas.” ▲
“Why Do We Observe Christmas on January 6?” St. Thomas Armenian Church. http://www.stthomasarmenianchurch.com/religious-information/saints-feast-days/why-we-observe-christmas-on-january-6th/. Last visited, December 30, 2022. ▲