Why is the birth of Christ celebrated on December 25 and not January 1?
It is a question that many children may ask themselves as they grow up. After all, this date has no specific mention or justification at first glance, something that is probably due to the fact that it was not established from the beginning and its choice does not correspond to a religious reference per se or to a historically verifiable date.
December has been the site of many celebrations, from Nordic to Roman, most of which are associated with the winter solstice. In some places, animals were even sacrificed due to the difficulty of feeding them during this season and feasts were held with them.
To begin with, although many traditions could have provided some degree of inspiration to those we know today, in this case we will focus our attention on Rome, where, since centuries before Christ, there were Saturnalia festivals in honor of the god Saturn, a deity associated with the harvest and abundance, as well as time, related to the Greek titan Cronus. These festivals, which began on December 17, due to their popularity, were extended over time from three to seven days. During them, equality between classes was promoted, freeing slaves from their obligations and celebrating great banquets in which everyone participated.
During the 3rd century, the celebration of the birth of the god Mithras and the Invincible Sun arose in Rome, a festival that took place on December 25 and that the Romans called Bruma , in reference to the “shortest day” of the year. The shortest day of the year is, precisely, the winter solstice, which is close to this date and marks the moment from which the days begin to lengthen.
It was not until the 4th century, after Christianity became the official religion of Rome, that the Church decided to take this date, December 25, already associated with the birth or resurrection of a god, to celebrate the birth of Christ. This was done as a way to facilitate religious conversion, adopting this and other local traditions and adapting them to Christian beliefs. This is how Christmas came about, whose name comes from the Latin Nativitas , meaning “birth.”
Thus, this date became a solemn celebration in churches. However, outside of them alcohol and excesses continued to predominate, which led to it being frowned upon by many by the 17th century, and even being banned for a time.
However, its popularity spread across different regions and, over time, both concepts were integrated, although not without some initial difficulties. Those celebrations were transformed into the days we know today, dedicated to enjoying quality time with family and friends.
The most representative image of Christmas would come later, with a 19th century poem entitled “The Visit of Saint Nicholas” , which united several traditions with new ideas to create a Christmas closer to today. This poem also introduced the figure, inspired by two historical figures and some legends, of a character who gives gifts to “good children” travelling in a flying sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Since then, the family has taken center stage during these holidays, and the Christmas version inspired by the poem was refined until it became what we know today, with the subsequent addition of Christmas trees as part of the tradition spread throughout the world.
