Christmas is an annual festival celebrated on December 25, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a religious and cultural celebration for people around the world. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries and is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians and forms an integral part of the holiday season organized around it. Christmas week is filled with good cheer and joyful decorations, with families and relatives coming together to have a full-filled time. Enjoy Christmas traditions with your family, and take time to give back to others. As we observe Christmas 2022, here is all you need to know about the joyous festival's history and significance and how to celebrate it with your loved ones. Christmas Eve 2022 Date and Celebrations: From Singing Carols to the Christmas Story; 5 Traditions and Customs That You Should Not Miss on This Special Day.

History of Christmas

The history of Christmas can be traced back to the early fourth century when Jesus Christ was born. Christmas is a shortened form of ‘Christ's Mass’. The word was recorded as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, AD 336. There are different hypotheses regarding the date of Jesus' birth, but the church fixed the date as December 25. This corresponds to the traditional winter solstice date on the Roman calendar. According to history, it is precisely nine months after Annunciation on March 25, which is also the spring equinox date. Most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally across countries. 12 Days of Christmas Significance: Know All About When the Days Begin, Their Association With the Christmas Carol and How They Are Celebrated.

As per history, part of the Eastern Christian Churches celebrates Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. The traditional Christmas narrative recounted in the New Testament, known as the Nativity of Jesus, says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room, so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who spread the word.

Significance and Celebrations of Christmas

Christmas time is an opportunity for families to celebrate the festival with love and festive meals. Christmas holiday has become a significant event as it is the key sales period for retailers and businesses. Over the past few centuries, Christmas has had a steadily growing economic effect in many regions of the world. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, decorating the Christmas tree, completing an Advent wreath, Christmas music and carol singing, viewing a Nativity play, exchanging Christmas cards, carrying out church services and several other things.

The traditional colours of Christmas decorations are red, green, and gold, of which red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion; green symbolizes eternal life, and gold is the first colour associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the Magi, symbolizing royalty.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 20, 2022 11:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).