What does Christmas have to do with Christ ?

Question

It existed before Jesus. Jesus was clearly not born in December as according to the Bible. Where did this even come from?

Answer 1

Christmas is a holy day chosen to honor the birth of our Lord.  As with many other holy days, in the absence of a time of year given in the Bible, a date was selected to coincide (and thus interfere with) the celebration of a pagan celebration.  I would be eager to hear about when you thing He clearly was born, however.

Answer 2

Nothing.

The traditions of "Christmas", the tree, yule log, and even Easter, are Pagan in origin.

Answer 3

They chose Dec 25th because of the astrology involved. There are the three shortest days of the year before, the 25th is literally the day when the days start to get longer. Not to mention what is going on in the skies at the time.

Three stars follow the brightest star over these three days. These stars have been known as the '3 wise men' since recorded history.

Answer 4

Nothing. ^_^

Answer 5

The Christians took over a pagan Holiday and changed the meaning and made it their own.  Jesus was born April 6th...A bit to close to his resurrection that we also celebrate...so Dec 25 works better anyway.

Answer 6

Christmas is rooted in pagan tradition.  Interesting.  What does it have to do with Christ?  Next to nothing.

Answer 7

It is Jesus' official birthday on the liturgical calendar of the Christian Church, and it also serves as a replacement for an older pagan holiday.

After Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire, it was their custom to replace the old pagan holidays with Christian commemorations instead.  They replaced Saturnalia with the commemoration of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.

Think of it this way.

HRH Queen Elizabeth II of England was *not* born in June, but in April.  However, since the weather in April is usually not very pleasant, and since St. George's Day falls in June, it is the custom in England that the Queen's official birthday is in June.

Likewise, we don't know the day when Jesus of Nazareth was born.

But December 25th is His official birthday.

The rationale for using the date is as follows:

1.  Christ calls himself the Light of the World

2.  The prophet Malachi said that messiah would "arise with healing in his rays"

3.  John the Baptist said, "He must increase and I must decrease".

December 25th is approximately the shortest day of the year.  Then the days slowly begin to "increase" in length until the days are warm and long.  John the Baptist's birthday is celebrated on June 24th.  After that date, the days "decrease" in length and become shorter.  So Christ increases and John decreases.

And all over the world, Christians with joy worship and sing carols and give gifts to celebrate -- not an old pagan god, long since gone -- but the birthday of their King.

EDIT: For those who might not know, "Xmas" is an old, Christian, medieval  abbreviation for Christmas, since the "X" is the Greek letter "Chi" -- the first letter in the word "Christos".  Hence it literally abbreviates "Christmas".

Answer 8

Nothing.

Men of power who wanted more.

Answer 9

Christmas is the celebration of the winter soltice the time of the year when the light gets bigger and the dark gets smaller.

Jesus was a man of light and he represents this.

Answer 10

Pagan tradition. Yet so many Christians make excuses for it every year!  

Answer 11

"christmas" was originally the pagan festival of Yule, the celebration of midwinter's passing and the coming of spring and longer days.  Most of the decorations of christmas come from this celebration.

When the Romans took over celtic/pagan countries, they forced christianity on people, but to make it more palatable, they blended christian holidays with pagan holidays.  People expected a large midwinter celebration and after a while did not care what it was celebrating:  the passing of the winter or the birth of jesus.  

Answer 12

It has been adopted by His followers to remember His birth.  That's what it has to do with Christ.

Yes, the date and many of the traditions have been passed down from pagan origins, but the current symbology is what is relevant to those who follow the traditions.

Answer 13

Christ-mas?  are you kidding?  it is named after him.  though it was placed on a pagan holiday, which was celebrated prior to Christ's birth, christmas was established after his birth.  

Answer 14

Its the melding of Christianity and Saturnalia

Answer 15

comes from a pagan holiday called yule!

it was stolen from them

and you are correct, it has nothing to do with christ. he wasnt born on dec 25th

Answer 16

No, Christ was not born in December and we do not know the exact date of his birth.  The Catholic church decided to celebrate His birth on December 25th to honor Jesus.  The word Christmas can be broken into the words Christ's Mass.  It is a Mass to honor Christ on the day of His birth is celebrated.

Answer 17

You mean X-mas!