More than two billion people, or around a third of the world's population, will celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas day.
According to popular belief, Jesus was born on December 25th, 1 BC, and this event is commemorated annually on Christmas Day. The 25th of December will be observed as a holiday in many nations. When December 25 falls on a weekend, the previous Friday or following Monday is often used as a replacement.
What is the History of Christmas Day?
Although Christmas is based on the account of Jesus' birth, many of the customs we associate with the holiday have pagan roots. Many of these customs have expanded in scope beyond what was originally intended for a Christian celebration.
Christmas's late December timing is undoubtedly influenced by other celebrations of the Winter Solstice that occurred about the same time.
The most well-known of these is Yule, a Germanic pagan holiday observed in the winter. Yule occurs between the end of December and the beginning of January, with the precise date being determined by the lunar calendar. The local word for Christmas in several Northern European nations has a closer grammatical tie to 'Yule' than 'Christmas,' and the phrase may still be used for Christmas in certain English-speaking countries.
Several Yule customs have made their way into the present Christmas celebration, such as the Yule Log, the habit of burning a great wooden log on the fire at Christmas, and, perhaps more interestingly, carol singing, which is quite ancient.
Sol Invictus, a day that consolidated the celebration of many sun-based gods into a manageable festival, replaced the famous Roman holiday of Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture, on December 25 because both events coincided with the winter solstice as resolved by the Julian calendar.
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, the question of when to celebrate Christ's birth arose and various dates were offered.
It wasn't till Pope Julius I, the Bishop of Rome at the time, in 350 AD, that December 25 became the official Christmas day. Unfortunately, Julius didn't reveal his calculations for how he arrived at this date; afterward, experts suggested that it was figured out nine months after the Annunciation (March 25), when the angel Gabriel is believed to have visited Mary and informed her she would bear the son of God.
Whatever the case may be, the date of Christmas was deliberately set to coincide with preexisting pagan celebrations to propel it into prominence and displace them. This was done simultaneously when strategic pagan locations were being selected for new churches.
How Do Canadians Celebrate Christmas Day?
December 25 is a national holiday in Canada, and many people take the day off to celebrate with loved ones. Holiday traditions typically include exchanging gifts, celebrating with a lavish feast, and attending church. But other individuals, especially in Quebec, perform these things on Christmas Eve in addition to, or rather, on Christmas Day.
Canadian families have widely varying gift-giving customs at Christmas. Some kids hopes that Santa Claus visits them and give them gifts on Christmas Days. Santa Claus uses a reindeer-drawn sleigh to deliver gifts and candies worldwide to good boys and girls. He enters homes using the chimney. While in some families, each member chooses a special present for the other. Toys, games, and candy are always appreciated by kids, whereas adults appreciate receiving money, fashion, music, wine, and other useful or luxurious objects. Canadians typically open their gifts on Christmas morning or afternoon, after lunch, or after attending a Christmas Eve church service.