Christmas is a Christian holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth?
Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian saint? And have you heard about the modern-day Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas?
Since the early 20th century, Christmas has evolved from a religious holiday to a widely observed cultural tradition, celebrated by Christian and non-Christians worldwide who gather with family, exchange gifts and cards, and decorate Christmas trees.
Origins and early history of Christmas
Early followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth but instead focused on celebrating their belief in his resurrection at Easter.
The story of the birth of Jesus appears only in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew and Luke. They provide different details, though both say Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
The exact day, month, and even year of Jesus’s birth are unknown, said Christine Shepardson, a professor at the University of Tennessee who studies early Christianity.
“It’s hard to overemphasize how important the fourth century is for constructing Christianity as we experience it in our world today,” Shepardson said. It was then, under Emperor Constantine, that Christians began gathering in churches rather than meeting at homes.
Some theories say the date coincides with existing pagan winter solstice festivals, including the Roman celebration of Sol Invictus, or the “Unconquered Sun,” on Dec 25.
While most Christians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, some Eastern Orthodox traditions commemorate the holiday on Jan. 7.
That’s because they follow the ancient Julian calendar, which runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, used by Catholic and Protestant churches as well as by much of the secular world.
Rowdy medieval celebrations
For centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, Christmas was associated with rowdy street celebrations of feasting and drinking. For many Christians, it “was not in good standing as a holiday,” said Thomas Ruys Smith, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia in England.
“Puritans,” he said, “were not fond of Christmas.”
But in the 19th century, he said, Christmas became “respectable” with “the domestic celebration that we understand today — one centered around the home, the family, children, gift-giving.”
The roots of modern-day Christmas can be traced back to Germany. In the late 19th century, there are accounts of Christmas trees and gift-giving that, according to Smith, later spread to Britain and America, helping to revitalize Christmas on both sides of the Atlantic.
Christmas became further popularized with the publication of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens in 1843, and the writings of Washington Irving, who was a fan of St. Nicholas and helped popularize the celebration of Christmas in America.
The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was erected in 1931 to lift spirits during the Great Depression. The tradition stuck as the first tree-lighting ceremony was held in 1933 and remains one of New York City’s most popular holiday attractions.
A Christian saint inspires America’s secular Santa
St. Nicholas was a fourth-century Christian bishop from the Mediterranean port city of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). His acts of generosity inspired the secular Santa Claus legend.
The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas — celebrated annually on Dec. 6 — go way beyond delivering candy and toys to children. He is believed to have interceded on behalf of wrongly condemned prisoners and miraculously saved sailors from storms.
Devotion to St. Nicholas spread during the Middle Ages across Europe and he became a favourite subject for medieval artists and liturgical plays. He is the patron saint of sailors and children, as well as of Greece, Russia and New York.
Devotion to St. Nicholas appears to have waned after the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, except in the Netherlands, where his legend endured as Sinterklaas. In the 17th century, Dutch Protestants who settled in New York brought the Sinterklaas tradition with them.
Eventually, St. Nicholas morphed into the secular Santa Claus.
It’s not just Santa who delivers the gifts
In the U.K., it’s Father Christmas; in Greece and Cyprus, St. Basil (who arrives on New Year’s Eve). In some parts of Italy, it’s St. Lucy (earlier in December) and in other Italian regions, Befana, a witch-like figure, who brings presents on the Epiphany on Jan. 6.
Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favours from 13 mischievous troll brothers known as the Yule Lads. They come down from their mountain cave 13 days before Christmas, according to folklore.
Christian traditions of Christmas
One of the oldest traditions around Christmas is bringing greenery — holly, ivy, or evergreen trees — into homes. But determining whether it’s a Christian tradition is harder. “For many people, the evergreen can symbolize Christ’s promise of eternal life and his return from death,” Smith said. “So, you can interpret that evergreen tradition within the Christian concept.”
The decorating of evergreen trees is a German custom that began in the 16th century, said Maria Kennedy, a professor at Rutgers University—New Brunswick’s Department of American Studies. It was later popularized in England and America.
“Mistletoe, an evergreen shrub, was used in celebrations dating back to the ancient Druids — Celtic religious leaders — some 2,000 years ago,” Kennedy writes in The Surprising History of Christmas Traditions.
“Mistletoe represented immortality because it continued to grow in the darkest time of the year and bore white berries when everything else had died.”
Other traditions include Christmas services and Nativity scenes at homes and churches. More recently, Nativity scenes — when erected on public property in the U.S. — have triggered legal battles over the question of the separation of church and state.
Christmas caroling, Kennedy writes, can also be traced back to European traditions, where people would go from home to home during the darkest time of the year to renew relationships within their communities and give wishes for good luck, health, and wealth for the forthcoming year.
“They would recite poetry, sing, and sometimes perform a skit. The idea was that these acts would bring about good fortune to influence a future harvest,” Kennedy writes.
