Christmas: 6 Facts

1. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

This is the origin of Christmas, but many families disregard the religious purposes of the holiday.

2. Some Christian traditions observe Christmas on January 7.

This has to do with the difference between Julian and Gregorian calendars.

3. Not all Christian traditions celebrate Christmas.

There are various reasons for this. The two most cited reasons are that the Bible doesn’t tell us to celebrate Christmas and that they believe Jesus’ birth was probably in the spring, not in December.

4. Christmas started in the second to sixth centuries.

When exactly Christmas started depends on how you count. There are records of Christmas-like celebrations from the second century. In the sixth century, a Roman emperor made Christmas a holiday. Remember, this was a time when religion was dictated by the government.

5. Santa Claus as we know him today is a 19th-century invention.

The character of Santa Claus is believed to be inspired by the 4th-century Christian bishop St. Nicholas, born in what is modern-day Türkiye.

6. Christmas used to be illegal in parts of 17th-century North America.

The Puritans in Massachusetts are most notorious for banning Christmas celebrations. Before you are too horrified, consider that communal drunkenness was often considered an integral part of Christmas and the Puritans were a religious group wanting to avoid excesses. ​