History of Christmas Celebration

Christmas celebration has a long tradition although the form of celebrating has changed a lot through time. The word Christmas itself derives from terms Christ and Mass what clearly indicates its religious character. For centuries, Christmas was celebrated by Christians as the day when Jesus the Christ was born.

According to Christian believes the Virgin Mary gave birth to Baby Jesus on the Christmas Eve in Bethlehem about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Jerusalem, Israel. The date of Jesus’ birth often referred as the birth of the Saviour is also the basis for the anno Domini (abbreviated AD) system of dating which is defacto the international standard of counting years today. The year of the Jesus’ birth is placed in the year 1 AD although the majority of experts believe it actually took place between 7 and 2 BC. Either way, the birth of the Baby Jesus - Christmas remains the date of the beginning a new epoch.

The first records of celebrating December 25 as the Jesus' birth date from 354, while the Christians on the East celebrated January 6 (Epiphany). Orthodox Christians today still celebrate "Christmas" on January 6.

Christmas celebration rose to prominence during the Middle Ages but during the Reformation some Puritans disapproved the holiday, while Christmas was even banned for a short period during the English Civil War (1542-1651). Puritan opposition to Christmas celebration also continued in Colonial America although some settlers observed Christmas freely. However, the enthusiasm for celebrating Christmas in the United States was revived in the middle of the 19th century and by 1870 Christmas was declared a Federal holiday.