The birthday of Christ. Was our savior actually born on December 25? Looking back on Biblical records this does not appear to be true. Jesus wasn’t born on December 25. This day was chosen to win over pagan sun worshipers. The stories, songs, and myths are part of an elaborate tradition that has little to do with the Biblical account of the birth of Christ.
The word Christmas actually translates in English to Christ’s mass, the festival of Jesus’ birth. The first mention of December 25 as the feast day of the nativity (the correct name for the Birthday of Jesus) dates to 354 B.C. In ancient times December 25 was the date of the winter solstice a pagan holiday celebrating the sun god. In Rome the week preceding the solstice was the saturnalia, and orgiastic festival that was ended with gift giving an the lighting of candles, resembles a certain holiday to me.
Early Roman Christians appointed the date of December 25 and used it to win converts from paganism. The word Pagan actually means civilian. The use was that if you were not a Christian (enlisted in Christ’s army) you were a pagan. Early Christians did not see Jews as pagans because they worshiped the same God.
After the Roman Empire was split into Eastern and Western halves in 340A.D. Christians were also spread across East and West. Eastern Christians used a calendar where the solstice fell on January 6 when the birthday of Osiris was still celebrated at Alexandria, Egypt.
The most accurate account of the actual Birthday of Christ isn’t very accurate, because the New Testament gives several possible birth years, Matthew has Jesus born between 7-14 B.C. and Luke has him born before 4 B.C., and in 6A.D. After Herald the great dies, these two gospels disagree by about 10-12 years, the date is wrong and the year is a mystery. The birthday of the Son of God is a moveable feast.