It is exactly nine months after Annunciation on March 25, also the date of the spring equinox. Most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world.
The observance of Christmas around the world varies by country. The day of Christmas, and in some cases the day before and the day after, are recognized by many national governments and cultures worldwide, including in areas where Christianity is a minority religion.
The Catholic, Protestant and Russian Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on December 25. The Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and Romanian Orthodox churches, among others, celebrate Christmas on January 6 and the. The Armenian Orthodox church celebrates Christmas on January 18.
Christmas Day is a public holiday on January 7 in countries such as Belarus, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine. Some countries, such as Armenia, observe Christmas Day on January 6.
England. England is the country that celebrates Christmas the earliest. The decoration for this holiday starts usually in mid-november and many families decorate their houses with lights, leaves and Christmas Trees. Christmas itself is celebrated on December 25th and 26th, as both are national holidays.
As one of the two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia, the Philippines celebrates the world's longest Christmas season (Filipino: Kapaskuhan); Christmas music is played as early as August.
Early celebrations of Christmas are thought to have derived from Roman and other European festivals that marked the end of the harvest, and the winter solstice. Some customs from those celebrations that have endured include decorating homes with greenery, giving gifts, singing songs, and eating special foods.
The exact date of the birth of Jesus has not been established. Christmas is a day celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, who many Christians believe is the son of God. While many celebrate Christmas on December 25, some Orthodox Christians mark it on January 7.
Christmas in Russia is normally celebrated on January 7th (only a few Catholics might celebrate it on the 25th December). The date is different because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the old 'Julian' calendar for religious celebration days. The Orthodox Church also celebrates Advent.
Christmas in Russia (Russian: Рождество Христово, Rozhdestvo Khristovo), called Е́же по пло́ти Рождество Господа Бога и Спа́са нашего Иисуса Христа (Yezhe po ploti Rozhdestvo Gospoda Boga i Spasa nashego Yisusa Khrista) in the Russian Orthodox Church, is a holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.
On the surface of 13.812km2, different religious communities have resided for centuries, celebrating holidays together in peace and harmony. Visitors and tourists commonly get surprised when they learn that Montenegro celebrates two Christmases, one in December and one in January.
Christmas was largely erased from the Ukrainian calendar for much of the 20th century due to the Soviet Union's anti-religious policies, but many of its traditions survived and are being revived again. In 2023, for the first time since 1917, Christmas Day in Ukraine was officially on December 25.
Unlike in the U.S., in Japan the main event is Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. Many Japanese celebrate Christmas by going on dates or holding informal Christmas parties. Chicken is the go to meat for most people, including some popular fried chicken offerings.
The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating. However, most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that his birth date is around 4 to 6 BC.
Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Comoros has, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and, Vietnam do not recognize Christmas as a public holiday, but the holiday is given observance.
The festivities begin on December 24, evening, often known as Christmas Eve. But on this day, individuals greet each other with the greeting “Merry Christmas” and not “Happy Christmas”.
Unlike the bloated, red-coated father Christmas of the West, Russia's Santa Claus, known as Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), is slender with a wizard-like flowing beard and he wears a long robe that comes in different colors, such as blue and white.
Western countries celebrate Christmas with family, but in China celebrations are like Valentine's Day. It's a lighthearted day for young people to go out with their significant others and celebrate with small gifts. They also hang out with friends to go out to a movie, karaoke bar, or go shopping.
The Roman Christian historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated Jesus' conception to March 25 (the same date upon which he held that the world was created), which, after nine months in his mother's womb, would result in a December 25 birth.
All this is still within the time frame of how the Jewish calendar would have served to place the conception of Jesus as being in the sixth month on the Jewish calendar—our March—and Jesus' birth coming nine months later, in December. Christians therefore need not be doubtful about Christmas and its dating.
Nicholas turn into the North Pole-dwelling bringer of Christmas gifts? The original saint was a Greek born in the late third century, around 280 A.D. He became bishop of Myra, a small Roman town in modern Turkey.
Who Celebrated Halloween First? Most scholars agree that Halloween originated around 2,000 years ago, when Celtic people in Europe celebrated the end of the harvest and the start of a new year in a festival called Samhain.
Early representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, especially St Nicholas, merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the mythical character known to the rest of the English-speaking world as "Santa Claus" (a phonetic derivation of "Sinterklaas" in Dutch).
