Category:Christmas (subject)
Christmas is the Christian celebration of the Birth of Jesus.
Overview
Nothing is said in ancient sources about the date (or the season) when Jesus was born. The custom of celebrating the Birth of Jesus on December 25 derives from the Christianization of a pagan festival. The cult of Sol Invictus, "Unconquered Sun", the Sun God (El Gabal), was imported by the Emperor Heliogabalus from Syria to Rome in 218 CE. In 270 the emperor Aurelian established the worship and consecrated the temple on December 25, 274, during the feast of the Nativity of the Sun on the day of the winter solstice. The popularity of cult of the Sun was strengthened when on March 7, 321 the Emperor Constantine declared the Dies Solis (also the day of Jesus' resurrection) the Roman day of rest.
The connection between Christ ("light of the world") and the Sun was made official by Pope Julius I in 350, with the celebration of December 25 as the Birth of Jesus. The Dies Solis was also confirmed by Christians as the weekly day of rest. It was renamed Dominica ("Lord's Day"); in English, however, it is still known as "Sunday" ("Sun's Day").
External links
Pages in category "Christmas (subject)"
This category contains only the following page.