{"id":15097,"date":"2025-12-25T09:13:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T16:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-christmas\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:33:15","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-about-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Katherine
Katherine McPhee and David Foster perform during the 90th annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 30, 2022, in New York. (Julia Nikhinson\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Julia Nikhinson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus. But did you know the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian saint? And have you heard about the modern-day Japanese tradition of eating Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas?<\/p>\n

Since the early 20th century, Christmas has evolved from a religious holiday to a hugely popular cultural holiday observed by Christian and secular people across the globe, marked by family gatherings, gift exchanges, cards and decorated trees.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at the history, beliefs and evolution of Christmas:<\/p>\n

\"Christmas
Christmas trees and Santa Clauses decorate the entrance to the beach in Haffkrug, northern Germany on Dec. 20, 2021. (Michael Probst\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Michael Probst<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Origins and early history of Christmas<\/div>\n

Early followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth but instead focused on celebrating his resurrection at Easter.<\/p>\n

The story of Jesus\u2019 birth appears only in two of the four Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew and Luke. They provide different details, though both say Jesus was born in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

The exact day, month and even year of Jesus\u2019 birth are unknown, said Christine Shepardson, a professor at the University of Tennessee who studies early Christianity.<\/p>\n

The tradition of celebrating Jesus\u2019 birth on Dec. 25, she said, only emerged in the fourth century.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to overemphasize how important the fourth century is for constructing Christianity as we experience it in our world today,\u201d Shepardson said. It was then, under Emperor Constantine, that Christians began meeting in churches rather than homes.<\/p>\n

Some theories say the date coincides with existing pagan winter solstice festivals, including the Roman celebration of Sol Invictus, or the \u201cUnconquered Sun,\u201d on Dec. 25.<\/p>\n

While most Christians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, some Eastern Orthodox traditions celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. That\u2019s because they follow the ancient Julian calendar, which runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by Catholic and Protestant churches and much of the secular world.<\/p>\n

\"A
A woman walks across a bridge decorated prior to Christmas and New Year festivities in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 11. (Dmitri Lovetsky\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Dmitri Lovetsky<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Rowdy medieval celebrations<\/div>\n

For centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, Christmas was associated with rowdy street celebrations of feasting and drinking, and for many Christians, it \u201cwas not in good standing as a holiday,\u201d said Thomas Ruys Smith, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of East Anglia in England.<\/p>\n

\u201cPuritans,\u201d he said, \u201cwere not fond of Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in the 19th century, he said, Christmas became \u201crespectable\u201d with \u201cthe domestic celebration that we understand today \u2013 one centered around the home, the family, children, gift-giving.\u201d<\/p>\n

The roots of modern-day Christmas can be traced back to Germany. In the late 19th century, there are accounts of Christmas trees and gift-giving that, according to Smith, later spread to Britain and America, helping to revitalize Christmas on both sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Christmas became further popularized with the publication of \u201cA Christmas carol\u201d by Charles Dickens in 1843 and the writings of Washington Irving, who was a fan of St. Nicholas and helped popularize the celebration of Christmas in America.<\/p>\n

The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was put up by workers in 1931 to raise spirits during the Great Depression. The tradition stuck as the first tree-lighting ceremony was held in 1933 and remains one of New York City\u2019s most popular holiday attractions.<\/p>\n

\"Decked
Decked in a Santa outfit and holiday lights, a child bolts from the starting line of the annual Christmas run in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Dec. 6. (Mindaugas Kulbis\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Mindaugas Kulbis<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
America\u2019s secular Santa is inspired by a Christian saint<\/div>\n

St. Nicholas was a fourth-century Christian bishop from the Mediterranean port city of Myra (in modern-day Turkey). His acts of generosity inspired the secular Santa Claus legend.<\/p>\n

The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas \u2013 celebrated annually on Dec. 6 \u2013 go way beyond delivering candy and toys to children. He is believed to have interceded on behalf of wrongly condemned prisoners and miraculously saved sailors from storms.<\/p>\n

Devotion to St. Nicholas spread during the Middle Ages across Europe, and he became a favorite subject for medieval artists and liturgical plays. He is the patron saint of sailors and children, as well as of Greece, Russia and New York.<\/p>\n

Devotion to St. Nicholas faded after the 16th century Protestant Reformation, except in the Netherlands, where his legend remained as Sinterklaas. In the 17th century, Dutch Protestants who settled in New York brought the Sinterklaas tradition with them.<\/p>\n

Eventually, St. Nicholas morphed into the secular Santa Claus.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just Santa who delivers the gifts<\/div>\n

In the U.K., it\u2019s Father Christmas; in Greece and Cyprus, St. Basil (who arrives on New Year\u2019s Eve). In some parts of Italy, it\u2019s St. Lucy (earlier in December), and in other Italian regions, Befana, a witchlike figure, brings presents on the Epiphany on Jan. 6.<\/p>\n

Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers, called the Yule Lads. They come down from their mountain cave 13 days before Christmas, according to folklore.<\/p>\n

\"A
A Nativity scene is illuminated by a Christmas tree on Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, known as \u201cChristmas City, USA,\u201d on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Luis Andres Henao\/The Associated Press)<\/span>Luis Andres Henao<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Christian traditions of Christmas<\/div>\n

One of the oldest traditions around Christmas is bringing greenery \u2013 holly, ivy or evergreen trees \u2013 into homes. But determining whether it\u2019s a Christian tradition is harder. \u201cFor many people, the evergreen can symbolize Christ\u2019s promise of eternal life and his return from death,\u201d Smith said. \u201cSo, you can interpret that evergreen tradition within the Christian concept.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decorating of evergreen trees is a German custom that began in the 16th century, said Maria Kennedy, a professor at Rutgers University\u2013New Brunswick\u2019s Department of American Studies. It was later popularized in England and America.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistletoe, an evergreen shrub, was used in celebrations dating back to the ancient Druids \u2013 Celtic religious leaders \u2013 some 2,000 years ago,\u201d Kennedy writes in The Surprising History of Christmas Traditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistletoe represented immortality because it continued to grow in the darkest time of the year and bore white berries when everything else had died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other traditions include Christmas services and Nativity scenes at homes and churches. More recently, Nativity scenes \u2013 when erected on public property in the U.S. \u2013 have triggered legal battles over the question of the separation of church and state.<\/p>\n

Christmas caroling, Kennedy writes, can also be traced back to European traditions, where people would go from home to home during the darkest time of the year to renew relationships within their communities and give wishes for good luck, health and wealth for the forthcoming year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would recite poetry, sing and sometimes perform a skit. The idea was that these acts would bring about good fortune to influence a future harvest,\u201d Kennedy writes.<\/p>\n

Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas in Japan<\/div>\n

Among the many Christmas traditions that have been adopted and localized globally, there\u2019s one that involves KFC.<\/p>\n

In 1974, KFC launched a Christmas campaign selling fried chicken with a bottle of wine for Christmas parties.<\/p>\n

KFC says the idea for the campaign came from an employee who overheard a foreign customer at one of its Tokyo restaurants saying that since he couldn\u2019t get turkey in Japan, he\u2019d have to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat really stuck,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd still today, you have to order your KFC months in advance to make sure that you\u2019re going to get it on Christmas Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration with The Conversation U.S., with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this conten<\/em>t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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