Christians worldwide celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25 with joyful carols, special liturgies, gift-giving, and festive meals—at least in the Northern Hemisphere. But how did this date become associated with Christmas, and how did the festival itself originate?
No Biblical or Early Evidence for the Date
The Bible provides no specific date for Jesus’ birth. The Gospels and Acts do not mention celebrations of the Nativity. A detail in Luke 2:8—shepherds watching their flocks at night—might suggest spring, as sheep were often corralled in winter’s cold. However, scholars caution against using this incidental detail to pinpoint a season, given the narrative’s theological focus.
Early Christian writings from the 1st and 2nd centuries are silent on birth celebrations. Writers like Irenaeus (c. 130–200) and Tertullian (c. 160–225) make no mention. Origen (c. 165–264) even mocked Roman birthday festivities as pagan, suggesting Jesus’ birth was not celebrated similarly in his time.
In contrast, Jesus’ death and resurrection were emphasized early. All four Gospels detail the timing of the Passion, linking it to Passover (14th or 15th of Nisan). Easter emerged as a Christian reinterpretation of Passover, evident by the mid-2nd century and possibly implied in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:7–8).
Interest in Jesus’ birth grew later. Early writings like Paul and Mark omit it. Matthew and Luke offer differing Nativity accounts without dates. 2nd-century apocryphal texts add details but no birth date.
Around 200 CE, Clement of Alexandria noted various proposed dates, mostly in April or May, with no mention of December 25.
Emergence of December 25 and January 6
By the 4th century, two dates gained recognition: December 25 in the Western Roman Empire and January 6 in the East (e.g., Egypt and Asia Minor). Today, most Christians use December 25, while January 6 became Epiphany (commemorating the Magi’s visit). The Armenian Church still celebrates Christmas on January 6.
The earliest reference to December 25 appears in a mid-4th-century Roman almanac listing “Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea.” By around 400 CE, Augustine noted Donatists (a North African group from pre-312 CE) celebrating December 25 but rejecting January 6 as new.
In the East, January 6 initially encompassed the full Nativity story, not just the Magi.
Two Main Theories for the Date
The Popular Theory: Borrowing from Pagan Festivals
Many believe Christmas adopted the date from pagan mid-winter celebrations to ease conversion:
- Roman Saturnalia in late December.
- Northern European winter holidays.
- Emperor Aurelian’s 274 CE feast for Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) on December 25.
The idea is that Christians co-opted these to make the faith more appealing.
However, this theory has weaknesses:
- No ancient Christian writings support deliberate adoption.
- Early Christians (pre-Constantine) distanced themselves from pagan public festivals amid persecution.
- The date emerged in the 3rd century or earlier, before widespread Christianization of pagan customs (post-312 CE).
- Later trappings (e.g., Christmas trees) did borrow from pagan sources, but the core date predates this.
The link to pagan festivals first appears in a 12th-century note, popularized in the 18th–19th centuries.
The Scholarly Theory: Calculation from Jesus’ Death
A more ancient explanation ties the birth date to the believed date of Jesus’ conception and crucifixion.
Ancient Christians held that great events occurred on the same calendar day. Tertullian (c. 200 CE) calculated Jesus’ crucifixion (14th Nisan) as March 25 in the Roman calendar. Thus, conception was on March 25 (now the Feast of the Annunciation), and birth nine months later: December 25.
A 4th-century treatise and Augustine confirm this view, linking conception and Passion on March 25.
In the East, using a local calendar, the date was April 6—nine months before January 6.
This reflects a theological idea that creation, conception, and redemption align, echoed in Jewish traditions (e.g., Talmudic debates on world creation and redemption in Nisan or Tishri).
descending with a cross, symbolizing the link between conception and crucifixion.
Conclusion
The exact origin of December 25 remains uncertain. Later customs may incorporate pagan elements, but the date itself likely stems more from Christian (and Jewish-influenced) theological calculations linking Jesus’ death at Passover to his conception and birth. This cyclical view of salvation may even resonate with broader ancient ideas of renewal, shared by pagan solstice celebrations. In the end, December 25 triumphed as the widespread date for commemorating the Nativity.
