Why do people celebrate Jesus birth on December 25?
It is uncertain why December 25th was chosen. One theory is that it was influenced by pagan ( ancient polytheistic religions) holidays. Before the Romans converted to Christianity, they celebrated the popular holiday Saturnalia, a festival of feasting and revelry held in December in celebration of Saturn, the god of agriculture, and the winter solstice. Kelly Wittmann wrote, “In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is wide acceptance of the belief that Pope Julius I was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans, who remained a majority at that time, to convert to Christianity. The new religion went down a bit easier, knowing that their feasts would not be taken away from them.” Moreover, in ancient Babylon, December 25th was the feast of the Son of Isis, Goddess of Nature, was celebrated with, “Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.
