A History of Christmas in America

In the United States of America, Christmas was established as a federal holiday on June 26, 1870.  It is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the man Christians believe is the son of God and the savior of the world.  It has its roots in ancient times and is celebrated around the world.
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For the first few hundred years after Jesus Christ, his birthday was not celebrated.  Instead, Epiphany, when the three kings from separate places of the world visited Christ, was the focus of Christians.  The visit of the Magi symbolized that salvation was open to the whole world, not just one select nation.  Later, early Church Fathers promoted the idea that the birth of Jesus Christ should be celebrated.  December 25, 336, marks the first day Christians officially celebrated the first Christmas on Earth, and it was in the Roman Empire.

The date of Christmas and some American traditions have pagan roots.  In the Roman Empire, December 25th was the day of “natalis solis invict” (the Roman birth of the unconquered sun), and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian “Sun of Righteousness.”  Saturnalia, a Roman festival that honored the sun, lasted from December 17th to December 23rd.  The winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, also falls a few days before December 25th and had been celebrated by pagans.  Early Christian Church leaders believed that days that had been set aside to honor pagan gods could be changed to honor Christianity.  It was thought that people would more easily accept Christianity and move away from paganism by replacing pagan celebrations with Christian ones. 

The festival of Saturnalia honored the Roman god Saturn.  Romans had a public banquet, gifts were exchanged, there was much partying, and servants were served by their masters.  Singers performed in streets, and baked cookies shaped like men.  While some Christians dislike any association with pagan traditions, Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430) wrote, “We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it." 
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In Great Britain, Christmas was celebrated until the Puritans, led by Oliver Cromwell, outlawed Christmas in 1645.  Puritans believed that celebrating the birth of Christ was a sign of decadence and a disgrace to Christianity.  In the English Colonies, the English separatists also believed in worshipping Jesus without ceremonies and made celebrating Christmas a crime.  

In the 1800s, Americans' views on Christmas changed a great deal.  One author, Washington Irving, wrote fictitious stories of how Christmas had been celebrated in England before the Puritans took over, and some of these stories caught on in American practices.  German immigrants brought with them the practice of placing evergreen branches and trees in home during winter as a reminder of life during hard times.  And, Catholic immigrants brought the tradition started by Saint Francis of keeping small nativity scenes in their homes.  By the late 1800s, most Americans celebrated Christmas. In 1870, President Grant and Congress declared Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, savior of the world, a national holiday.

Questions

1. What is Christmas a celebration of?
2. What day did early Christians celebrate that was not the birthday of Jesus?
3. What is “natalis solis invict” and on what day did Romans celebrate this holiday?
4. Why did early Christian leaders choose a date that used to be a pagan holiday to celebrate Christmas?
5. What was the festival of Saturnalia?
6. Who outlawed the celebration of Christmas in 1645? Why?
7. What did English Separatists in the colonies think about celebrating Christmas?
8. What did Washington Irving write about Christmas?
9. What did German immigrants to America practice regarding Christmas?
10. Who created the idea of the nativity scene?

Research or analysis

1. Research how Christmas is celebrated in three other countries. Write this down. Choose one tradition that you find most interesting. Share this with your family.
2. Research the history behind Santa Claus. Who was Saint Nicholaus?