Why Christmas Is Celebrated On December 25
Every year, on Christmas day, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and churches all over the country tell the nativity story. ...
https://newshelmng.blogspot.com/2017/12/why-christmas-is-celebrated-on-december.html
Every year, on Christmas day,
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus and churches all over the country tell
the nativity story.

But is December 25 actually the date
that Jesus was born?
It turns out that is pretty unlikely
– and he was probably born in the spring or autumn.
In fact, no one knows the exact date
of the birth, and the bible doesn’t specify a date.
The first recorded date of Christmas
being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman
Emperor Constantine - the first Christian Roman Emperor.
A few years after that, Pope Julius
I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated then.
The reason for the choice of
December 25 goes back to an ancient belief that prophets died on the same date
they were conceived.
Believing Jesus died on March 25,
early theologians pinpointed that as the date of the annunciation, when Mary
was told she would have the baby.
December 25 is nine months after
that and was, therefore, chosen as the birth date.
But historians who have studied the
bible have concluded the birth of Jesus was more likely to be in the spring or
autumn for three reasons.
Firstly, the shepherds tending their
flocks on the hills at night were unlikely to do that in the winter, when the
flocks were often moved to lower ground.
Secondly, they believe that the
census which brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem would have taken place either
in the Jewish festival of Passover in spring or The Feast of the
Tabernacle in autumn, when many travelled to Jerusalem and Bethlehem for the
celebrations.
Finally, the appearance of the Star
of Bethlehem is thought by many astronomers to point to spring or autumn.
***
Via The Sun UK