Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year when people come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is the celebration of the spirit of giving and affection across faiths. Here is all you need to know about one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

It is believed that God sent his son Jesus on earth as a sacrifice to redeem the people from their sins.

History and significance

It is believed that on Christmas Eve, Jesus Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem to Mother Mary and Joseph. However, at the time, the Gregorian calendar did not exist and there is no concrete proof that he was born on December 25. The Bible does not mention the exact date of Jesus Christ’s birth either.

However, in 336 AD during the time of Emperor Constantine (the first Christian Roman Emperor), Christmas was celebrated for the first time on this date in the Roman church. Later, Pope Julius I formally declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on December 25 every year and since then, Christmas has been celebrated on this day with great joy and pomp.

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Celebrations

On Christmas Eve, people attend midnight mass at churches and families prepare an elaborate feast on Christmas day. People sing carols at the church as the festival marks the end of the year and symbolises all things warm, blessed and jolly.

The celebration of Christmas also involves the tale of Santa Claus who is believed to live at the North Pole. As per the tale, it is believed that Santa Claus travels all over the world on Christmas Eve and distributes gifts to children. Children keep cookies and milk for Santa and socks for him to put the gifts in.

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(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)