Christmas is from Christes Maesse, which means Christ Mass. It is referred that during the 4th
century, the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25 was gradually adopted by most Eastern churches. In Jerusalem, opposition
to Christmas lasted longer as according to them the exact date of birth of Jesus Christ is unknown. It is said that December
17-24th was the period of Saturnalia, a well-known festival in pagan, Rome. December 25th was the birthday of Mithra, the
Iranian god of light. This day was adopted by the church as Christmas to counteract the effects of these festivals.
The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much
debated. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of Christ, is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar. The festival
of Christmas takes place on 25th December, every year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is also celebrated
as a secular holiday throughout the world, including countries with small Christian populations like India. Various theories
of the origin of Christmas exist that give a clear insight into the celebration of Christmas.
The twelve days of Christmas begins on December 25 and end just before Epiphany, that falls on
January 6. Epiphany is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the 'shining forth' or revelation of God to mankind in human
form, in the person of Jesus Christ. The observance originally included the birth of Jesus Christ; the visit of the three
Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) who arrived in Bethlehem; and all of Jesus' childhood events, up to his baptism in the
Jordan by John the Baptist.
