Merry Christmas! The big day is finally upon us, complete with presents, food and drink, and the Peep Show Bake Off special.
But while we’re busy unwrapping presents, watching festive films and tucking into turkey, it’s easy to forget why we’re all celebrating in the first place.
Most of us know that Christmas is actually a religious festival, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. But it’s not always been celebrated in its current form.
So, who invented Christmas as we know it? Let’s take a look back through history…
Who ‘invented’ Christmas?
Okay, so Christmas as we know it didn’t come into being the second Jesus was born.
It’s not actually clear that he was even born on December 25.
The first recorded incidence of Christmas being celebrated dates back to the Roman Empire in 336 AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
So technically, the Romans invented it – although there’s no specific person credited with having done so.
There are many theories as to why December 25 would have been chosen, including one surmising it’s because it coincided with the winter solstice.
Others suggest it’s linked to the ancient Roman pagan midwinter festivals Saturnalia (which honoured the Roman god Saturn) and Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the festival marking the solstice).
Alternatively, some believe it might have been chosen as it’s exactly nine months after March 25 – which was originally selected as the date of the spring equinox.
This date is also cited as the day of God’s creation of Adam, and thereforea fitting choice for celebrating Christ’s conception.
Despite the Romans having marked the date, Christmas was a relatively minor affair, and was not celebrated with a specific liturgy until the 9th century.
This period of festive partying tended to be riotous though, with binge-drinking, gluttony and other hedonism involved – as you might expect from the ancient Romans.
Celebrants would often go from door to door threatening vandalism if they were not given food and drink, reminiscent of the ‘bring us some figgy pudding/we won’t go until we’ve got some’ carol lyrics.
Interestingly though, the legend of Santa Claus doesn’t connect to the Romans – as Saint Nicholas originates from what is now Turkey – while modern-day Santa has connections to the Dutch.
How was Charles Dickens involved?
Charles Dickens is given some credit for giving us Christmas in its more modern form, thanks to his classic novel A Christmas Carol.
Published in 1843, it became an instant bestseller, and changed people’s view of Christmas, putting emphasis on kindness, being charitable and spending time with family.
The Victorians took his view of the festive season to heart, and added new traditions such as the Christmas tree – which was introduced by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert.
Christmas cards and gift-giving also replaced the excesses of old.
The story was chronicled in the 2017 movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, which starred Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens as Dickens and centred around the writing of A Christmas Carol.
This article was originally published December 18, 2023.
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