Why Do We Celebrate Christmas on December 25?
December 25 also stood in contrast to pagan festivals celebrating the “invincible sun.”
Why Do We Celebrate Christmas on December 25?
If Jesus was not born on December 25, why has the Church celebrated His birth on that day for so long? The answer is not found in Scripture, but in history—and it may be more meaningful than we realize.
The Bible never gives a calendar date for Jesus’ birth. Instead, it roots the event in real history:
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…”
— Matthew 2:1
That tells us when in history, not which day on a calendar. The earliest Christians did not celebrate Christmas as a holiday at all. Their focus was the cross and the resurrection. It was not until the fourth century that the Church began formally observing Christ’s birth.
By that time, December 25 had emerged as a fitting date—not because of biblical certainty, but because of theological symbolism. Early Christians believed Jesus was conceived on the same date He would later die. Since the crucifixion was associated with the spring Passover, many calculated His conception as March 25. Nine months later brings us to December 25.
Whether that calculation is historically precise is beside the point. The date was chosen to teach, not to deceive.
December 25 also stood in contrast to pagan festivals celebrating the “invincible sun.” The Church did not claim Christ was born that day to mimic paganism, but to confront it—declaring that Jesus is the true Light who overcomes the darkness.
“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
— John 1:5
In the darkest days of the year, the Church proclaimed the arrival of the Light of the world.
So while Jesus was most likely born around 5 BC, and likely not in late December, December 25 remains a powerful confession of faith. It is the Church’s way of saying that in a dark world, God stepped into time.
Christmas is not about defending a date. It is about declaring a truth:
“The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”
— John 1:14
And that truth remains worth celebrating—on any day.
