Newel eC aC Lette)Origins ® Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world. A central feast to the Christian liturgical year, it lok aew ACen mcict eae Ue ATU) the twelve days of Christmas.Your ® The idea to celebrate Christmas on December 25 originated in the 4th century. The Catholic Church wanted to eclipse the festivities of a rival pagan religion that threatened Christianity's existence. The Romans celebrated the birthday of their sun god, Mithras, during this time of year. Although it was not popular, or even proper, to celebrate people's birthdays in those times, church leaders decided that in order to compete with the pagan celebration they would themselves order a festival in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.meen ® There are many interesting facts surrounding the Yuletide season. Some of these are centered around the myths and old wives' tales that inspired many of the customs we now see today, while others depict actual events that occurred during the period. A few of these are presented below for your reading enjoyment. © Have you ever wondered where the idea of elves came from? They are actually modern day versions of “Nature folk” described in Pagan religions of the past.Customs/ Traditions © Boxing Day takes place on December 26th and it is only celebrated in a few countries. It was started in the UK about 800 years ago, during the Middle Ages. It was the day when the collection boxes for the poor often kept in churches were traditionally opened so that the contents could be distributed to poor people. Some churches still open these boxes on Boxing Day.Customs/ Traditions ® Presents are opened on different days all over the world as well. The earliest presents are opened is on St. Nicholas' Eve on December 5th when children in Holland receive their presents. ® On St. Nicholas' Day (6th December) children in Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic and some other European countries open some of their elroc nceCustoms/Traditions ® Children in the UK, USA and many other countries, such as Japan, open their presents on Christmas Day, December 25th. ® The latest presents are opened is on January 6th (a month after the earliest). This is known as Epiphany and is mainly celebrated in Catholic countries such Spain and Mexico.