How Christmas started in America? Origin, history and significance of the festival

Christmas is an annual festival celebrating birth of Jesus Christ and is primarily observed on December 25. festival is celebrated by billions of people around world and is a public holiday in many countries.  exact origin of assigning December 25 as birth date of Jesus Christ is still vague and  New Testament provides no indications in this regard. Also, Christmas was not always celebrated on 25 December in United States until late 1800s. 

Origin of Christmas 

As per a blog written by John De Gree, titled A History of Christmas in America, In United States of America, Christmas was established as a federal holiday on June 26, 1870. church in early fourth century fixed date as December 25 and Church Fars fostered idea that birth of Jesus Christ should be commemorated. 

Although re have been several speculations about Christ's birth, early Christians linked Jesus to Sun through use of such phrases as "Sun of righteousness." Romans marked winter solstice on December 25 and first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, 336.

History of Christmas

Various elements contributed to picking of December 25 as date of celebration, it was date of winter solstice on Roman calendar and it was nine months after March 25, speculated date of vernal equinox and a date linked to conception of Jesus Christ. Christmas was banned in Puritan England as it was associated with drunkenness and or misbehaviour but festival was restored as a legal holiday in England in 1660. 

In UK, Christmas Day was recognised as a bank holiday in 1834 and literary artists of 19th century England popularized idea of Christmas. In 1843, one of  greatest novelists of Victorian era, Charles Dickens wrote novel  A Christmas Carol, Its instant popularity played a major role in portraying Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion.

Currently, Christmas is celebrated almost all over world and Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led to masses to observe holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular despite re being only a small number of Christians, have opted many of secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees. 

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