By: Karlos Tse ’27
If you were an alien and came to Earth on Christmas, would you think it to be bizarre? We celebrate by putting a tree indoors, oversized socks above a fire hazard and dressing our buildings with tiny neon light bulbs. Sounding bizarre?
This year, Christmas will be held on 12/25/25, regardless of the numerical spectacle, Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, dating back over 2000 years ago and the beginning of the New Testament. You can find more about the origins of Christmas in the book of Matthew and the book of Luke in the Bible, keep your eyes out for barn animals, angels and attempted divorce!
The exact origins of why December 25th marks Christmas is unclear however, there is a strong prevailing theory. Some believe that they selected this day because December 25th was dies solis invicti nati, the “day of the birth of the unconquered sun”, a Roman holiday that commemorated the winter solstice as a sign of the sun’s return, after a long, cold winter. Christian writers like to make the connection of the coming of the sun, and the coming of the Son (that is Jesus). Pretty cool, eh?
For Christians, this day, and the days leading up to Christmas called Advent, holds deep significance, marking the event in which the Incarnation occurred, providing salvation through Jesus, more on that in Easter. Regardless of your religious views, most people today still celebrate like the photo above, Christmas trees, presents, maybe a little Jingle Bell Rock.
However, since this celebration is heavily influenced by Christian, how do other religions and cultures observe and celebrate Christmas?
Dreidel dreidel dreidel, I made it out of clay, I wonder how other people celebrate this day! One prominent celebration that is also held around this time of year is the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. This celebration is Judaism’s 8 day Festival of Lights which observe the Maccabees’ rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after reclaiming it from foreign powers. Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting candles on the menorah, potato latke (pancake), sufganya (donut) and of course the dreidel.
From their religious perspectives, Muslim’s don’t observe Christmas the same way a Christian would. With this being said, Muslims hold Jesus (Isa) and Mary (Hazrat Maryam) in high religious regard. Like many today, some Muslims may participate in secular activities, taking this opportunity to show signs of goodwill, giving and respect.
In Scandinavia, they celebrate St. Lucia Day, a feast honouring the 4th century martyr, doubling as a festival of light in the dark and cold winter. They celebrate this day by a procession where a young girl, dressed as St. Lucia, leads others in white via her candle crown, serving as a symbol of how St. Lucia used candles to light the way to deliver food to persecuted Christians.
Imagine celebrating Christmas when school starts. Well, in the Philippines, they begin celebrating it in September and end in January! What do they do during all this time? Due to their deep Catholic roots and Spanish colonial roots, this celebration has been revered for centuries. In the “Ber” Months (September – December), they begin decorating followed by Simbang Gabi (December 16-24), a 9 day devotional of attending Mass, anticipating the arrival of Christmas. Then, they hold Noche Buena, a huge feast on Christmas Eve, leading them into the big day. The celebration ends with the Feast of the Three Kings, held on January 6th.
With so many religions and cultures, it’s hard to name them all. And of course, these aren’t defining characteristics of Christmas. Various denominations, groups and personal views influence how one celebrates this festive time of year. Spend some time reflecting on how you observe this time of year. Who do you spend time with? What movies are you watching? But most importantly, who are you spending time with?
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!