They say Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but do they know how it came about? Christmas started as a religious holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, it has developed into a holiday where a man with a white-beard, rosy red cheeks, and big belly comes down peoples chimney, sneaking presents under everyone’s Christmas trees. All different religions have different beliefs and traditions for this holiday.

The 25th of December is said to be the birth of Jesus Christ, but there is no evidence that that is the actual day he was born. All Christians really believe is that Jesus was born in a manger one winter night to one day die, saving everybody from their sins. The Romans were the first to celebrate Jesus’s birth on December the 25th, and decided that the birth of Jesus would from then on be celebrated on that day.

Santa Claus or “Saint Nicholas,” was born in Parara, Turkey in 270 CE. In 1087, a group of sailors who idolized Nicholas moved his bones from Turkey to a sanctuary in Bari, Italy.  There Nicholas replaced a female boon-giving deity called The Grandmother, or Pasqua Epiphania, who used to fill the children’s stockings with her gifts. This spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans. Woden, a leader of the pathogens, had a long, white beard and rode a horse through the heavens one evening each Autumn. When Nicholas merged with Woden, he shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a beard, mounted a flying horse, rescheduled his flight for December, and donned heavy winter clothing.

Christmas is a special and exciting time for families all over the world, bringing joy and families together. From, the religious side of Christmas, to children believing in Santa Claus, it is such an exciting and happy holiday.