Christmas, the day on which the nativity of the Saviour is observed. The institution of this festival is attributed by the spurious Decretals to Telesphorus, who flourished in the reign of Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), but the first certain traces of it are found about the time of the Emperor Commodus (180-192 A.D.). In the reign of Diocletian (284-305 A.D.), while that ruler was keeping court at Nicomedia, he learned that a multitude of Christians were assembled in the city to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, and having ordered the church doors to be closed, he set fire to the building, and all the worshippers perished in the flames. It does not appear, however, that there was any uniformity in the period of observing the nativity among the early churches; some held the festival in the month of May or April, others in January, conjointly with the feast of the Epiphany. It is nevertheless almost certain that the 25th of December cannot be the nativity of the Saviour, for it is then the height of the rainy season in Judea, and shepherds could hardly be watching their flocks by night in the plains.
Christmas not only became the parent of many later festivals, such as those of the Virgin, but especially from the 5th to the 8th century, gathered round it, as it were, several other festivals, partly old and partly new, so that what may be termed a Christmas Cycle sprang up, which surpassed all other groups of Christian holidays in the manifold richness of its festal usages, and furthered, more than any other, the completion of the orderly and systematic distribution of church festivals over the whole year. Not casually or arbitrarily was the festival of the Nativity celebrated on the 25th of December. One of the principal causes that co-operated in fixing this period was that almost all the heathen nations regarded the winter solstice as the turning-point of the year—the beginning of the renewed life and activity of the powers of nature, and of the gods, who were originally merely the symbolical personifications of these. In more northerly countries this fact must have made itself peculiarly palpable—hence the Celts and Germans, from the oldest times, celebrated the season with the greatest festivities. At the winter solstice the Norsemen held their great Yule-feast (see YULE) in commemoration of the fiery sun-wheel; and believed that during the twelve nights from the 25th December to the 6th January they could trace the personal movements and interferences on earth of their great deities, Odin, Berchta, &c. Many of the beliefs and usages of the old Germans, and also of the Romans, relating to this period, passed over from heathenism to Christianity, and have partly survived to the present day. But the church also sought to combat and banish—and it was to a large extent successful—the deep-rooted heathen feeling by adding, for the purification of the heathen customs and feasts which it retained, its grandly devised liturgy, besides dramatic representations of the birth of Christ, and the first events of his life. Hence sprang the so-called 'Manger-songs,' and a multitude of Christmas carols (see CAROLS), as well as Christmas dramas, which at certain times and places degenerated into farces or Fools' Feasts (q.v.), and the custom of reciprocal presents, and of special Christmas meats and dishes, such as Christmas cakes, dumplings, &c. The favourite dish was a boar's head. The custom of decorating churches at Christmas, especially with holly and ivy, is a very ancient one. Of late it has become usual for friends to forward to one another, by post, gaily illuminated Christmas cards (q.v.), bearing Christmas greetings. The Christmas tree would seem to be traceable to the Roman saturnalia, and was not improbably first imported into Germany with the conquering legions of Drusus. It is noteworthy that 'the Christmas tree' with its pendent toys and mannikins is distinctly portrayed by Virgil (Geor. ii. 389): 'Oscilla ex alta suspendunt mollia pinu.' The Christmas numbers of magazines are often at great cost rendered specially attractive; they are now issued as early as October. The Pantomime (q.v.) has a special connection with Christmas-tide. The visits of 'Santa Claus,' bearing gifts, in England and America referred to Christmas, being properly to December 6, the day of St Nicolas (q.v.). The French Noël is derived from the Latin natalis (dies), 'birthday.' Washington Irving's Sketch Book gives a charming picture of an old English Christmas.
In the Roman Catholic Church three masses are performed at Christmas—one at midnight, one at daybreak, and one in the morning. The day is also celebrated by the Anglo-Catholic Church—special psalms are sung, a special preface is made in the Communion Service, and the Athanasian Creed is said or sung. The Greek Church, the Lutheran Church, and most communions save the Presbyterian, likewise observe Christmas; while throughout England and many parts of the United States it is kept as a social holiday, on which there is a complete cessation from all business. But within the last hundred years the Christmas festivities, which at one time lasted with more or less brilliancy till Candlemas, and with great spirit till Twelfth-day, have fallen off. See Chambers's Book of Days.