Contrary to popular belief, December 25 was not chosen as the date of Jesus’ birth to take advantage of a pagan Roman holiday on that day.
In fact, writes Andrew McGowan of Trinity College at the University of Melbourne, the first mention of a date for Christmas Day (c. AD 200) and the earliest recorded celebrations (c. 250–300) were at a time when Christians were not borrowing heavily from pagan traditions.
Strangely, he says, the date of Jesus’ birth may have been calculated from the date he died. He was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day, March 25, so the date of his birth was fixed at nine months later.
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