~ Merry Christmas ! ~
December 25
6 or 5 BC - Jesus of Nazareth
December 25, which we now celebrate as the date of Jesus's birth, was chosen and named Christmas---a shortening of Christ's Mass, or the mass in honor of Jesus's birth---by the Romans once their empire became Christian in the 4th century. For the Romans, that date was once the conclusion of a orgiastic pagan holiday known as Saturnalia. Once they set aside their more lascivious ways, it made sense to replace that celebration with a day commemorating the birth of their new savior.
The exact date, still debated, but concluded is the spring of either 6 or 5 BC based on clear historical evidence, as Herod the Great died in 4 BC.
Along with this, The Quarterly Journel of the Royal Astronomical Society (1991) noted that Chinese astronomers had observed a long tailed, slow moving comet in their skies during March of 5 BC. This sui-hsing, or "star," hung in the Capricorn region for more than seventy days. This same comet would have been visible over Persia, home of the Magi, in the hours just before dawn. Due to the earth's orbital motion, the comet's light would have been directly in front of the Magi during their journey---hence, they would have truly followed the star.
The exact date doesn't matter, what does matter is that today much of the world is in celebration. In celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. A man who never wrote a book, never painted a picture, or wrote a song, and yet, there are more books, paintings and songs about him than there are about anyone else in the history of the World. I should think that anyone would like to know why.
~ Peace, Love, Grace ~
Merry Christmas !
~ Lily ~