Christmas, A Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ; a quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland

1. A Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ; a quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland; Also called: Christmas Day, Xmas, Dec 25.
2. Period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6; Also called: Christmastide, Christmastime, Yule, Yuletide, Noel.
Christian religious holiday, observed throughout the Western world on Dec 25 and traditionally marked by feasting and gift-giving. In the Christian church, it is the day on which the birth of Jesus is celebrated, although the actual birth date is unknown. Many of its customs have a non-Christian origin and were adapted from celebrations of the winter solstice.
The choice of a date near the winter solstice owed much to the missionary desire to facilitate conversion of members of older religions, which traditionally held festivals at that time of year. Many Orthodox Christians use an older calendar, and celebrate Christmas on 6 Jan. + prikaži više