25DEC2018 - Holiday Today - Worldwide

Worldwide - Christmas
On December 25, Western and some Eastern Christian churches celebrate Christmas, an important festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. What originated as a religious festival has evolved into a cultural celebration observed by billions of people around the world, many of them non-Christians. Christmas Day is a public holiday in over 100 countries.
In most Christian churches, Christmas is regarded as the second most important holiday of the liturgical year after Easter. The first mention of a Christmas celebration dates back to the 4th century. Before that, many Christians commemorated the birth of Christ in connection with the Epiphany (January 6).
December 25 was chosen as the date of birth of Jesus for several reasons. First of all, it was about nine months after the date of the vernal equinox (March 25), which is linked to the conception of Jesus. Second, December 25 was a date of the winter solstice celebrated by the Romans. Like many other Christian holidays, Christmas was meant to replace an old pagan tradition.