Somehow, the significance of Dec 25 to the Christian community continues to elude many in our beautifully plural society.
CHRISTMAS Day may be over, but we should still be talking about this special occasion since the world is still celebrating the festive season. As a matter of fact, the Orthodox Christians in Russia and Eastern Europe annually celebrate Christmas Day on or around Jan 7.
There’s nothing in the Bible that states Jesus was born on Dec 25. However, the date was recorded as a day of celebration in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
The Orthodox date works on the Julian calendar, named as such because it was proposed by Roman leader Julius Caesar. It predates the Gregorian calendar introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, which is what’s used in most of the world.