The final weeks of December are rapidly approaching and the most well-known American holiday will finally be here: Christmas. However, what is now the time for hundreds of commercials and commercialism galore, has a religious origin and a long history.

Christmas, religiously, is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God according to the Bible. However, the holiday and how it is celebrated now is derived mostly from Roman roots. The Romans celebrated a festival known as Saturnalia, which honored Saturn, the god of agriculture. Every year, the week-long festival, lasting from December 17 to the 25, was widely known for traditions of drinking, eating, and gift-giving.

According to History, around the fourth century, the church tried to make celebrating the birth of Jesus a holiday. In turn, Pope Julius Caesar I made December 25 the day for this occasion, to try and get rid of Saturnalia. This new holiday was called the Feast of the Nativity and its popularity grew, spreading to other countries like Egypt.

Yet, the Feast of the Nativity became more of a drunken party and an opportunity to beg from the rich. Roman officials were not pleased and this new form of the holiday was canceled in Europe in the mid-1600s.

During the 19th century, owed in large measure to Charles Dickens’s book, A Christmas Carol, Christmas enjoyed a resurgence in England and in Europe and eventually, the United States.

Christmas was officially made a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870, and reverted back to the original roots of giving to others and giving to the poor.  The Christmas spirit is intended to promote feelings of goodwill and love at the heart of the holidays, and despite how much money may influence that giving nowadays, the true meaning is always there.

From the Stinger Staff, we wish you a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a wonderful new year. We hope you all stay safe.