Origins of christmas
historians are unsure exactly when christians first began celebrating the nativity of christ.however , most scholars believe that christmas originated in the 4th century as a christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice.before the introduction of christmas , each year beginning on december 17 romans honored saturn , the ancient god of agriculture , in a festival called saturnalia. this festival lasted for 7 days and included the winter solstice , which usually occurred around december 25 on the ancient julian calendar.during saturnalia the romans feasted , postponed all business and warfare , exchanged gifts , and temporarily freed their slaves.many romans also celebrated the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice by participating in rituals to glorify mithra , the ancient persian god of light.these and other winter festivities continued through january 1 , the festival of kalends , when romans marked the day of the new m...