Speaker 1: Hi, this is Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster.
Speaker 1: You're about to hear the LifeSpring Advent Calendar, which was recorded in 2006.
Speaker 1: It's a daily show which will run right up to Christmas Day,
Speaker 1: so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
Speaker 1: Now, the story of Advent and Christmas is a timeless story, so it doesn't age.
Speaker 1: However, the links and the phone numbers mentioned on the podcast have all changed but one.
Speaker 1: WhyChristmas.com is still current and active,
Speaker 1: and it's the best Christmas information website on the Internet.
Speaker 1: Lifespringpodcast.com now forwards you to Lifespringmedia.com.
Speaker 1: And the phone number you'll hear on the show is changed to plus 1-951-732-8511.
Speaker 2: Hi, I'm Steve Webb, your host, and welcome to Day 2 of the LifeSpring Advent Calendar.
Speaker 2: I wonder what we'll find behind the door today.
Speaker 2: Ah, now this is a very interesting question today.
Speaker 2: why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December?
Speaker 2: It's a really good question.
Speaker 2: You know, the Bible doesn't set a date for the birthday of Jesus,
Speaker 2: so how did we come up with the 25th of December?
Speaker 3: Well, Christmas was first celebrated on the 25th of December in the 5th century,
Speaker 3: in the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
Speaker 3: The date of the 25th was chosen because it was also the time of the winter solstice
Speaker 3: and the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.
Speaker 3: The winter solstice is the day when it's the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting.
Speaker 3: Pagans and the Romans celebrated that the winter was more than half over and that spring was on the way,
Speaker 3: and they worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter.
Speaker 3: Saturnalia took place between the 17th and the 23rd of December.
Speaker 3: So in choosing a date around this time, Constantine took over the pagan celebrations
Speaker 3: and used them to celebrate Jesus, the Son of God and the light of the world instead.
Speaker 3: The early church also adopted many old customs associated with the solstice and Saturnalia,
Speaker 3: including holly, mistletoe and even Christmas carols,
Speaker 3: and I suppose we might find a bit more about those later on in the calendar.
Speaker 3: There's also another good reason why the 25th of December might have been chosen,
Speaker 3: because the 25th of March is also a sacred day to the pagans,
Speaker 3: when they celebrated the coming of spring and new life.
Speaker 3: The early church took over this day as the day when Mary had been told that she would have Jesus.
Speaker 3: It's called the Annunciation and is still celebrated by many Christians today on the 25th of March.
Speaker 3: And what's nine months after the 25th of March?
Speaker 3: Yep, you got it, it's the 25th of December.
Speaker 3: But that's not the only day that Christmas is celebrated around the world.
Speaker 3: Most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar,
Speaker 3: which was implemented by Pope Gregory VIII in 1582.
Speaker 3: Before that, the Roman or Julian calendar,
Speaker 3: which was named after Julius Caesar had been used.
Speaker 3: The Gregorian calendar is much more accurate than the Roman one
Speaker 3: because that had too many days in the year.
Speaker 3: And when the switch was made, 10 days were actually lost
Speaker 3: so that the day that followed the 4th of October 1582
Speaker 3: wasn't the 5th, but the 15th.
Speaker 3: Many Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar
Speaker 3: and so they celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January
Speaker 3: and the Armenian church actually celebrates it on the 10th of January.
Speaker 3: But we're in the year 2006
Speaker 3: so that means that Jesus was born 2006 years ago, right?
Speaker 3: Well, no.
Speaker 3: The monks in the Middle Ages who tried to work out the date of Jesus' birth
Speaker 3: got their maths wrong.
Speaker 3: Well, it's very complicated.
Speaker 3: So Jesus was probably born slightly earlier in 5, 6 or 7 BC.
Speaker 3: So we know about the date
Speaker 3: But what about the name? What does Christmas mean?
Speaker 3: Well the name Christmas comes from the term Mass of Christ or Jesus.
Speaker 3: A mass service, or as it's sometimes called communion or Eucharist,
Speaker 3: is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then he came back to life.
Speaker 3: The Christ Mass Service was the only service in the year that was allowed to take place after sunset,
Speaker 3: which is when the church day officially starts and ends.
Speaker 3: So people held the service at midnight.
Speaker 3: and the term Christ Mass was shortened to Christmas.
Speaker 3: You'll also hear Christmas referred to as Xmas.
Speaker 3: Well, some people don't think it's correct to call it Xmas
Speaker 3: as it takes the Christ or Jesus out of Christmas.
Speaker 3: But actually, in the Greek language and alphabet,
Speaker 3: the letter that looks like an X is pronounced Christos
Speaker 3: and actually means Christ.
Speaker 3: So Xmas can also mean Christmas.
Speaker 2: Well, James, you are a fount of information.
Speaker 2: Thanks so much for filling us in.
Speaker 2: I'll see you tomorrow.
Speaker 2: I hope you enjoyed that brief history lesson
Speaker 2: and that your brain isn't hurting too much.
Speaker 2: Please come back tomorrow to find out what's under the next door.
Speaker 2: The beautiful piano music today was from Doug Bolt with Deck the Halls with We Wish You a Merry Christmas,
Speaker 2: found at the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com.
Speaker 2: And of course our theme music is Brian Duncan and the Neo Soul Band with This Christmas, available at brianduncan.com.
Speaker 2: I'm Steve Webb.
Speaker 2: And I'm James Cooper.
Speaker 2: And this has been Day 2 of the Lifespring Advent Calendar.