クリスマスの歴史：起源、伝統、事実

History of Christmas: Origins, Traditions & Facts | HISTORY By: HISTORY.com Editors Christmas History of Christmas HISTORY.com Editors DNY59/Getty Images Published: October 27, 2009 Last Updated: February 06, 2026 Table of contents 1 How Did Christmas Start? 2 Christmas in Photos 3 From Yule to Saturnalia 4 Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born? 5 When Christmas Was Cancelled 6 Washington Irving and ‘A Christmas Carol’ Reinvent Christmas in America 7 Who Invented Santa Claus? 8 Christmas Facts Table of contents Christmas, celebrated annually on December 25, is a sacred religious holiday as well as a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For roughly two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees , attending church, sharing meals with family and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. Christmas Day—which falls on Friday, December 25, 2026—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1870. Origins of Christmas The celebration of Christmas as we know it today stems from the traditions of several different cultures. 3:04m watch How Did Christmas Start? The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus , early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice , when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight. In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule for several days starting on the winter solstice, around December 21. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs and set them on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year were finally fermented and ready for drinking. In Germany, people honored the pagan god Odin during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Odin, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside. Christmas in Photos Decorated trees date back to Germany in the Middle Ages, with German and other European settlers popularizing Christmas trees in America by the early 19th century. Ricardo Reitmeyer/Getty Images The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes began kicking up its heels in 1925. The iconic dance troupe was originally known as the Missouri Rockets. Yale Joel/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was inspired by Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip. Now a beloved TV special, it was initially rejected by CBS executives. Walt Disney Television/Getty Images Who gets to open the first present? Some American families hide a green pickle ornament on the tree, and the first child to find it earns the right or wins an extra gift. Grabill Creative/Getty Images Millions of elves have been “adopted” and hidden each night at Christmas time since 2005, when Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell, published the book ‘Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.’ Jeanette Teare / Alamy Stock Photo Yule logs were part of ancient winter solstice celebrations, but it was Americans who turned the wood-burning into must-see TV. DSZC/Getty Images Early versions of advent calendars, which originated in Germany in 1903, offered a way for children to count down to Christmas by opening one “door” or “window” a day to reveal a Bible passage, a poem or a small gift. Maxim Fesenko/Getty Images Although Queen Elizabeth I gets credit for the early decorating of gingerbread cookies, Germans lay claim to starting the gingerbread house tradition. Pronina Marina/Getty Images With music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by Marius Petipa, ‘The Nutcracker’ is a romantic tale of the young Clara’s Christmas Eve that premiered December 18, 1892, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald/Getty Images While leaving treats for Santa and his reindeer dates back to ancient Norse mythology, Americans began to sweeten up to the tradition during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Hoptocopter/Getty Images Ugly Christmas sweaters became a party trend in Vancouver, Canada, in 2001, according to the ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book.’ Ryan J Lane/Getty Images Candy canes date back to 1670 in Germany. The red-and-white sticks arrived stateside in 1847, when a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio, placed them on a tree. Eggnog stems from posset, a drink made with hot curdled milk and ale or wine from medieval England. American colonists made the classic yuletide cocktail popular by adding rum. 5PH/Getty Images Wreaths have been around since ancient Greek and Roman times, but they eventually took on a Christian meaning. Natalia Deriabina/Getty Images The first official Christmas card debuted in 1843 in England with the message, “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ debuted in 1946. Frank Capra’s classic Christmas film stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a suicidal man who is shown what life would be like without him by an angel. Herbert Dorfman/Corbis/Getty Images Edward Hibberd Johnson had the bright idea of stringing bulbs around a Christmas tree in New York in 1882. Before that, candles were a popular decoration. DSZC/Getty Images Lining up at the mall to snap a photo with Santa might seem like a modern tradition, but it dates back to 1890 when James Edgar dressed as the jolly fellow at his dry goods store. Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images A favorite of the Brits, fruitcake has been the subject of long-running American holiday jokes. Lauri Patterson/Getty Images References to “cookie parties” date back to the late 1800s. They began to be called “cookie exchanges” by the 1930s and “cookie swaps” in the 1950s. YinYang/Getty Images Many Americans read “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” better known as “The Night Before Christmas,” by Clement Moore every holiday season. The New Yorker is believed to have written the poem on Christmas Eve 1822 after finding inspiration on his sleigh ride home. GraphicaArtis/Getty Images Dating back more than 300 years, luminarias line sidewalks and churches in places such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images For Christians, the 12 days of Christmas span the birth of Jesus on December 25 through the visit of the Magi on January 6. Smartboy10/Getty Images Poinsettias can be found across America around Christmas. The plants are actually native to Central America and were brought to the United States by the country’s first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, in the 1820s. Zoom Travels/Getty Images Every Christmas season, bell-ringers collect donations for The Salvation Army. The tradition started in 1891 when San Francisco Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee wanted to raise money to offer a free Christmas dinner to 1,000 of the city’s most destitute. Tim Boyle/Getty Images From Yule to Saturnalia In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, people celebrated Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, enslaved people were given temporary freedom and treated as equals. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could participate in the holiday’s festivities. Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year. Christmas Becomes a Holiday Today's Christmas celebrations combine secular and religious traditions. 2:48m watch Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born? In the early years of Christianity , Easter was the main holiday. The first recorded Christmas that celebrated the birth of Jesus is often cited as A.D. 336, however some historical evidence suggests the observance dates back as far as the second century. Certainly by the fourth century, church officials had decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Yet, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that Jesus’ birth might have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals , church leaders increased the chances