10 Popular History Myths (You Probably Believe)
4. Jesus Was Born On Christmas
Even if you're not a Christian, the sheer number of Christians in the world - coupled with the widespread commercialization of the holiday - pretty much guarantees that most people "know" that Christmas is Jesus' birthday.
Here's the problem: it's not. Christ wasn't initially tied to Christmas, at all. Early Christians said nothing of Jesus's birthdate. The earliest reference to his date of birth scholars have found dates to 336 CE, when the church of Rome put on a nativity festival. So, what was going on around this time? Why did the first recorded celebration of Jesus's birth not occur until roughly 300 years after his death?
Most historians agree that what is now Christmas only became what it is because the Roman Empire needed to assimilate its pagan population, which - at the time - celebrated the winter solstice every year around 25 December. In the early 4th century, church leaders moved to appropriate the holiday, reframing it as Christian in nature and in origin. This allowed pagans to retain their winter solstice holiday, celebrating with few serious changes to their annual traditions.
That's it. Christmas became Christmas to keep a pagan backlash in check. Now look at us: arguing about Christmas on Starbucks cups.