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Oli Vizla 2022

The 25th of December is the time when Western Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus who Christians believe to be both the Messiah (or in Greek: the Christ) and son of God (that is, divine). Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth on the 7th January.

Jesus' birth or 'nativity' is described in the Bible, in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke. There is disagreement among Christians about the status of the accounts, some regarding them as describing theological truths but not historical ones. The Gospels do not mention the date of Jesus' birth which was set by Pope Julius in the 4th century CE in order to Christianise the Pagan celebrations that took place at that time of year.

The story of the nativity was taught through traditions of plays and also models of the manger, or crib, that Luke's Gospel states that the Jesus was born in. Today the Christmas festival has elements of Christian, Pagan and folk traditions and many Christians and non-Christians have concerns about its over-commercialisation.