The word “Christmas” can literally be interpreted as Christ’s Mass and originates from the Middle English ‘Christemasse’ and Old English ‘Cristes mæsse,’ a phrase that was first recorded in 1038.
A ‘Mass’ is a religious celebration, and the title ‘Christ’ refers to an ‘anointed one’ or one set apart for a special purpose ordained by God.
Jesus, the Christ, is the central figure and foundation upon which Christianity rests. According to Biblical tradition, Christmas is the day that Christ was born. His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, were arranged to be married, when an angel of the Lord appeared and announced that Mary, who was still a virgin, would give birth to the Son of God — a holy child who was God, coming to earth to walk with man, so that human beings would have the opportunity to receive eternal life through faith in Christ.
In the New Testament of the Bible, the book of Luke records how Mary and Joseph left their home in Nazareth to travel to Joseph’s ancestral home in Bethlehem to be counted in the census ordered by the Roman Emperor Augustus. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room to be found in any of the inns, so Mary and Joseph set up some make-shift lodgings in an animal-filled stable.
It was on Christmas Day that Mary gave birth to a baby, who was called Jesus, and He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the home of the house of King David from which Joseph was descended, fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. This is confirmed to Mary by a visit from angels, shepherds, and the three Wise-men who brought gifts to the Christ child.
For people of Christian faiths and denominations, the birth of Jesus is the true reason we celebrate Christmas. In the eyes of believers, the Immaculate Conception and virgin birth are not merely a “story” offering an explanation for why Christmas is a significant holiday. These events are the epitome of hope, unconditional love and the salvation of mankind.