The History of December 25th as Christmas Continued |
The holiday developed further with the legion of Nicholas (AKA Santa Claus) He was born in Parara, Turkey in 270 AD and later became Bishop of Myra. He died in 345 AD on December 6th. He was only named a saint in the 19th century. In honor of his memory, the Feast of St. Nicholas was marked on December 6 and gifts given the night before. Saint Nicholas was known for his caring of children and generous gift giving. By the 12th century Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe, and Saint Nicholas was a symbol of gift giving in many European countries. Eventually, because St. Nicholas' Day and Christmas Day are so close together, their traditions generally were combined. The popularity of Christmas grew until the Reformation, a religious movement of the 1500's. During this time there was a split in the Roman Catholic Church due to doctrinal differences, thus giving birth to Protestantism. In this movement many Christians believed Christmas to be a pagan holiday because it included nonreligious customs. During the 1600's, because of these feelings, Christmas was outlawed in England and in parts of the English colonies in America. |
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