The Christmas story may have many versions, but the spirit of the festival is common to all.
In ancient pagan times, the last day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere was celebrated as the night Great Mother Goddess gave birth to the baby Sun God. It is also called Yule. On that day a huge bonfire is lit around which everyone would dance and sing to awaken the sun from its long winter sleep.
In Roman times, the celebrations came to honour Saturnus (the harvest god) and Mithras (god of light).
December 25 is generally considered to be the birth date of Jesus Christ. The Bible does not mention Christmas, and early Christians did not observe the birthday of Christ. Christmas, as we know it, became widely popular only in the 19th century.
