Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Christmas

While you're wrapping gifts and preparing to feast with family and friends, ponder these bizarre Christmas facts

A Very Merry Un-Birthday?

Matt Cardy / Getty
  • Print

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible doesn't actually mention a specific date for Jesus' birth. In fact, most historians believe he was likely born in the spring, hence the Bible's description of shepherds herding animals. But in the fourth century, when the Catholic Church decided to recognize Jesus' birth as an official holiday, Pope Julius I chose December 25th for the "Feast of the Nativity." That the date happened to coincide with the pagan festival known as Saturnalia must have been pure coincidence.

View the full list for "Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Christmas"

Most Popular »

Full List »
  1. Prehistoric Super-Crocodiles May Have Dined on Dinosaurs
  2. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  3. Amid Concern About India's Lost Clout, Singh Goes to Washington
  4. Woman Loses Benefits over Facebook Photo
  5. Toilets
  6. The Fall of Greg Craig, Obama's Top Lawyer
  7. Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin
  8. The Political Fallout of Egypt's Soccer War
  9. Can the A380 Bring the Party Back to the Skies?
  10. Will Private Equity Be the Next Meltdown?
  1. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  2. Will Private Equity Be the Next Meltdown?
  3. Prehistoric Super-Crocodiles May Have Dined on Dinosaurs
  4. Can the A380 Bring the Party Back to the Skies?
  5. Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin
  6. Toilets
  7. The Fall of Greg Craig, Obama's Top Lawyer
  8. How One Army Town Copes With Post- Traumatic Stress
  9. Man in Coma Heard Everything for 23 Years
  10. Troubling Rise of Facebook's Top Game Company
  • Print

Lists by Topic

Topics

Most Popular