Xmas is not Biblical: Seven amazing facts you didn't know about December 25

It is Christmas and celebration is everyone’s mood at the moment. From great offers at supermarkets to traveling to the village, Kenyans are not left behind in marking the great day, on December 25.

But do we really know what Christmas is all about or do we pounce on it blindly to join many saying it is the birth of Jesus?

Here are some Xmas facts you probably don’t know;

25th December is not mentioned in the Bible

The Catholic Church chose this date to celebrate the holidays so that it would coincide with the pagan festival of Saturnalia in the 4th century. Saturnalia celebrated the agricultural god Saturn with partying, gambling, and gift-giving.

Santa Claus Father aka Christmas

Santa Claus was initially St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop living in Turkey who had inherited a great deal of wealth and was known for giving it away to help the needy. He was also referred to as the protector of children and had nothing to do with Christmas.

Santa’s red outfit was designed by Coca-Cola

Through the years, Santa wore a variety of colorful suit including red, blue, white, and green. His official red coat was introduced in the 1930s by Coca-Cola when he appeared in their advert.

Christmas Carols

There are several songs written specifically for Christmas and passed down from generation to generation. The most popular Christmas song is Silent Night which was initially written by a priest while stationed at a pilgrim church in Austria.

Jingle bells, on the other hand, was not a Christmas carol but a song for Thanksgiving.

Gifts

Kids expect gifts from Santa Claus every Christmas with some even writing him letters to make requests. The gifting by Santa was initially a celebration of celebration of St. Nicholas’ feast day on December 6. During St. Nicholas’ feast day, children would leave shoes out the night before and, in the morning, would find little gifts that St. Nicholas would leave them.

Christmas is not a long version of Christ

Although people associate the word Christmas with Christ, the former was in 1551 celebrated as “Xtemmas” and was later shortened to Xmas. The fact that people celebrate Christ's birth on the same day has convinced many that the two words are related.

Christmas deaths

Every year, around 1500 people die from the festive season related causes. From road crashes to falls while decorating to celebratory fires. There is also lots of damage to property associated with the Christmas season.