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Christmas
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Fresco by Giotto depicting the Nativity: Mary and baby Jesus in a stable, Joseph seated nearby, angels above, and shepherds with sheep at right, in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. James Tissot: The Adoration of the Shepherds Magi The Story of Christmas
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The video thumbnail image includes a 17th century artwork showing men fighting at a gambling table, surrounded by a Christmas garland and overlaid on a photograph of a snowy forest.
Liturgical colors
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Christ as Ruler, with the Apostles and Evangelists (represented by the beasts). The female figures are believed to be either Santa Pudenziana and Santa Praxedes or symbols of the Jewish and Gentile churches. Mosaic in the apse of Santa Pudenziana, Rome,A
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Fresco by Giotto depicting the Nativity: Mary and baby Jesus in a stable, Joseph seated nearby, angels above, and shepherds with sheep at right, in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua.
Christmas summary
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Christmas tree, holiday, pine
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Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday
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Christmas tree, holiday, pine
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Child on parent's shoulders decorating a Christmas tree. Daughter helping father (dad) put a star on top of a Christmas tree. Decorations, family
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Illustration of Merry Old Santa Claus by Thomas Nast. (Christmas, holidays)
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Fresco by Giotto depicting the Nativity: Mary and baby Jesus in a stable, Joseph seated nearby, angels above, and shepherds with sheep at right, in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua.
Giotto: The Nativity The Nativity, fresco by Giotto, c. 1305–06, depicting the birth of Jesus; in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy.

Christmas

holiday
Also known as: Natale, Navidad, Noël
Written by
Hans J. Hillerbrand
Professor Emeritus of History and Religion, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Author of The Division of Christendom: Christianity in the Sixteenth Century and Men and Ideas in the Sixteenth...
Hans J. Hillerbrand
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. Since the early 20th century, Christmas has also been a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike, devoid of Christian elements, and marked by an increasingly elaborate exchange of gifts. In this secular Christmas celebration, a mythical figure named Santa Claus plays the pivotal role. Christmastime, running from Advent (or earlier) through Epiphany, is a season rich with countless religious and secular traditions that bring...

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