Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday celebrated on December
25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The date of
commemoration is not known to be. Jesus' actual birthday, and may have
initially been chosen to correspond with either a historical Roman festival or the
winter solstice. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in
Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts
twelve days.