A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CONSECRATION
OF THE FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST

Up until the 10th century CE, there was no specific Christmas holiday in the Greek tradition, but rather a festal cycle of the Dodecahemeron (Δωδεκαήμερον) that spans a 12-day period beginning on Christmas Eve and ending with the Feast of Epiphany, also known as the Feast of Lights (Εορτή των Φώτων). The holiday of Christ’s Nativity (Εορτή Του Χριστού Γέννησης), was, from the 3rd century – 10th century CE, celebrated together with Epiphany (on the 6th of January), one of the two major holidays (the other being Pascha; Easter) where most people were officially baptized into Christianity.

Until the 10th century, the period leading into the celebration of Epiphany was marked by a series of pagan festivals including the tribute, on the 25th of December, to the Sun (Helios) as god. As Christian communities began to shun the pagan festivals, the meaning of the worship of Helios gave way to the celebration of the Nativity of the «Sun of Righteousness», Jesus Christ. Thus, at the turn of the 10th centnury, the celebration of the Nativity of Christ was given a new date, December 25th, replacing the earlier pagan festivals, and leaving the Festival of Lights (Epiphany) to be celebrated as a stand-alone holiday.