Christmas is typically celebrated on December 25 by most Christian churches worldwide, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches. This date was chosen in the 4th century by the church to coincide with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was a popular pagan festival celebrated around the same time of the year. By co-opting the date of a well-established pagan festival, the church hoped to make it easier for people to adopt the Christian celebration of Christmas.
However, some churches, particularly Eastern Orthodox churches, continue to follow the Julian calendar, which is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by most of the Western world. According to the Julian calendar, December 25 corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. As a result, Eastern Orthodox churches, such as the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Orthodox Church, celebrate Christmas on January 7 instead of December 25.
Additionally, the 12 Days of Christmas are the period that in Christian theology marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. They begin on December 25th and end on January 5th, the eve of the Epiphany. The song 'The 12 Days of Christmas' is a popular English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas, starting on December 25th, with the final day being January 5th. The song is not religious in nature but it was used by the Church as a way of remembering and celebrating the 12 days of Christmas and what each day represents.
In summary, most churches celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but some Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar and celebrate it on January 7th. The 12 Days of Christmas are also known as the "Twelve Days of Yuletide" and they are the period of celebrating Christmas, starting on December 25th and ending on January 5th.
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