When is Christmas? Here’s what day of the week it falls on in 2022
The most wonderful time of the year is here. And while the season is bursting with enchantment, wonder and joy, we all know that it takes a lot of planning to make it all happen. Picking out presents and nailing down the the dinner menu is tricky, but coordinating everyone's schedules is perhaps the most difficult thing of all.
Think about it: If Christmas falls on a weekday, you may have to move things around — work, childcare, you name it — to carve out a time for your annual holiday party. But if Christmas lands on the weekend, you have a little (key word: little) time on your side.
That said, it's helpful to know the exact date of Christmas well in advance. This begs some very important questions: What day of the week is Christmas this year? And why is it always celebrated on Dec. 25 anyway?
If you’re looking for some Christmas conversation starters, you've come to the right place because we also sprinkled in some fun facts about the other holidays that fall before and after Santa's arrival.
What day of the week is Christmas this year?
This year, Christmas will be celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. Want to look ahead at upcoming years? Christmas will fall on Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, and Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024.
Why is Christmas celebrated on Dec. 25?
As many of us know, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. But here’s the deal: we don’t actually know the exact date when Jesus was born — it was over 2,000 years ago, after all! In fact, historians have a hunch that he was born sometime in the spring.
So, why is the holiday celebrated in the middle of winter? Well, you have to go all the way back to Greco-Roman times when early Christians began celebrating Jesus’ birth in the second century. There are at least three theories that originated during this time.
One is that it’s connected to an old Roman holiday originally celebrated on Dec. 25, which was called Sol Invictus or the rebirth of the Unconquered Sun. In layman’s terms? It was a celebration that centered on longer, brighter days returning after the winter solstice.
Another theory is that Roman emperor Constantine actually fostered the adopting of this date. Since Christianity was practiced throughout the land, the date was chosen to diminish the importance of pagan holidays that were also celebrated during this same time.
And lastly, in the 3rd century, a historian did the math and decided that Jesus’ conception happened sometime around March 25 — nine months later to the day is Dec. 25, so it was assumed that Jesus was born on or around this day.
Other important days related to Christmas
Believe it or not, Christmas isn’t just Christmas. There are lots of holidays associated with Christmas that you may not even know about.
There’s Advent, which is a time in the Christian church to prepare for the birth of Jesus. In other words, Christians celebrate for weeks rather than simply one day. Advent traditionally starts on the Sunday closest to November 30; this year, Advent starts on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, and ends on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022.
Then there’s the Twelve Days of Christmas (yes, just like the famous Christmas carol). This actually takes place after Christmas, starting on Christmas Day and ending Jan. 6. These 12 days have been marked since the Middle Ages in Europe. Each day symbolizes a person or event observed by the Christian church — and no, there’s not a partridge in a pear tree in sight. Think: St. John the Apostle, St. Thomas Becket and so on.
Three Kings’ Day, which is observed on Jan. 6, is considered to be the culmination of the entire Christmas season. It's celebrated on the final day of the Twelve Days of Christmas, otherwise known as the Feast of the Epiphany. The day is named after the three wise men who visited baby Jesus, who famously followed a star through the desert for 12 days to reach him.
In Spanish and Latin American countries, children celebrate Three Kings’ Day by leaving out their shoes by the door so the three kings can leave them gifts. Special holiday breads and parades abound on this day, too.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
