Christmas is an annual festival
commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly
on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people
around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical
year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity
Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in
the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night, in
some traditions, Christmastide includes an Octave. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many
of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians,
as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of
the holiday season.
