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==History==
==History==
[[Image:Parmigianino Virgin with Child.jpg|right|thumb|The Holy Virgin with her Child]]
[[Image:Parmigianino Virgin with Child.jpg|right|thumb|The Holy Virgin with her Child]]
Nativity narratives feature prominently in both Matthew and Luke. Early Christians had a great deal of interest in establishing the date of the birth of Jesus. But no evidence could be found in the gospels. They proposed a wide variety of dates. In 221, Sextus Julius Africanus gave March 25 as the date of the first day of Creation and of the conception of Jesus in his universal history. This conclusion was based on solar symbolism, with March 25 the date of the equinox. It implies a birth in December.
Nativity narratives feature prominently in both Matthew and Luke. Early Christians had a great deal of interest in establishing the date of the birth of Jesus. But no evidence could be found in the gospels. They proposed a wide variety of dates. In 221, Sextus Julius Africanus gave March 25 as the date of the first day of Creation and of the conception of Jesus in his universal history. This conclusion was based on solar symbolism, with March 25 the date of the equinox. It implies a birth in December. Christian writers of the time identified Jesus with the "sun of righteousness" mentioned by Malachi<ref>Malachi 4:2</ref>
The first recorded Christmas celebration was in 336 in Rome. This celebration is mentioned in a document called the Chronography of 354. Christmas played a prominent role in the Trinitarian controversy of the fourth century. Once that controversy died out, the status of Christmas declined. In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas was overshadowed by Epiphany (January 6). The holiday regained prominence in the time of Charlemagne, who was crowned as Frankish emperor on December 25, 800.
The first recorded Christmas celebration was in 336 in Rome. This celebration is mentioned in a document called the Chronography of 354. Christmas played a prominent role in the Trinitarian controversy of the fourth century. Once that controversy died out, the status of Christmas declined. In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas was overshadowed by Epiphany (January 6). The holiday regained prominence in the time of Charlemagne, who was crowned as Frankish emperor on December 25, 800.