Christmas is a name that comes from the French word ‘Noël’ which in turn comes from the Latin word ‘Natalis’ which means Birth.
Father Ndagijimana explains that Christmas for Christians does not only mean the birth, “It means the birth of the Savior and the incarnation of God.” The incarnation of God is to celebrate God who took the form of a baby and accepted to be born in a manger.
Explaining why the day of Jesus’ birth is celebrated on December 25, Father Ndagijimana says: “Although the date of its origin is not clear, it is probably close because the celebration of Christmas on the 25th, originated from the pagan day celebrated in the Roman tradition called ‘Dies Natalis Solis’ Invicti’, in Kinyarwanda means that the resurrection of the sun is not defeated”.
He said, “During the winter, people worshiped the sun when they did not understand God. They considered the sun as a miracle because it brought them back to life and came out of the winter. They started celebrating that day from December 17 to 21. At that time, the King called OLoriane decided to collect all those days to be celebrated once, they took the 25th of December.
He explains that taking the day that was celebrated by pagans who do not know God and combining it with the celebration of the birth of the Savior came from God’s presence before he was born in the world, he first prepared his children, he was born as the King of peace, joy, light and life
He says that a true Christian should not wonder why Christmas is celebrated on the 25th, but should wonder about the four weeks before that date because that is where the lessons preparing for the birth of Jesus are taught.
Father Ndagijimana adds that Christmas began to be celebrated in the Catholic Church in the 2nd century, not on the 25th, then it was celebrated on the 25th in the 4th century between 330 and 350. in different situations.
He also says that the pagans used to celebrate the Light and it has a connection with the Catholic Christians, because they believe that those who went to see the newborn baby Jesus were guided by the Stars, which means that even though they were pagans, the Light means a lot in human life.
