What history says

Mystery of Christmas Eve: what really happened

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, including the grotto where Jesus is said to have been born.(Bild: wajan - stock.adobe.com)

Almost 2.5 billion people around the world celebrate Christmas as a festival of peace, love and hope. But what really happened on Christmas Eve? What does the Bible say? What do historians say?

For more than two thousand years, no one has succeeded in unraveling or even destroying the magic and enchantment of Christmas night. It is a festival of peace, love and healing comfort for the soul. The meaning of Christmas only developed 350 years after the birth of Jesus - the date was calculated retrospectively. If you compare the writings of the Bible with historical traditions and the associated legends, you can see astonishing parallels - but also minor differences.