Our Speaker Series is free & open to the public!

Light refreshments will be served.

What is Christmas and why is it celebrated? The first Christmas was not observed until hundreds of years after the inception of Christianity, and even then, Christian chronologers debated the day of Jesus Christ's birth: could it be March 28, May 20, November 3? Not one mentioned December 25 as a possible date. To explain the choice of December 25 for Christ's birthday, historians often turn to two religious festivals observed under the Roman empire: a feast in honor of the god Saturn, taking place from December 17 to 23, and the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" (Dies Natalis Solis Invicti) held on December 25. Did Christians choose December 25 in an attempt to convert more Romans to their religion? Or did they choose it because of the winter solstice, aligning their theological beliefs with natural phenomena? In addition to addressing these questions, we will evaluate claims that several modern holiday traditions are rooted in Roman festivities, such as the Santa hat, gingerbread men, kissing under the mistletoe, and exchanging gifts.

Caroline Murphy-Racette is a PhD student in Classical Studies at the University of Michigan, where she is also a certificate student in the department of Women's and Gender Studies. She grew up in Wellesley and earned her BA in Literae Humaniores from the University of Oxford. She has been involved in efforts to make Classics more publicly accessible and has volunteered for the public engagement department at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, organized a Classics outreach day for high school students at the University of Michigan, and interned with Lupercal, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting female and non-binary students of the Latin Language.

This series is made possible by our generous sponsor, Christine Mayer and is presented in partnership with the Wellesley Free Library.