Many Hails on Many Days for Christ’s Birth
Tabernacles Rather Than December 25th Was Kept by the Mainstream in Asia Minor for 400 Years
The Scriptures give us dates, times, and schedules that allow us to confirm the approximate time that Mary conceived Yeshua the Christ—around December 25th—and the time of His birth, at the Feast of Tabernacles.
1. Scriptural Chronology: From Abijah’s Course to the Tabernacles Birth
We begin in the Gospel of Luke with the conception of John the Baptist.
Zacharias was serving at a specific time:
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He belonged to the course of Abijah (Luke 1:5; 1 Chr. 24:1ff).
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His lot fell to burn incense before the veil of the Holy of Holies.
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The course of Abijah is traditionally reckoned as the eighth non-festival Sabbath of the Hebrew year.
Most scholars agree that his time of service landed around the Feast of Pentecost (May / early June). It was then, while he ministered in the holy place with the daily incense, that an Angel of YAHWEH appeared and announced that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son—the forerunner of the Messiah.
Scripture tells us that as soon as his days of ministration were completed, he returned home:
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“And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.” (Luke 1:23)
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Elizabeth then conceived and hid herself five months (Luke 1:24).
The narrative then proceeds to the Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26–38). We are told that:
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The angel came to Mary in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
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The angel informed Mary that Elizabeth was already six months with child.
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Mary then went to visit her.
If Elizabeth conceived shortly after Pentecost (late May / early June), then six months later brings us to late December / early January. At that point, the Angel Gabriel appears to Mary, and she conceives Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
Counting nine months forward from that conception brings us to the Feast of Tabernacles (about September 25th most years on the Hebrew calendar), when:
“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us” (John 1:14),
and He lay in a sukkah/booth, wrapped in swaddling clothes—fitting a warmer time of year, safe for a newborn exposed in simple lodgings.
Thus, the Scriptures support:
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Conception: Late December (around December 25th)
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Birth: Feast of Tabernacles (late September)
The dating of December 25th (and nearby traditional Orthodox dates) as the time of the Conception was known to early church scholars. However, Western tradition focused more on January 6th as the feast of the conception of Mary by her mother Anna, while the deeper Incarnation chronology remained less emphasized.
2. The Modern Commercial Hijacking of December 25th
Only recently have non-Christian commercial interests seized upon the December season as an opportunity for consumerism. In America, after the Great Depression and two world wars, people held onto what little money they had. Powerful interests needed to re-ignite mass spending.
So they:
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Introduced secular “Christmas” music and anti-Christ or Christ-less hymns,
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Dominated radio and newspapers,
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Aimed aggressively at children through lights and spectacle.
These strategies shifted public attention away from Christ and toward:
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City-center decorations,
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Shop windows,
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Sales campaigns.
In places like Holland, there historically were no secular Christmas carols in Dutch, and decorations in shopping areas were absent. For the first ten of thirteen years I lived there, I saw none of the American-style mall decorations. Only in recent years have small amounts appeared, clearly intended to spur sales. It is a dead cultural American import, arriving quite late.
Similarly, Christmas trees were largely unknown in Anglo-Saxon lands until Queen Victoria popularized them by publishing an image of her family before a tree. After that, everyone wanted one. The Rockefellers and others took the moment to:
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Harness this custom,
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Stage a fake, commercialized sales revolution,
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Exploit base selfish motives.
In some ways, it resembles more modern constructs like Kwanza—man-made seasonal systems serving ideological or commercial goals.
3. December 25th as a Date of Theological Weight
Even granting all of the above, December 25th remains a powerful and meaningful date.
It is:
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The mathematical center between Israel’s major High Holy Days in the spring and fall,
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A time most will agree is the “advent” of something very good in nature, as it marks the rebirth of light after the darkest days.
Theologically we affirm:
“For by Him (the Son) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible… all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” (Col. 1:16–17; see also Rom. 11:36)
Thus:
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Nine months after December 25th falls on the major fall holy day of Tabernacles, often around September 25th,
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Many believe this to be the day of Christ’s birth (His “Great Birthday” in Constitutions of the Holy Apostles / Didascalia),
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On the darkest day (winter solstice / December 25th), Christ comes as the light of the world.
Others note that nine months before December 25th lands around Passover, the pivotal spring feast that begins Israel’s sacred year. This is why some early Fathers held March 25th as vital—the spring equinox once used to mark the start of the year. Since that date has equal light and darkness, and heralds increasing daylight, some counted March 25th as the conception, with December 25th as the birth.
In any case, we say:
Many hails on many days to celebrate the coming of our King into the world.
All hail to our King Yahshua (Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of the God of Israel)!
4. Neo-Culdees, Anti-Christmas Laws, and a Better Way
There are various neo-Culdee Protestant branches today who refuse Christmas as “un-Biblical.” In early America, some of our neo-Culdee ancestors even passed public laws forbidding Christmas. The reasoning:
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Christmas was deemed pagan and thus sacrilegious,
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Anyone caught celebrating could be fined.
While every community has a right to local self-determination in moral codes, such rigid prohibition may not be the best approach everywhere.
Many Orthodox communities do not keep the later paganized customs (trees, Santa, etc.) but simply honor our King on December 25th. They should not be attacked merely for doing so. The aim of this article is to promote comradery within the Body of Christ:
One faith, one hope, one baptism.
Our approach is positive:
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If others do not yet see these things, they may in time.
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We are called to esteem others better than ourselves,
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To serve our brethren, not attack them.
We should not separate from other members of Christ’s Body just because they celebrate Him more on one day than another. All who truly belong to Christ will continue in Him and will desire to celebrate Him more and more, not less.
Let us encourage that growth until we all come into:
“The unity of the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
5. Two Camps: Hebrew Feast Keepers and Those Who Don’t Realize They Keep Them
This article chiefly addresses the division between:
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Those who consciously keep the original Hebrew Feasts, and
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Those who don’t — or don’t realize they are keeping them in Christian form.
Many do not realize that the Feasts, Sabbaths, and Dietary laws were:
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Very popular in historic Christendom,
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Retained in much of the official doctrine and practice of the Church, though now often neglected and unknown.
On one side, some feast-keepers attack others as ignorant, but such accusations are themselves ignorant, because:
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Genuine pagan practices are shunned by the Orthodox,
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All the Biblical feasts (and additional Christian observances) were historically celebrated and encouraged.
We win not by attacking, but by:
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Pointing to the truth positively,
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Citing real historical and biblical evidence.
The entire Church, when faithful, has always encouraged celebrating Christ, because all feasts point toward His victories, to be fulfilled in believers’ lives both personally and nationally.
Popular myths, propaganda on both sides, and illiteracy are no excuse. The evidence often stares us in the face.
6. The Visit of the Wise Men: Clearing Common Myths
Consider the wise men:
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The Bible never says there were three—only “wise men.”
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It does not say Christ was an infant when they arrived.
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The Greek word used can refer to a young child several years old.
The size of their caravans is hinted at by Herod’s response: they brought so much gold, frankincense, and myrrh that he ordered a massacre of all young Hebrew males in the region.
There are many myths and fables about Christmas that are absent from the biblical and early Orthodox sources. The factual narrative differs significantly from what is popular and commercial.
We can show a lot about the real birthdate of Christ, but for our purposes it is enough to say: we rejoice in every opportunity to hail our great King of Kings, Yahshua, the only-begotten Son who will return as Judge. He has fulfilled many prophecies, and many Scriptures speak of Him as a sun, with the promise that the redeemed will shine as the sun.
Therefore:
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That His conception or birth aligns with the rebirth of the sun (December 25th) is not inherently pagan—it is profoundly biblical.
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Many say He was conceived on this date, not born.
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In any case, we celebrate His coming into the Earth and look forward to the coming Kingdom of Christ on earth.
Some argue Christmas is sacrilegious because pagan gods are said to share the same date and even Passover-oriented death myths. But this does not disqualify Christ or the date:
“All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.” (John 10:8)
The pagan figures are counterfeits. Only Jesus is real; He truly ascended into heaven.
7. Tabernacles as the “Great Birthday” and the Place of Epiphany
The Hebrew feasts were always the principal celebration seasons, with:
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Trumpets (often Sept. 25) understood by some as a “Great Birthday,”
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Tabernacles as the season most fitting for His Nativity.
It is more likely, then, that December 25th is the conception date, and that Tabernacles (or possibly Trumpets) marks His birth.
Eastern traditions sometimes emphasize Epiphany (January 6th) as the key date for:
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His manifestation as Son of God,
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The descent of the Holy Spirit at the Jordan,
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His public revelation as the beloved Son.
Since Hebrew months vary by a couple of weeks each year, Epiphany can still correspond to the nine months before the fall feasts, keeping the same Incarnation–Nativity pattern.
8. Patristic and Historical Witness: What the Early Church Actually Kept
To show that December 25th did not dominate early Christian practice, consider the following.
St. John Chrysostom on Late Adoption of December 25th
St. John Chrysostom admitted Christmas was not originally part of his church’s tradition:
In a Christmas sermon at Antioch (386 AD), he says:
“It is not ten years since this day [Christmas Day on December 25] was clearly known to us, but it has been familiar from the beginning to those who dwell in the West. The Romans who have celebrated it for a long time, and from ancient tradition, have transmitted the knowledge of it to us.”
(Addis & Arnold, A Catholic Dictionary, 1893, p. 178)
Even by the 4th century, Eastern churches had not universally adopted a December 25th feast for the Nativity.
Sabbath and Feasts in the Early Church
Many do not realize that Saturday (the Hebrew Sabbath) remained a primary day of worship in the Orthodox Church for centuries (see the separate article on honoring the Sabbath in historic Orthodoxy).
Polycarp (d. c. 156) upheld:
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The seventh-day Sabbath,
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Passover,
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Unleavened Bread,
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Pentecost, and
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The Last Great Day of Tabernacles.
Polycrates of Ephesus, second-century bishop and spokesman for Asia Minor, presided over a synod defending literal observance of the Hebrew feasts. He wrote to Bishop Victor of Rome insisting on:
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Keeping Passover on the biblical 14th,
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Retaining the old covenant practices (removing leaven, etc.),
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Upholding the succession from the Apostle John,
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Refusing Roman pressure to change these dates.
His letter, preserved by Eusebius (History of the Church, V.24.2–7), led Victor to attempt to excommunicate the bishops of Asia Minor. Yet history shows Asia Minor continued to follow the Hebrew festivals for centuries.
St. Apollinaris of Hierapolis also defended the biblical festival dates.
The 3rd–4th century St. Methodius of Olympus wrote:
These things (the feasts), being like shadows, foretell the resurrection and the raising of our tabernacle, and that in the seventh thousand years we shall celebrate the great feast of true Tabernacles in the new creation.
(Banquet of the Ten Virgins, Discourse 9, Ch. 1)
He links the Feast of Tabernacles to the eschatological celebration—which harmonizes with seeing Christ’s birth as associated with Tabernacles.
Chrysostom vs. the Feasts of YAHWEH
By the late 4th century, John Chrysostom was working strongly against the ongoing observance of the Hebrew feasts among Christians. He:
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Called the Feasts of YAHWEH mere “Jewish festivals,”
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Preached homilies against the Jews,
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Admitted that many in his flock continued to keep Trumpets, Tabernacles, and associated fasts.
In one homily (387 AD, Antioch), he complains:
“Jews are soon to march upon us one after the other and in quick succession: the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Tabernacles, the fasts. There are many in our ranks who say they think as we do, yet some of these go to watch the festivals and others join the Jews in keeping their feasts and observing their fasts.”
(Homily I Against the Jews)
Elsewhere he rages against their fasts and warns Christians not to attend them. Yet, when preaching on Pentecost, he acknowledges it as a true festival of the Lord.
Chrysostom is also credited as the first to secure broad adoption of December 25th for the Nativity in Constantinople:
“…the feast of Christ’s Nativity was kept in Rome on 25 December… It was introduced by St. John Chrysostom into Constantinople and definitively adopted in 395.”
(Thurston, Christian Calendar, Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. III, 1908)
So we see that:
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The biblical feasts of YAHWEH, especially Trumpets and Tabernacles, were still widely observed in Asia Minor and the East,
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December 25th as a Nativity feast was late in becoming common there.
9. The Didascalia: The Real Day According to Early Church Order
Finally, we turn to the Didascalia / Apostolic Constitutions.
Book VIII, “Upon Which Days Servants Are Not to Work,” says:
“Let them rest on the festival of His birth, because on it the unexpected favour was granted to men, that Jesus Christ, the Logos of God, should be born of the Virgin Mary, for the salvation of the world.”
And Book V, chapter 13:
“Brethren, observe the festival days; and first of all the birthday which you are to celebrate on the twenty-fifth of the ninth month; after which let the Epiphany be to you the most honoured, in which the Lord made to you a display of His own Godhead, and let it take place on the sixth of the tenth month; after which the fast of Lent is to be observed…”
This text:
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Refers to the Roman calendar,
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Indicates that YAHWEH even uses Roman nobility and timekeeping,
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Specifies the 25th of the 9th month as the birthday of Christ—which corresponds closely to September 25th, the usual time of the Fall Equinox and the Feast of Tabernacles.
It then lists:
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Epiphany (6th of the 10th month) as the most honored feast next in order,
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The Lent fast and Passover cycle,
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The pattern of fasting and then entering Holy Week.
Epiphany (“manifestation”) recalls:
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Christ’s revelation as Son of God,
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The descent of the Holy Spirit,
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The Father’s proclamation of Him as His beloved Son,
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The visit of the Magi, when He was not an infant but a young child.
So we celebrate:
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His birth with the Fall Feasts of God (Tabernacles / possibly Trumpets),
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His conception / Incarnation in the winter season,
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His manifestation at Epiphany.
Some interpret the Didascalia’s September 25th date as aligning especially with Trumpets, and others with Tabernacles, but all agree it locates the Nativity in the Fall Feasts.
10. Conclusion
The evidence from:
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Hebrew calendar patterns,
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Early Christian practice in Asia Minor,
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Church Orders (Didascalia / Apostolic Constitutions),
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Patristic testimony (Polycarp, Polycrates, Methodius, Chrysostom),
consistently points to:
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Tabernacles (or nearby Fall Feasts) as the time of Christ’s birth,
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Late December (around December 25th) as the likely time of His conception,
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The Feasts of YAHWEH remaining central in Orthodox practice for centuries.
Rather than dividing over dates, let us:
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Rejoice in all the ways the Church has honored Christ’s coming,
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Restore the original feasts as fulfilled in Him,
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Celebrate His Incarnation, Birth, and Manifestation with understanding and charity.
For Further Study
Read the accompanying article:
“Advent in the Historic Church: The Incarnation, the Celtic Tradition, and the Continuity of Sacred Time”
(on CelticOrthodoxy.com / Institute of Theology: https://celticorthodoxy.com/2025/11/advent-in-the-historic-church-the-incarnation-the-celtic-tradition-and-the-continuity-of-sacred-time/)