NOW that Christmas has just passed, we can now look deeper into the historical roots of and practices performed during the holiday. Celebrated by billions of people globally, Christmas is widely seen as a Christian holiday commemorating Jesus Christ's birth. Among nations, the Philippines is said to have the longest Christmas celebration, as it starts as soon as September — the first of the so-called Ber months — arrives.

It is almost universally agreed that Jesus was not really born on Dec. 25 because shepherds could not tend their sheep during winter. Also, it is more likely that Jesus was born between June and October and not in chilly December, scholars say. I personally believe that Jesus was born during one of the Hebrew feasts, either during the Feast of Tabernacles (which would explain the manger and the sukkah) or the Feast of Trumpets, as both are celebrated around September and October.

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