Christmas
is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. It refers both to the
day celebrating the birth, as well as to the season which that day inaugurates,
which concludes with the Feast of the Epiphany. The date of the celebration is
traditional, and is not considered to be his actual date of birth. Christmas
festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various
cultural customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter
festivals. Although nominally a Christian holiday, it is also observed as a
cultural holiday by many non-Christians.