The First Christmas Was Celebrated by Angels, Not Pagans

The claim that Christmas is a borrowed pagan festival is repeated so often that many people accept it without ever examining the Bible itself. According to this narrative, the celebration of Jesus’ birth was created centuries later and shaped by pagan customs. Yet this claim collapses as soon as we ask a simple and far more important question: Who celebrated the first Christmas?

The Bible gives a clear and unambiguous answer. The first celebration of the birth of Jesus did not begin with human tradition, church councils, or emperors. It began in heaven.

The Gospel of Luke records what happened on the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem. After an angel announced the birth of the Savior to shepherds, something extraordinary took place. Luke writes:

“Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased’” (Luke 2:13–14).

This moment matters greatly. The first celebration of Christmas was not organized by people. It was initiated by God Himself. A vast company of angels praised God, proclaimed peace, and announced the arrival of the Savior. This was not symbolic language. Scripture presents it as a real event, witnessed by real people, at a real moment in history.

If Christmas were truly pagan in origin, this scene would make no sense. Pagan rituals are human attempts to reach the divine. What we see in Luke is the opposite. God reaches down to humanity. Heaven rejoices. Angels speak. Peace is proclaimed. The birth of Jesus is treated as a cosmic event, not a cultural one.

God also used another heavenly sign to mark the birth of Christ: a star. The star guided the Magi to Jesus (Matthew 2:1–2). Again, this was not pagan astrology being adopted by Christians. Scripture shows God using creation itself to point to the birth of His Son. The heavens declared what had taken place on earth.

Long before Christians marked December 25 on a calendar, the birth of Jesus was already being celebrated in the highest place possible. Angels praised God. Heaven rejoiced. Earth was invited into that joy. Any later human celebration of Christmas is simply an echo of what began that night.

Calling Christmas pagan ignores this foundational truth. The first Christmas did not involve temples, idols, or rituals. It involved angels, shepherds, praise, and the announcement of salvation. That is not pagan worship. That is divine proclamation.

When Christians celebrate Christmas today, they are not borrowing from paganism. They are remembering and joining the first celebration that Scripture records. They are echoing the song that began in the skies over Bethlehem.

If we reflect carefully, the question is not whether Christmas was influenced by pagan festivals. The Bible answers something far more important. The first Christmas was celebrated by angels. That fact alone dismantles the claim that Christmas began as a pagan ritual.

For more questions explained in plain language, visit our Christmas Questions page.