what was the pagan holiday for christmas

The pagan holiday that Christmas is believed to have originated from is the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year and the beginning of the longer days and warmer temperatures of the year. This holiday was celebrated with festivals and rituals to celebrate the return of the sun and the promise of spring. It was also a time to give thanks for the harvest and to ask for blessings for the new year. The celebration of Christmas as a Christian holiday began with the birth of Jesus Christ in the first century AD.