Question: christmas though a christian holiday began as a celebration of
[{'answer': 'the winter solstice', 'provenance': [{'wikipedia_id': '6237', 'title': 'Christmas', 'start_paragraph_id': 14, 'start_character': 297, 'end_paragraph_id': 14, 'end_character': 316, 'bleu_score': 1.0, 'section': 'Section::::History.\n'}]}, {'answer': 'pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated around the winter solstice'}, {'provenance': [{'wikipedia_id': '6237', 'title': 'Christmas', 'start_paragraph_id': 0, 'start_character': 0, 'end_paragraph_id': 0, 'end_character': 0, 'bleu_score': 1.0, 'meta': {'yes_no_answer': 'NONE', 'annotation_id': 15167568404973620644}, 'section': 'Section::::Abstract.'}]}, {'provenance': [{'wikipedia_id': '6237', 'title': 'Christmas', 'section': 'Section::::History.\n', 'start_paragraph_id': 14, 'end_paragraph_id': 14, 'meta': {'evidence_span': ['The nativity stories recounted in Matthew and Luke prompted early Christian writers to suggest various dates for the anniversary. Although no date is indicated in the gospels, early Christians connected Jesus to the Sun through the use of such phrases as "Sun of righteousness." The Romans marked the winter solstice on December 25. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, 336. Christmas played a role in the Arian controversy of the fourth century. After this controversy was played out, the prominence of the holiday declined. The feast regained prominence after 800, when Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day. Associating it with drunkenness and other misbehavior, the Puritans banned Christmas during the Reformation. It was restored as a legal holiday in 1660, but remained disreputable. In the early 19th century, Christmas was reconceived by Washington Irving, Charles Dickens, and other authors as a holiday emphasizing family, children, kind-heartedness, gift-giving, and Santa Claus.', 'The Romans marked the winter solstice on December 25.', 'The Romans marked the winter solstice on December 25. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome on December 25, 336.']}}]}, {'provenance': [{'wikipedia_id': '6772172', 'title': 'Christmas and holiday season', 'section': 'Section::::History.:Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord: Christmas.\n', 'start_paragraph_id': 8, 'end_paragraph_id': 8, 'meta': {'evidence_span': ['The earliest source stating December 25 as the date of birth of Jesus was Hippolytus of Rome (170236), written very early in the 3rd century, based on the assumption that the conception of Jesus took place at the Spring equinox which he placed on March 25, and then added nine months. There is historical evidence that by the middle of the 4th century the Christian churches of the East celebrated the birth and Baptism of Jesus on the same day, on January 6 while those in the West celebrated a Nativity feast on December 25 (perhaps influenced by the Winter solstice); and that by the last quarter of the 4th century, the calendars of both churches included both feasts. The earliest suggestions of a fast of Baptism of Jesus on January 6 during the 2nd century comes from Clement of Alexandria, but there is no further mention of such a feast until 361 when Emperor Julian attended a feast on January 6 in the year 361.', 'There is historical evidence that by the middle of the 4th century the Christian churches of the East celebrated the birth and Baptism of Jesus on the same day, on January 6 while those in the West celebrated a Nativity feast on December 25 (perhaps influenced by the Winter solstice); and that by the last quarter of the 4th century, the calendars of both churches included both feasts.']}}]}]