Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. It refers to both the day commemorating the birth; and also the Christmastide season which that day inaugurates; concluding with the Feast of the Epiphany. The date of the celebration is traditional; and is not considered to be Jesus's actual date of birth. Christmas festivities often combine the observation of the Nativity with various cultural customs; many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals.