Zoe Saldana stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live this week and delved into her childhood and the overall skepticism she had as a kid.
During her conversation with the late-night talk show host, Saldaña describes what it was like being raised by her hippie mom in the Dominican Republic, calling her a “convenient bohemian” who taught her and her siblings all about natural remedies like dying their hair in rum and giving themselves oatmeal facials.
The Avatar actress hearkened back to her days on the island and raised eyebrows as she compared the Christmas celebration in DR and America, noting that Jesus Christ was not born in December but in March.
She further explained, stating: “I don’t know if it’s according to when baby Jesus was born. Some people believe that he was born in December. Other people believe he was born in January. But in reality he was actually born in March. […] They didn’t have the same calendar. Their year was shorter so that meant that they based their year on the lunar, moon positions.”
Kimmel mocked the actress, asking her where she formulated this idea about Christmas. She hesitantly replied, “My mom.” Kimmel laughed with the crowd and asked if her mom was “sucking on her hair” as she was telling Saldana this story.
The star went on to talk about her other childhood memories like Jesus being visited by Santa Claus, and how she would mull over not getting gifts from Santa on Christmas.
