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The Meaning of Christmas
The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes
maesse, or "Christ's Mass." Christmas is the
celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the
Christian religion. Most historians peg the first
celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 A.D. Christmas is both a holiday and a holy day. In
North America it is one of the biggest event of the year
(especially for kids), and for members of the
Christian religions it is an important day on the
religious calendar. see
The Advent Calendar
During this time, the beliefs of Christianity
blended with the existing religious heritage of its
converts. The holy days of the Christmas season were
celebrated side-by-side with many local feasts and
festivals. By the 13th Century, French nuns
celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas by leaving food
at the doors of the poor. As his legend grew, the
feast of St. Nicholas became a day of gift giving in
Germany and Holland.
Shortly thereafter, St. Nicholas became associated
with Christmas and the birth of Christ.
Is there a
Santa Claus, really?
Christmas is an annual holiday that marks the birth
of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas celebrations often
combine the marking of Jesus' birth with various
other traditions and customs, many of which were
influenced by ancient winter festivals. Christmas
traditions include the display of
Nativity scenes,
Holly and
Christmas trees, the exchange of
gifts
and
cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas
(Santa
Claus) on Christmas Eve. Popular Christmas themes
include the promotion of goodwill, giving,
compassion, and quality family time.
So Who is the
Real St.
Nicholas?
Christmas Day falls on December 25. It is preceded
by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some
countries is followed by Boxing Day on December 26.
The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas
on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox Churches
(old rite or old style Orthodox) celebrate Christmas
on January 7, the date on the Gregorian calendar
which corresponds to 25 December on the Julian
Calendar. The date as a birth date for Jesus is
merely traditional, and is not widely considered to
be his actual date of birth.[1] 'from Wikipedia'
Christmas is celebrated in most countries around the
world, owing to the spread of Christianity and
Western culture. Various local and regional
Christmas traditions are still practiced not only in
Latin America but
even in
Africa,
Asia.
What does St.
Nicholas have to do with Christmas?
The 25th of December is one of the most important
days of the year for many people of the World that
celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Some of the
traditions and characteristic for this day are the same
in all countries: many go to church, where they take
part in special religious services, exchange gifts
and
decorate
their homes with special symbols.
It’s an old tradition that this day is celebrated at
25th of December. The celebration of this day as
Jesus' birth date was probably influenced by pagan
traditions. The ancient Romans held year-end
celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and
Mithras, the god of light. Various peoples in
northern
Europe
held festivals in mid-December to
celebrate the end of the harvest season. As part of
all these celebrations, the people prepared special
foods, decorated their homes with greenery, and
joined in singing and gift giving. These customs
gradually became part of the Christmas celebration.
In the late 300's, Christianity became the official
religion of the Roman Empire. By 1100, Christmas had
become the most important religious festival in
Europe. During the Reformation, many Christians
began to consider Christmas a pagan celebration
because it included non-religious customs. But the
old customs of feasting and decorating, however,
soon reappeared and blended even in the countries where
Christmas was outlawed - in England and in parts of
the English colonies in America.
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