Christmas Day is celebrated across the globe on 25 December to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Christmas festival is the time when family, friends, and relatives come together and celebrate with full of joy. Children are mostly excited due to the gifts they receive from Santa Claus. Therefore, we can say that in the Christmas celebration there is a mythical figure named Santa Claus that plays an important role.
Origin of Christmas
The first known date of Christmas being rejoiced on December 25th was in 336 AD, through the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine who was the first Christian Roman Emperor. After some years, Pope Julius I formally announced that the birth of Jesus would be rejoiced on the 25th December.
There are various diverse traditions and theories justifying the reason for Christmas being celebrated on December 25th. A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus was on March 25th – and it’s still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th of December! March 25th was even the occasion few early Christians across the globe had made up, and even the day that Jesus passed away on when he was a grown person.
December 25th may have even been selected as the Winter Solstice and the early pagan Roman midwinter festivals known as ‘Saturnalia’ and ‘Dies Natalis Solis Invicti’ happened in December near this date – thus it was a period when individuals were previously celebrating events.
The title ‘Christ-mas’
The title ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life.
The ‘Christ-Mass’ service was the one that was allowed to happen after sundown (and earlier than dawn the subsequent day), so folks had it at Midnight! So we get the title Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.
Christmas is now celebrated by folks around the globe, whether or not they’re Christians. It’s the time when households and buddies come collectively and bear in mind the great issues they’ve. People, and particularly kids, additionally like Christmas as it is a time once you give and obtain presents!
Origin of Christmas Tree
Simply as before Christians introduced Roman pagans by linking Christmas with the Saturnalia, so even followers of the Asheira sect and its branch members were selected by the Church giving sanctions to “Christmas Trees”.
Pagans had worshipped trees in the forest for ages, or grown them in their homes and decorated them, and this ceremony was known and rejoiced with a Christian facade by the Church.
In Germany, the first Christmas tree was decorated with apples, ginger bread, wafers, and sweets. Different types of trees are used in different countries as a Christmas tree and every time they are not fir trees. Like in New Zealand – the ‘Pohutakawa’ tree is used and consists of red flowers.
In the 19th century, in Germany, first artificial Christmas trees were developed. Modern Artificial Christmas trees are made up of PVC and that too in China. Real Christmas trees help in removing dust and pollen from the air.
The Date of Christmas
No one is aware of the true birthday of Jesus! No date is given within the Bible, so how can we have fun on 25 December? The early Christians actually had many arguments as to when it needs to be celebrated!
Also, the start of Jesus most likely did not occur within the 12 months 1 however barely earlier, someplace between 2 BCE/BC and seven BCE/BC, probably in 4 BCE/BC (there is not a 0 – the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!).
The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December twenty-fifth was in 336, in the course of the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the primary Christian Roman Emperor).
However, there are lots of totally different traditions and theories as to why Christmas is widely known on 25 December.
How is Christmas celebrated?
Christmas is a celebration that is filled with delight, cheerfulness, and worship in the life of people. On this occasion, people go to church, sing carols, participate in different religious services, swap presents, beautify their homes with holly, mistletoe, lights, flowers, and Christmas trees and conduct family get-together. On Christmas Eve, churches across the globe perform evening services. At midnight, many churches perform extraordinary candlelight services. Santa Claus is an admired personality in the Christmas event who distributes presents to the kids. People prepare several cakes and feasts, express their joy and happiness by singing Christmas carols i.e. songs and welcome the Lord. Kids or children used to celebrate this festival with full of joy and excitement for the gifts which were given by the parents, friends, family members and also wait for Santa Claus eagerly.
ALL OVER THE GLOBE
In Scandinavia, and other elements of northern Europe, the time across the Winter Solstice is called Yule (though the phrase Yule solely appears to this point to concerning the 12 months 300). In Eastern Europe the mid-winter pageant known as Koleda.
In Iranian/Persian tradition, the winter solstice is called ‘Yalda Night’ or ‘Shab-e Chelleh’ and it is a time when households and buddies come collectively to eat, drink and recite poetry. Shab-e Chelleh means ‘evening of forty’ because it occurs forty nights into winter.
The phrase Yalda means ‘start’ and comes from early Christians residing in Persia celebrating the start of Jesus around this time. Eating, fruits, nuts, pomegranates, and watermelons are necessary at Yalda/Chelleh and you may get Yalda desserts that appear to be watermelons!
The Roman Festival of Saturnalia passed off between December seventeenth and twenty third and honored the Roman god Saturn. The Romans additionally thought that the Solstice passed off on December twenty-fifth.
It’s additionally thought that in 274 the Roman emperor Aurelian created ‘Dies Natalis Solis Invicti’ (that means ‘birthday of the unconquered solar’) additionally referred to as ‘Sol Invictus’ and it was held on 25 December.
Because of the dates, some folks say that the Christians ‘took over’ 25 December from these Roman festivals and/or Yule. However, there are data going again to round 200 of early Christians connecting the Nisan 14 to the 25 March, and so 25 December was a ‘Christian’ pageant date a few years earlier than ‘Sol Invictus’! (More latest research has additionally discovered that the ‘Sol Invictus’ connection did not seem till the 12th century and it is from one scribbled be aware within the margins of a manuscript. There’s additionally proof that ‘Sol Invictus’ may also have occurred in October and never December anyway!)
Christmas had additionally been celebrated by the early Church on January sixth, when in addition they celebrated the Epiphany (which implies the revelation that Jesus was God’s son) and the Baptism of Jesus.
Now, Epiphany primarily celebrates the go-to of the Wise Men to the child Jesus, however again then it celebrated each issue! Jesus’s Baptism was initially seen as extra necessary than his start, as this was when he began his ministry.
The Jewish pageant of Lights, Hanukkah begins on the eve of the Kislev 25 (the month within the Jewish calendar that happens at about the identical time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish folks had been capable of re-dedicate and worship of their Temple, in Jerusalem, once more following a few years of not being allowed to observe their faith.
In some parts of the UK, January 6th continues to be referred to as ‘Old Christmas’ as this is able to have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on if the calendar hadn’t been modified. Some folks did not need to use the brand new calendar as they thought it ‘cheated’ them out of 11 days!
CONCLUSION
There are lots of Christmas traditions that are practiced in so many countries all over the world. These traditions can be as diverse as the culture and religious practices of those countries. The story of Christmas starts with the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. It is believed that Jesus was born on December 25th, and this why it was likely chosen as a traditional time of celebration among many ancient cultures.
