Christmas is finally here and it has brought with it the joys of the holiday season. Christmas, which is one of the most pious days for Christians, is the religious and the cultural celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, it is celebrated on December 25. On this day people gather in large numbers with family and friends to commemorate the birth and also remember the sacrifices of Jesus Christ. Christmas season is the ideal time to spread the words of Jesus and celebrate the occasion with merriment and mirth.
Christmas is one of the most popular festivals celebrated by Christians across the world. It is the festival which is celebrated worldwide in more than 160 countries of the world. It is basically the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the man who is known as “The Son of God”. The name “Christmas” from the Mass of Christ. A mass service is conducted in which it is believed that Jesus has died for the people and he will come back to life. The service was known as “Christ-Mass” and was allowed to take place only after Sunset. So, people started calling it Christmas and started celebrating it in the evening or at midnight.
Christmas, for the first three centuries of Christianity's existence, was not celebrated on 25th December. In fact, there was no certain day so people celebrated it as per their personal beliefs. It was in 336 AD that the Christmas celebrations were first recorded on December 25 during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine. After a few years, Pope Julius I declared that the birth of Jesus would finally be celebrated on December 25.
Charles Dickens
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to around 280 AD in Turkey. It is associated to a monk named St. Nicholas. The man whom we know as a happy jolly man dressed in red with a long beard was not always this way. There is a legend behind the existence of Santa Claus. There was a Saint named Nicholas who was well-known because of his piety and kind nature. It is said that whatever wealth Nicholas inherited he traveled along the countryside and donated it to the poor and sick. There are several stories depicting his helpful nature. One of them is the story of three sisters whom Nicholas prevented from going into prostitution by helping them arrange the money for the dowry. Even today all his legends are alive in the hearts of people and Saint Nicholas is still the most popular saint in Europe.
After Saint Nicholas served the people of Europe it is said that he made his inroad towards America. At the end of 18th century, Saint Nicholas arrived in America. He was called Sint Nikolas and Sinter Klass by local people because which finally the final name evolved as Santa Claus. Since that time “Santa Claus” started existing.
It is said that ancient people celebrated winter festivals such as Saturnalia, by decorating their homes with evergreen fir trees or branches to commemorate the arrival of spring, a time when winter would come to an end and the Sun God would finally appear. The tradition of the Christmas tree as we know today, probably has its origins in 16th century Germany, when Martin Luther, awed by the beauty of stars shining among evergreen trees at night, brought a tree in his home and lighted it with candles. Another German legend goes that Saint Boniface cut an oak tree to stop a group of pagans from sacrificing a young boy. To his surprise, a fir tree sprang from the oak tree which was a sign of Christianity for the saint.
His followers then lighted it with candles so that he could preach to the pagans at night. There is yet another German legend about the Christmas tree according to which a poor boy turned into Jesus, the Christ Child on Christmas morning after being given shelter by a family. The boy gave a fir tree branch to the family as a way of saying thanks. With the publication of a sketch of Queen Victoria and her family standing around a Christmas tree in 1846, this tradition became more popular in UK and USA.
Ancient Romans hung wreaths on their doors as signs of victory. The origins of the Advent wreath seems to be during the 16th century when pre-Christian Germans made wreaths out of evergreens which was a sign of eternal life, to commemorate the coming of spring. The circular shape of the wreath symbolizes God who has no beginning or end.
Christmas carols were originally pagan songs sung by the Early Europeans during their winter solstice celebrations. Early Christians replaced pagan songs with Christmas hymns (religious songs), written and sung in Latin. In 1223 in Italy, Christmas carols became popular through the Nativity plays of St. Francis of Assisi. As opposed to Latin, they were in a language that was understood by most people, which is the reason why carols spread to other European countries. Although their popularity declined during the Puritan movement in the 16th century, they became famous again in the mid-18th century.
