Christmas Tidings
The Origins Of Christmas
Christmas is an annual holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus. Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various secular
customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. Christmas as the birth date for Jesus is traditional and is not considered to be his actual date of
birth. It is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became the date associated with Jesus' birth. The New Testament does not give a specific date.
Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25 in most places around the world. Christmas Eve is the day before, December 24. In the United Kingdom, Boxing Day is the following day, December 26. In Catholic countries, Saint Stephen's Day or the Feast of St. Stephen is
December 26.
The word "Christmas" is a contraction of the two words "Christ's mass" and is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes męsse, a
phrase first recorded in 1038. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter X(chi) is the first letter of Christ. Since the mid-16th century,
X or the similar Roman letter X was used as an abbreviation for Christ, thus Xmas is an abbreviation for Christmas.
After the conversion of Anglo-Saxons in England from their indigenous Anglo-Saxon polytheism, which was a form of Germanic paganism in the very early 7th
century, Christmas was called geol, which was the name of the native Germanic pre-Christian solstice festival that fell on that date. From geol, the current English
word Yule is derived. Many customs associated with modern Christmas were derived from Germanic paganism.
Modern traditions have evolved to include the display of Nativity scenes, Holly and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father
Christmas or Santa Claus on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of peace and goodwill.
Recreating the Nativity is a central way that Christians celebrate Christmas. The Eastern Orthodox Church practices the Nativity Fast in anticipation of the birth
of Jesus. Much of the Western Church celebrates Advent. In some Christian churches, children perform plays or sing carols telling the events of the Nativity.
Some Christians also display a small recreation of the Nativity scene in their homes using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Live Nativity scenes
using actors and live animals are also performed to portray the event with more realism.
A Christmas tree is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas. It is normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree, representing the host of angels or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story.
The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan tradition surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs and an adaptation of pagan tree worship. The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835 and represents an importation from the German language. The modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century. From Germany the custom was introduced to England, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George III and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of Queen Victoria. Around the same time, German immigrants introduced the custom into the United States.
Since the 19th century, the poinsettia has been associated with Christmas. Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with garlands and evergreen foliage. |
