History of Christmas
Christmas is Christian festival celebrated on December 25 by most Western Christians that celebrates the birth of Jesus Chris. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christmas) Even though Christmas is mostly considered a sacred religious holiday and celebrated predominantly in the West, it is also celebrated and recognized by many cultures, organizations and even governments throughout the world. In the United States, most businesses close for at least one day during year to celebrate Christmas. Popular customs of Christmas include exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, attending church services, meals with family and friends. For children and parents, the arrival of Santa Claus is the culmination of Christmas. For many businesses, Christmas is a very important time of the year for lucrative revenue growth and additional profits.
In the early years of Christianity, Easter was recognized as the main holiday and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ had not yet begun. Easter is also a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion. Around the fourth century, church members and clergy decided to celebrate his birth as a holiday. Because the bible does not discuss an actual date for the birth of Christ, which many believe actually happened in the spring, some more traditional sects of Christianity celebrate during different times of the year. December 25 was finally recognized by Pope Julius I as the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. Many believe Pope Julius I chose that date because he wanted to incorporate traditions from the Saturnalia Festival. Saturnalia was celebrated in ancient Rome to honor the deity Saturn. Saturn was the God of Agriculture w...
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...retail and online chains, corporations and businesses alike, Christmas has become a major event recognized and celebrated by Christians, non Christians and even other religions all over the world. Most businesses, for now, celebrate Christmas every year buy closing for one or more days to allow staff members to spend time with their families. Families who live a fair distance from loved ones or friends often take this time of the year to extend their time away from work and travel across the county and throughout the world. Regardless if you are celebrating Christmas as a remembrance of Jesus Christ and his birth, a national holiday in which your office is closed, as an opportunity to spend time with your family, or purely for the joy of giving and or receiving gifts, this holiday is a major part of the United States and several other countries around the world.
Of all religious holidays that have been adopted by secularists, one of the most popular would be Christmas, originally meant to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. With the exact date of Jesus' birth unknown during ancient times, Christmas was initially assigned to January 6th, but was changed to December 25th under the influence of the winter solstice (Nothaft 903). Peculiarly however, is the universal celebration of Christmas al...
Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.
This is not your typical Christmas tale. This story is about a group of friends who decide giving is better than receiving around this time of year. There are tons of children who aren’t fortunate enough to get Christmas presents, let alone plenty who don’t even have family to spend the holidays with. Three best friends ended up figuring that out and worked together to truly create a Christmas miracle.
Christmas is a holiday celebrated by most of the world. Christianity is very popular in the US and Hispanic cultures. In the US, Christmas is celebrated with going to Church on Christmas Eve, spending time with their families, and many other things. People also reenact the nativity scene, sing Christmas carols, and do
Christmas is almost here again, but have you ever thought how odd some of the holiday traditions are and how they became so popular? Buying a pine tree, setting it up in your house and then decorating it with festive lights and ornaments; hanging up stockings filled with candy over the fireplace; or how an old guy in a red-suit comes to your house the night before Christmas and leaves presents. This, too many Americans is normal, but why? Learning about these holiday traditions will get you into the Christmas spirit and show you what Christmas is truly about.
There are approximately 196 countries in the world and almost every single one of them celebrates Christmas differently. Christmas in Mexico (Navidad) is a million times different than the Christmas that we know and celebrate in the U.S. In Mexico there are lots of events that happen before January 6th, which is Epiphany day (The day of the Three Wise Men) also known as “El Dia de los Reyes”. I am will be explaining every all of the events that take place during Christmas (Navidad) all the way up to January 6th.
Few people can confidently say why the United States celebrates Christmas on December 25. And I imagine even fewer people know why we give gifts, or why we pucker up when we find ourselves under some mistletoe. The answers to these questions are under a thick layer of rich human and mythological history. For me, the majority of these discoveries were absolutely shocking—Christ was never in Christmas.
In "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a transformation as a result of his encounters with three ghosts and becomes a kind, happy, and generous man. His greedy, cruel, and grumpy demeanor is replaced seemingly overnight, but he doesn’t just wake up and decide to be nice. It takes three Spirits to change his outlook on life - The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past makes Scrooge begin to regret his selfishness, and the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to teach him about others. This second Ghost helps to make him realize that money doesn't buy happiness. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, however, teaches the most profound lesson of all: unless he changes, no one will care if Scrooge dies. Because of the Ghosts, by Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely different person from the man who went to bed on Christmas Eve.
Christmas is a special time of year that deserves to be remembered for its true meaning. Every year, Christmas becomes more and more commercialized and society forgets the origin of Christmas. It was not started with cookies, toys, and a fat man that delivers them, but instead it started with a humble inn where our Savior was born. The definition of Christmas is “a holiday on December 25 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.” Nowhere in that definition does it say anything about the outrageous pressure society has set on consumers to buy, buy, buy during the Christmas season. Christmas is about presence not presents.
Ah Christmas, it is said to be the most wonderful time of the year. In the United States Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, spending time with your family, and in most Christian families, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is hands-down the most highly commercialized holiday celebrated by Americans. In fact, according to CBS news, the average American will spend $700 on gifts this holiday season, totaling for a whopping $465 billion spent nation-wide. From mall Santas as far as the eye can see, to hearing Christmas music in every retail store you enter. Christmas is a time of high spirits and high spending in the U.S.
Many people in American society assume that the main purpose of Christmas is the supposed coming of Santa Claus. Their assumption however is far from the truth. The origins of Christmas, which literally means "Christ mass," actually lie in Christianity-not in the fat man with a stomach that jiggles like a bowl full of jelly. Centuries ago, Christians developed a tradition of celebrating Jesus Christ's birthday. Although Christians were unsure of the exact date of Christ's birth, they officially declared December 25th as the day they would celebrate it. The holiday began simply as a day in which families would spend quality time together, reflecting on Jesus' life, giving thanks to God for sending his "one and only son."
Frosty the Snowman waves hello alongside Santa 's reindeer that are ready to take off. Candy canes line the sidewalk and the ginger bread dolls dance in a merry circle. The trees all sparkle with thousands of red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange lights. Out back, Mary and Joseph stand over baby Jesus, Choo-Choo train’s chug in spot, stars twinkle with bright yellow bulbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause wave in the distance. Kerkhoven, MN, the location of the happiest house on the block. Every year my breath is always taken away as my eyes struggle to soak in the utter abundance of Christmas spirit. I 'm smiling and we 're not even inside yet.
Although it was never celebrated in biblical times, Christmas is celebrated in local churches here in Visalia, California in praise of the fact that God loved us so much; he sent his one and only son to earth. He was wholey god and wholey man. Whereas we have succumbed to the temptations of this earth, Jesus was able to overcome all temptations and live a sinless life. He was then crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. One cannot understand why we celebrate the birth of Christ without seeing the other end of his life. He was crucified for our sins and resurrected.
Countries all have their own distinct holidays, although some can be seen as equivalents, all are still run by ideology. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are all seen as equivalent holidays even though they are celebrated differently, and celebrate different things. The ideology behind Christmas is that it
How Christians Celebrate Religious Festivals and Why they Continue to Celebrate Them Today The church year is called the liturgical year, which begins with Advent, and it has many liturgical seasons. Each season has one or more religious festivals. Festivals are celebrations to remember the important events in Jesus' life. There are three cycles in the Christian year, these are; (i) The Christmas cycle begins with Advent , a period of preparation prior to Christmas Day, December 25th, when Jesus was born.