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Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the
birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the exact date of Christ's
birth, but most Christians observe Christmas on December 25.
On this day, many go to church, where they take part in
special religious services. During the Christmas season, they
also exchange gifts and decorate their homes with holly,
mistletoe, and Christmas trees. The word Christmas comes
from Cristes maesse, an early English phrase that means Mass
of Christ.
The story of Christmas comes chiefly from
the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New
Testament. According to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds
outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus' birth.
Matthew tells how the wise men, called Magi, followed a
bright star that led them to Jesus.
The first mention of December 25 as the
birth date of Jesus occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman
calendar. The celebration of this day as Jesus' birth date was
probably influenced by pagan (unchristian) festivals held at
that time. 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, and
Saint Nicholas was a symbol of gift giving in many European
countries. During the 1400's and 1500's, many artists painted
scenes of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus. The popularity of
Christmas grew until the Reformation, a religious movement of
the 1500's. This movement gave birth to Protestantism.
During the Reformation, many Christians began to consider
Christmas a pagan celebration because it included nonreligious
customs. During the 1600's, because of these feelings,
Christmas was outlawed in England and in parts of the English
colonies in America. The old customs of
feasting and decorating, however, soon reappeared and blended
with the more Christian aspects of the celebration.
The custom of giving gifts to relatives and
friends on a special day in winter probably began in ancient
Rome and northern Europe. In these regions, people gave each
other small presents as part of their year-end celebrations.
In the 1800's, two more Christmas customs
became popular--decorating Christmas trees and sending
Christmas cards to relatives and friends. Many well-known
Christmas carols, including ``Silent Night" and ``Hark! The
Herald Angels Sing," were composed during this period. In
the United States and other countries, Santa Claus replaced
Saint Nicholas as the symbol of gift giving.
The celebration of Christmas became
increasingly important to many kinds of businesses during the
1900's. Today, companies manufacture Christmas ornaments,
lights, and other decorations throughout the year. Other firms
grow Christmas trees, holly, and mistletoe. Many stores and
other businesses hire extra workers during the Christmas
season to handle the increase in sales.
The
word Xmas is sometimes used instead of Christmas. This
tradition began in the early Christian church. In Greek, X is
the first letter of Christ's name. It was frequently used as a
holy symbol.
Now you know a little more about
The History Of
Christmas! |
