history of Christmas

History of Christmas




Christmas is a Christian holiday that has been celebrated for centuries in honor of the birth of Christ. It is traditionally celebrated on December 25, soon after the shortest day of the year, which is usually around December 22. This is the darkest day; the day with the least amount of sunlight. Ancient cultures recognized the short, winter days and the increasing darkness and, therefore, held festivals shortly after this darkest day. Romans put lights in their windows to call back the sun, and Germanic peoples decorated evergreen trees because they were a sign that the sun would soon return. Parts of both ancient traditions have become a part of modern Christmas celebrations today.

As Christianity spread throughout the world, Christmas celebrations were slowly adapted and reinterpreted by different cultures. People noticed the parallel between the celebration of Christ's birth and the changing season, and eventually began adopting and reinterpreting the symbols used by their pagan neighbors. Lights and lamps became symbols of Christ as the light of the world. The lush greens of evergreens, holly and mistletoe were used to symbolize the life that Christ brought. Over time, Christian symbols such as stars and angels were given prominence in adorning evergreen trees.

Several Christmas traditions were based on the story of Christ's birth according to the Bible. People began giving gifts to one another for Christmas because the Three Wise Men, or Three Kings, traveled a long distance to bring gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. Similarly, the tradition of adorning the top of a Christmas tree with a star can be traced to the Bible as well. Scripture says that the Three Wise Men came from the east following a bright star. It was the star that guided them to the baby Jesus, the light of the world. Thus, tradition brought stars to the top of Christmas trees to welcome Christ into people's lives.

The Tradition of the Christmas Tree


The tradition of the Christmas tree appears to have been exported to England via German royalty. Later, the tradition was brought to America by German and English immigrants. Historians believe that the modern Christmas tree originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. In a medieval play about Adam and Eve, a fir tree hung with apples (called the "aradise tree") was often used to represent the Garden of Eden. As a sign of worship, German families set up Paradise trees in their homes on December 24, the feast day of Adam and Eve. On it they hung wafers which symbolized the bread distributed at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, or communion, in churches. Since the Christmas holiday followed immediately, candles representing Christ (as the light of the world) were also added to Paradise trees. Over time, cookies, candies, and other sweets took the place of wafers on Christmas trees.

The Tradition of Santa Claus


"Santa Claus" is the American version of St. Nicholas, who originally descended from the Dutch Sinte Klaas. The story of Santa Claus, or St. Nick, is based on the story of a bishop named St. Nicholas who lived in the fourth century. (Only due to the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," by Clement Clarke Moore, did Santa Claus acquire reindeer, a red suit, and a sleigh full of toys.) The real St. Nicholas was born into wealth and was left a fortune at a young age when his parents died. Out of love and humility, young Nicholas passed out gifts to children and the poor in secrecy. His devotion to Christianity soon led him to forsake his wealth and answer the call to the ministry, where he served Christ's people for decades. St. Nick's popularity spread all throughout Europe. In his honor, people distributed Christmas presents on December 6, during the pageant of St. Nicholas. In many countries, this day is still a day of gift-giving, although in America it's celebrated on Dec. 24 and 25.

The St. Nick of today's Christmas stories still carries faint reminders of the ancient bishop. The color of St. Nick's outfit symbolizes the red cloth of a bishop's robe, and "Making a list and checking it twice," probably recollects the old saint's lectures to children about good behavior. Gifts secretly brought on Christmas Eve bring to mind his humble generosity toward the poor and destitute. Yuletide legend also claims that the practice of hanging up stockings originated with St. Nicholas. According to the story, once while trying to help a poor man who needed a dowry for his daughter, Nicholas tossed a bag of gold through the man's window in the dark of the night. Ironically, the bag of gold landed in one of the young lady's stockings that had been hung up to dry.

Christmas Today


No matter which traditions your family celebrates, Christmas marks a festive season when people get together to enjoy the holiday spirit. In the United States, many people exchange gifts, sing carols, hang stockings and wreaths, decorate Christmas trees, display nativity scenes, and serve sweet treats, such as gingerbread and candy canes. However, since people all over the world have different traditions, Christmas is not always celebrated in the same way. Sharing different cultural beliefs and customs with family and friends can be the most memorable part of the holiday season. Just for fun, try saying "Merry Christmas" in another language:

China- Sheng Dan Kuai Le

Denmark - Glaedelig Jul

Finland - Hauskaa Joulua

Greece - Kala Christougenna

Italy - Buon Natale

Japan - Meri Kurisumasu

Netherlands - Zalig Kerstfeest

Norway - Gledelig Jul

Poland - Wesolych Swiat

Portugal/Brazil - Boas Festas

Russia - S Rozhdestvom Kristovym

Spain/Mexico - Feliz Navidad

The Origin of Some Christmas Traditions


Many countries share similar Christmas traditions, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees and Christmas cards. Where did these traditions come from?

What is Christmas Eve?
Before International dates, time zones and the like were introduced, days used to begin at sunset. This meant that the evening was the beginning of the day. So Christmas Eve was actually Christmas day, back then. Now, because days begin at midnight, Christmas Eve falls on December 24. In some countries the main celebration of Christmas is still held on December 24, after sunset, following the old tradition.

Who is Santa Claus?
Most people think that Santa Claus has nothing to do with the religious side of Christmas. In some ways they are right. However, Santa Claus is actually supposed to be Saint Nicholas. Up until the 1930』s he was shown in paintings to look like an ordinary person, dressed normally but wearing a red cloak. Then in the 1930』s the Coca-Cola Company ran an advertisement showing Santa Claus the way we know him now; rather fat and jolly, with his red suit and long white whiskers. He was much more appealing to children this way, and so the image stuck. How St Nicholas got dragged into Christmas is another story.

Where Do Christmas Trees Come From?
Christmas trees were originally part of the German Christmas celebrations. Like St. Nicholas, they have gradually been adopted and incorporated into Christmas tradition around the world. In Germany the tree is still one of the most important parts of the celebrations for children. Traditionally the tree held candles, fruit, nuts and cookies, but now it also has tinsel, glitter ornaments and toys hanging from it. It is put up during the afternoon of Christmas Eve, in a locked room, and children only get to see it after eating a special meal. In Germany children are told either Santa Klaus or the Kristkind (Christ child) put up the tree.

How Did Christmas Cards begin?
Christmas cards were introduced in Britain in 1840, with the postal service, and penny stamps. In those days a penny was a lot of money, and printed cards were very expensive and hard to come by. As the postal service improved, along with printing methods, cards became more popular. By about 1860 they were fairly common.

When they first began, Christmas cards showed religious scenes and often had religious text in them. Nowadays, they can have just about any picture on them, including winter scenes, and most do not contain any reference to religion.

  


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These are just a few of the many traditions associated with Christmas. Why not purchase this report on Christmas Around the World to learn more? It includes some of the shared traditions, background information on why Christmas is celebrated when it is and a look at some of the traditions of individual countries. It is packed with information, activities, recipes and more. To find out more about it email me.

christmas is coming!hahah ,you plan how to celebrate????

Celebrating Christmas and Creating Traditions
by Anne Feenstra





Celebrating Christmas also includes creating traditions.  

This is how the Feenstra family celebrates:

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The Christmas season in our household has both traditional and non-traditional elements to it.

Certain things like decorating the house, a Christmas tree, baking goodies and acting out the nativity story have always been a part of the celebrations.

However, over the years, we have also deleted or implemented new ideas as the children grew older.

The Tradition of NOT Purchasing Gifts
Because we were financially tight, our first Christmas was one in which we exchanged no gifts with each other.

I had received a bonus gift from my place of employment, but we used that money to buy ourselves some blueberry bushes for our garden.

By Christmas the next year, we had our first child. Being practical and Dutch (!), we decided to again forget about gift-giving to each other and our daughter.

After all, she had no idea of what was going on anyway.

And out of this, began the tradition of not purchasing gifts except for a yearly Christmas tree ornament for the children.

Because our young children still received presents from grandparents, neighbors and Sunday School teachers, we felt they were not being deprived.

Also, we had no desire to get into the frenzy of gift buying and instead wanted to keep an emphasis on Jesus - the reason for the season.

Now that our children are young adults and teenagers, plus have jobs, they have requested to be allowed to exchange a few small gifts. 「To everything there is a season….」

Traditions we Have Created:

Birthday Parties for Jesus
In those early years, one of the ways the children celebrated was by having 「Birthday Parties for Jesus.」 We ate foods Jesus would have eaten, acted out the nativity story, played 「Pin the Tail on Mary』s Donkey,」 and sent money to a missionary.

Delivering Baked Goods to Neighbors
Back then, a tradition we especially loved involved delivering baked goodies to the neighbors and widows in our church. Our children would carry lighted Chinese lanterns, sing a carol or two at the door, and then present their gift.

Create a Tree of Construction Paper
Another idea we tried for several years was that of placing a large tree made out of construction paper on one of the doors in our house. Visiting children (and naturally our own) would then be asked to decorate a paper ornament, write their name on it and stick it onto the tree.

Miniature Artificial Tree
Each of our children also had a miniature artificial tree which they decorated and usually set up in their bedroom. The real thrill came when they would be allowed to go to sleep with their tree lighted. (Last year, one of our sons festooned his tiny tree with all sorts of fishing tackle.)

Read A Certain Small Shepherd
Until recently, we also read A Certain Small Shepherd by Rebecca Caudill. In this delightful story, a Christmas miracle allows a little boy to speak for the first time.

Acting out the Nativity Story
A favorite tradition we still carry on when the extended family gets together for an evening is that of acting out the nativity story.

Our children and their cousins (now numbering 19 and ranging in age from 20 to four) divide up the various roles, dress accordingly and present the drama to their parents and grandparents. (The youngest child is usually 「Baby Jesus,」 but we have now had to resort to a doll.)

A few years ago, we also added a musical dimension to the evening by having the children who could play an instrument perform a piece of music.

What an opportunity as relatives to encourage all these young musicians!

Cousin Gift Exchange
For many years, the children have also had a 「Cousin Gift Exchange」 on this evening. Each child received the name of one other cousin, purchased a small inexpensive gift, and attached a creative poem to it. Last year, however, we did away with the gift-exchange and instead collected money for World Concern and designated it to be used in purchasing fishing kits and goats for the poor in Somalia.

Read Christmas Mail
Another tradition which we still carry on is that of reading aloud most of our Christmas mail at mealtimes. For our children, this has been a good way of introducing them to our family and friends around the world. It is also a very natural time to pray for some of these special folks.

Christmas Tea for the Neighbors
When we moved five years ago from the farm into a small rural community, we began the yearly tradition of inviting our neighbors over for a Sunday afternoon Christmas tea and open house. When our guests leave, we provide them with the Christmas Digest, a publication put out by Campus Crusade for Christ and we trust God that some of our neighbors will read the pamphlet.

Invite People for Turkey
On Christmas Day my husband and I now have the time to prepare a turkey dinner and often invite those who have no family around to join us.

Samaritan Purse』s Operation Christmas Child
We have also began to support Samaritan Purse』s Operation Christmas Child, an effort to place shoeboxes of gifts into the hands of needy children. Especially encouraging is seeing our older children taking the initiative to fill a box on their own.

Children love things that happen over and over again. Whether large or seemingly insignificant, traditions have a way of creating a family closeness and togetherness.

May God direct us to know which traditions to keep, those we should perhaps establish, and those we should do away with. In all we do, may our goal be to lift up Jesus during the Christmas season.