HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS Christmas or Christmas Day (Old English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning Christs Mass) is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Adventor Nativity Fast and is prolonged by the Octave of Christmas and further by the season of Christmas tide. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the worlds nations, is celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christ kind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period forretailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. While the month and date of Jesus birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East, although some churches celebrate on the December 25 of the olderJulian calendar, which, in the Gregorian calendar, currently corresponds to January 7, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after early Christians believedJesus to have been conceived, or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a further solar connection has been suggested because of a biblical verses i dentifying Jesus as the Sun of righteousness. Etymology Christmas is a compound word originating in the term Christs Mass. It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038 followed by the word Cristes-messe in 1131. Crīst(genitiveCrīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos(Χριστός), a translation of HebrewMāšîaḥ(מָשִׁיחַ), Messiah, meaning anointed; andmæsseis from Latinmissa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form Christenmas was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal; it derives from Middle English Cristenmasse, literally Christian mass. Xmas is an abbreviation of Christmas found particularly in print, based on the initial letterchi (Χ) in GreekKhrīstos (Χριστός), Christ, though numerous style guides discourage its use; it has precedent in Middle EnglishΧρ̄es masse (where Χρ̄ is an abbreviation for Χριστός). Other names In addition to Christmas, the holiday has been known by various other names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as midwinter or, more rarely, as Nātiuiteð (fromLatinnātīvitāsbelow). Nativity, meaning birth, is from Latinnātīvitās. In Old English, Gēola (Yule) referred to the period corresponding to January and December, which was eventually equated with Christian Christmas. Noel (orNowell) entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old Frenchnoëlornaël, itself ultimately from the Latinnātālis (diēs), (day) of birth. Nativity of Jesus. Nativity Main articles: Annunciation, Nativity of Jesus and Child Jesus Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst depicts the nativity ofJesus Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary as a fulfillment of the Old TestamentChristmasorChristmas Day (Old English:Crīstesmæsse, meaning ChristsMass) is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December as a religious and cultural celebration amons Messianic prophecy. The Bible contains two accounts which describe the events surrounding Jesus birth. Depending on ones perspective, these accounts either differ from each other or tell two versions of the same story. These biblical accounts are found in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18, and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26 and 2:40. According to these accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem. (Wikipedia) If youve found this article to be useful, comment with glory to God!
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 12:33:37 +0000
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