The History of Christmas with Frank
I want to acknowledge the time and effort Frank has put into preparing blogs on different festivals and cultures for Inspire Me this year. I really appreciate his knowledge and willingness to share it…
Here’s a little history on Christmas from Frank...
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christ is an epithet of Jesus and is a Greek word Χριστός (Khrīstos) meaning “anointed”, a translation of the the Hebrew word Māšîaḥ, also meaning “anointed”.
It is a religious and cultural festival celebrated by billions of people around the world.
• In western countries it is celebrated on 25th December according to the Gregorian Calendar.
• Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on 25th December according to the Julian Calendar, which currently corresponds to our 7th January.
• Some denominations celebrate Christmas on other dates. There is no mention of the date of Christmas until the end of the 4th century CE. This is, no doubt, due to the persecution of the early Church by Greek and Roman rulers.
Christmas customs include Christian, pre-Christian and secular elements. Popular Christmas traditions include attending church services; Christmas music and carolling; Nativity plays; a special meal; giving of gifts; Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe and holly; Christmas cards; Advent calendars; and making of Advent wreaths.
Additionally, there are several related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Christkind, who bring gifts to children during the Christmas season. Each of them have their own traditions and lore.
Christmas has proved to be a tremendously popular festival, even among non-Christians. Secular elements of Christmas, such as the giving of gifts and Santa Claus, have spread to countries, where the majority of people are not Christian, such as Japan.
Christmas is marked by the goodwill, kindness and generosity, which people show towards each other. The lesson that we all, Christians and non-Christians alike, need to learn from this is that Christmas may be a time, at which we reflect upon the goodwill, kindness and generosity that we show to others, but we need to cultivate these qualities all year round.
Namaste
Frank
