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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Once again Christmas is around the corner. Christmas decorations, Christmas cards, Santa Claus and last minute gift shopping; they are all part of one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year. Although Christmas is the most significant Christian holiday, it is not only Christians who celebrate during the season. For many adults no other word evokes childhood memories like the word Christmas does. The official Christmas season, popularly known as either Yuletide, Christmastide or the Twelve Days of Christmas, extends from the anniversary of Christ's birth on December 25 to the feast of Epiphany on January 6. Most members of the Roman Catholic Church and followers of Protestantism celebrate this annual holiday, commemorating the birth of Jesus on December 25. Many start the celebrations on December 24. Christmas is based on the birth of Jesus as described in the Gospels. Roman Catholics celebrated Christmas, then known as the Feast of the Nativity as early as 336 AD. The word Christmas entered the English language sometime around 1050 as the Old English phrase, Christes masse, meaning 'festival of Christ'. Scholars believe the frequently used shortened forms of Christmas-X mas - may have come into use in the 13th century. The X stands for the Greek letter chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ) and is also believed to represent the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Origins of Christmas Historians are unsure exactly when Christians first began celebrating the Nativity of Christ on December 25. However, most scholars believe that Christmas originated in the 4th century as a Christian substitute for pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Before the introduction of Christmas, each year beginning on December 17, Romans honoured Saturn, the ancient god of agriculture, in a festival called Saturnalia. This festival lasted for seven days and included the winter solstice, which usually occurred around December 25 on the ancient Julian calendar. During Saturnalia the Romans feasted, postponed all business and warfare, exchanged gifts and temporarily freed their slaves. Many Romans also celebrated the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice by participating in rituals to glorify Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light. These and other winter festivities continued through January 1, the festival of Kalends, when Romans marked the day of the new moon and the first day of the month and year. Although the Gospels describe Jesus' birth, nothing is mentioned about the date, so historians do not know on what date he was actually born. The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the feast of the Nativity in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals. Religious practices and popular customs The Bible provides no guidelines that explain how Christmas should be observed, nor does it even suggest that it should be considered a religious holiday. Because of the lack of biblical instructions, Christmas rituals have been shaped by the religious and popular traditions of each culture that celebrates the holiday. Traditionally, the sacred Christmas season starts with Advent, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues up to Christmas Day. The sacred season ends on Epiphany, January 6. During Advent, Christians make preparations for the commemoration of Jesus' birth on December 25 and also look forward to the Second Coming of Christ. Each of the four weeks symbolises a different way in which believers perceive Christ: through the flesh, the Holy Spirit, Death and Christ's Judgment of the Dead. The Advent Wreath, which consists of four candles anchored in a circle of evergreen branches, originated with German Lutherans; the tradition has been adopted by many churches and families. At the beginning of each of the four weeks preceding Christmas, Christians light an Advent candle as they say a prayer. On Christmas Eve, churches around the world hold services on December 25 or at midnight on December 24. Midnight mass was first introduced by the Roman Catholic Church in the 5th century. Christmas masses are sometimes solemn and sometimes buoyant, depending on the particular culture that conducts them. Among some congregations, worshippers enter the church in communal processions. Church services often feature candlelight and organ music. Some also include a dramatisation of the biblical story of Jesus' birth, a practice begun by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. Christmas observances have also assimilated remnants of ancient midwinter rituals that celebrate the returning light of the sun following the winter solstice. For example, many cultures continue the pre-Christian custom of burning Yule logs during the midwinter season; the Yule log symbolises the victory of light over the darkness of winter. The tradition of lighting the Yule log is still observed, especially by Europeans. According to ancient traditions, the ashes provide protection against bad luck during the year. Christians traditionally exchange gifts as a reminder of God's gift of a saviour to humankind.Gift giving also recalls an ancient Roman custom of exchanging gifts to bring good fortune for the New Year. In most cultures that celebrate Christmas, a mythical figure delivers gifts to children. As cultures adapted to Christianity, the gift givers often required that children behave well in order to receive their treats. This good behaviour usually entailed obedience to parents and recitation of verses from the Bible. Since the 19th century, Santa Claus and other mythical gift givers have become increasingly gentle, generous and forgiving.
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| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
We all know how baby Jesus was born in a manger in the Holy City of
Bethlehem long, long ago. Let's see how celebrations around this event
evolved over the years...
