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. An example of these
works appears in the Jesus Christ article in the print version of The World
Book Encyclopedia.
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
Christmas Customs
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.
