Christmas is the biggest festival in all over the world. People of all countries irrespective of their religion celebrate the Christmas with fun and party. Christmas is considered as the birthday of Jesus Christ whose life, influenced the mankind most. His life changed the way people live and think. Christmas has become a phenomenon for more than two millennia, seen as both a commercial, religious and cultural event. And this religious celebration has been commonly observed on the 25th day of December by billions of people around the world. Millions of people sacrificed their life to promote his principles, parents taught their children the values of his principle and introduced Jesus Christ as their family members who has sacrificed himself to save them. People even consider the time as his year (AD).
Though the exact date is not mentioned in the bible by either Matthew or Luke, billions of Christians around the globe celebrate Christmas on 25th December every year. The celebration has become such a phenomenon that the whole of December turns into a celebratory mood two to three weeks before the specific day. Some of the Christmas customs include decorating Christmas trees, holding feasts, exchanging gifts, families and friends coming together, singing of corals, church processions, and others believe in Santa’s visit. This day was declared a federal holiday in 1870 in the United States. However, to better understand the significance and history of this day, we have to look into the aspects surrounding this auspicious day in details.
The traditional narrative behind Christmas revolves around the birth of Jesus. In fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies, as demarcated in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, Jesus was born in a town called Bethlehem. Joseph (The earthly father of Jesus) and Mary (the virgin mother) arrived in Bethlehem in the evening and found that the inn had no available rooms. This led to the young family staying at a stable where Jesus was soon born. Baby Jesus was born in a manger, and the angels celebrated by proclaiming the good news to the shepherds, who also circulated the message further. Though the bible does not specify the exact date of the birth of Jesus, the western Christian church chose 25th December in the early- to – mid fourth century. This was later to be adopted by the Eastern Church and the date has remained so until today.
December 25th is the day the Romans marked as the darkest day of the year, known as the winter solstice. It is the shortest and darkest day of the year. This date is nine months after the birth of Jesus was announced. And because the days that follow the winter solstice are brighter and loner; this date of December 25th was easily chosen in reference to the fact that Jesus is linked to the sun based on the book of Malachi in the Old Testament. Isaac Newton stated in the 17th century that the date of Christmas was chosen to correspond with the solstice.
Christmas Tree: There are many Christmas traditions but the most common tradition which has been passed on since centuries is the decoration of Christmas tree. Trees have been worshiped by many civilizations since ancient days and today Christmas is synonymous with Christmas tree. But the modern Christmas tree we see may be born in the 8th Century when St. Boniface converted the Germanic Tribes who worshiped Oak trees.
Mistletoe: Another common tradition is the use of mistletoes. The Druids believed mistletoes came from heaven and grew in the boughs of a tree on earth. It represented the combining of the Heaven and Earth. One of the modern uses of mistletoe is by kissing under it, which symbolizes reconciliation and acceptance.
Exchanging of Presents – The Catholic Church covered the gift-giving custom of Saint Nicholas cult with a Christian veneer.
