On Christmas Day falls on December 25, while commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. After this holiday period, Easter is the most important feast of the ecclesiastical year.
The Gospels do not mention dates, and so no one knows for sure when Jesus was born. In fact, Christmas Day was not officially recognized until the 345 AD, when St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory Nacianzeno proclaimed the famous date of December (25th), as an officer of the Nativity. That was when the church decided to absorb more of suppressing existing pagan rites and customs from the early days had been celebrating the winter solstice and the arrival of spring.
The pagan festival most closely associated with the new Christmas was the Roman Saturnalia, 19 December, in honor of Saturn, god of agriculture, which consisted of seven days of unbridled fun and feasts. Simultaneously, a similar winter festival known as Yule was celebrated in northern Europe. This festival was the burning of large branches and trunks decorated with ribbons in honor of the gods, so to make the sun shine strong.
Around the Middle Ages, and once all these elements have been incorporated into the cultural tradition, the church added the birth and Christmas carols Christmas with the Nativity. But it all came to an abrupt end in Britain when, in 1552, the Puritans banned the holiday season altogether. Christmas again to England in 1660 under the reign of Charles II, although all the rituals had disappeared. Would not return until the Victorian era.
Christmas as we know it today was created in the nineteenth century. The famous Christmas tree originally from Germanic areas, which then spread to other parts of Europe and America. The carols were finally fully recovered and the musicians began to create new compositions, although the custom of singing Christmas carols – although of ancient origins – is primarily nineteenth century. Christmas cards do not really exist until the 1870s. The first was printed in London in 1846.
The well known image of Dad Claus, sleigh, reindeer and toy bags comes from the U.S. and is a relatively new one for Christmas. The legend of Father Christmas today is very old and complex; and places the figure of Saint Nicholas as a figure that originated in medieval northern Europe and symbolizes the spirit of Christmas. The tradition is that St. Nicholas Russian carries a pink piglet under his arm.
Christmas is today considered a time of great commercial activity and exchange of gifts, as we meet with our friends and family. In countries with deep rooted Catholic tradition, Christmas is especially celebrated on December 24 (Christmas Eve), where people celebrate with a dinner large family consisting of several dishes, desserts and traditional beverages.
A Christmas Carol – Official Event Featurette
