CHRISTMAS HISTROY

History of the Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree is a type of decoration used to celebration Christmas each year. It is an evergreen tree that is decorated with lights, ornaments, ribbons, and tinsel around the days prior to and after Christmas and is the centerpiece of most homes during the holiday season. The ancient pagans, Egyptians, and Chinese first used a tree to celebrate the Winter Solstice one December 21st. This tree was a representation of life and replenishment during the coldest months of winter. They hung apples on the tree to represent food.The tree did not become a religious Christian symbol until the 16th century in Western Germany. The Christmas tree was called paradise trees or “paradeisbam” and first brought into the household as a celebration of the yearly “Fest of Adam and Eve” occurring on December 24.The Christmas tree was first introduced to America by German immigrants around the early 1700s. The tradition of the tree did not catch on with the general population until 1850 when more and more families began displaying trees in their household.President Franklin Pierce was the first to have a Christmas tree displayed in the White House. This occurred during the mid 1850′s. Later, President Calvin Coolidge began the tradition of the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in the White house lawn in 1923.Currently, the Christmas tree is a celebrated tradition amongst most Christians and even people of other faiths. It is a popular yearly tradition beginning in December and stays up until the new year.

*****

Every Christmas there are many thousands of people throughout the world who like to sing carols. Whether it be in a service at the church or going round door to door spreading the Christmas cheer, carols bring warmth to all that hear them. They originated in Europe thousands of years ago from the pagan religions who would sing their songs around the sacred day; the winter solstice ? the shortest day of the year (on the 22nd December). These songs were part of a festival where there would be feasts and dancing and merriment; everyone celebrating the coming of a new dawn as the days begin to lengthen once more. When Christianity formed the legacy of the carols lived on and the principle was adopted. However, it wasn?t until the age of enlightenment that the idea really took hold with more recognizable carols being written and sung; the dark ages were not a time of inspiration in the arts! One of the oldest carols still sung today originates from this period; I Saw Three Ships was originally sung by traveling minstrels who then passed the song onto local people.By the Victorian age there were hundreds of carols and songs that were being sung throughout the churches and homes of the country. The carols generally tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ in various forms (not always easy to spot) and are easy to pick up and sing. One thing?s for sure; you know it?s Christmas when the soft sound of children singing begins to float through the air.
****
There are very few people in the world today who do not know what the Christmas holiday is all about. Christmas, as we know it today, is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which happened over 2000 years ago. The word “Christmas” translates to “Mass Of Christ”. However, we can all be sure that the celebration of the Christmas holiday did not start right away. So how did the actual celebration of the Christmas holiday begin?

Believe it or not, many of the traditions that we observe during the Christmas holiday season began way before the birth of Christ. Exchanging gifts, decorating trees, and the burning of the Yule log were all winter traditions that began before Christ was born, but were eventually incorporated into the holiday that became known as Christmas, and became part of Christmas history.

Over 4000 years ago, the Mesopotamians celebrated each new year with a 12-day festival, called Zagmuth. The Mesopotamians, who believed in many gods, held this festival in support of their chief god, Marduk, because they believed that he battled the monsters of chaos at the beginning of each winter. It is from this festival that the 12 days of Christmas is believed to have originated.

The ancient Romans held a celebration each year in honor of their god Saturn. The festival, which they called Saturnalia, began in the middle of December and lasted until the first of January. The Romans decorated their homes with garlands, as well as trees upon which they hung candles. During the festival the citizens of Rome would visit each other’s homes and hold great feasts. One of the theories of how the tradition of the giving of Christmas gifts came about was from the Roman practice of exchanging gifts between family and neighbors during the festival of Saturnalia to promote good luck.
*******
In the Western world, the birthday of Jesus Christ has been celebrated on December 25th since AD 354, replacing an earlier date of January 6th. The Christians had by then appropriated many pagan festivals and traditions of the season, that were practiced in many parts of the Middle East and Europe, as a means of stamping them out.

There were mid-winter festivals in ancient Babylon and Egypt, and Germanic fertility festivals also took place at this time. The birth of the ancient sun-god Attis in Phrygia was celebrated on December 25th, as was the birth of the Persian sun-god, Mithras. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of peace and plenty, that ran from the 17th to 24th of December. Public gathering places were decorated with flowers, gifts and candles were exchanged and the population, slaves and masters alike, celebrated the occasion with great enthusiasm.

In Scandinavia, a period of festivities known as Yule contributed another impetus to celebration, as opposed to spirituality. As Winter ended the growing season, the opportunity of enjoying the Summer's bounty encouraged much feasting and merriment.

The Celtic culture of the British Isles revered all green plants, but particularly mistletoe and holly. These were important symbols of fertility and were used for decorating their homes and altars.

New Christmas customs appeared in the Middle Ages. The most prominent contribution was the carol, which by the 14th century had become associated with the religious observance of the birth of Christ.

In Italy, a tradition developed for re-enacting the birth of Christ and the construction of scenes of the nativity. This is said to have been introduced by Saint Francis as part of his efforts to bring spiritual knowledge to the laity.

Saints Days have also contributed to our Christmas celebrations. A prominent figure in today's Christmas is Saint Nicholas who for centuries has been honored on December 6th. He was one of the forerunners of Santa Claus.

Another popular ritual was the burning of the Yule Log, which is strongly embedded in the pagan worship of vegetation and fire, as well as being associated with magical and spiritual powers.

Celebrating Christmas has been controversial since its inception. Since numerous festivities found their roots in pagan practices, they were greatly frowned upon by conservatives within the Church. The feasting, gift-giving and frequent excesses presented a drastic contrast with the simplicity of the Nativity, and many people throughout the centuries and into the present, condemn such practices as being contrary to the true spirit of Christmas.

The earliest English reference to December 25th as Christmas Day did not come until 1043.

The history and origin of this most popular holiday of the year, Christmas, can be traced to something above 4000 years back in time, and is associated with the early Mesopotamians. It is widely believed that many traditions and ceremonial aspects of Christmas can be found at a time long before Christ was born, the time when the early Mesopotamians lived. The history of Christmas is, therefore, way back in centuries.

The Mesopotamians had a twelve day-long New Year's festival called the Zagmuk, which was celebrated to help their chief god Marduk in his battle against the monsters of chaos. Each year in winter, the Mesopotamian king traditionally visited Marduk's temple and at the end, the custom was to kill the king who would then go with Marduk in the battlefield. However, the real king was spared and a mock king (who was almost always a criminal dressed in royal robes) was slain.

Sacaea was a similar celebration of the Persians and Babylonians where roles were reversed for a day--slaves became masters and masters slaved about as servants.

Much in the same street as Zagmuk and Sacaea, the ancient Greeks had a festival to help their god Kronos in his battle against Zeus and his Titans.

The Scandinavians had a festival called Yuletide which celebrated the return of the sun after a long, lightless, chilly winter. Special feasts were held around big bonfires made with the Yule log.

Romans were no exception either. They had their god Saturn to celebrate. Starting mid-December and ending January 1, the Roman festival Saturnalia, featured boisterous shouts "Jo Saturnalia", elaborate masquerades, exchanging gifts, holding special feasts, decking up halls with laurel wreaths and putting up candles on evergreens. This Saturnalia festival has a close similarity with today's Christmas celebrations and hence the history of Christmas is heavily linked to this ancient Saturnalia. But the Christians refused to honor the pagan Roman god Saturn. The early Christians couldn't come to terms with such a frantic Christmas celebration, and wanted to observe the birthday of their Lord with devout offerings and sincere devotion.

However, as time went on and Christianity spread to every nook and corner of the world, the Church slowly loosened up a little, and came to accept the merry-making during Christmas. Today, Christmas is really incomplete without those decorations of tinsel and streamers, the lights and candles, the piping hot turkey with pies around, the decked halls, the mistletoe on the doorway, the holly, and the stockings over the fireplace, the bells on the Christmas tree and the colorful greetings and gifts.

Now ever wondered why Christmas is celebrated on December 25 ? Is it the day when Jesus Christ was born ? Well, nobody knows for sure exactly when Christ was born. There had been a lot of dispute over fixing December 25 as Christmas. In the 2nd century A.D, Hippolytus claimed this day as Christ's birthday. Then January 6 was declared by the Eastern Church as the day of His birth. Finally, in 350 A.D, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Julius I, fixed December 25 as the official day for Christmas. This date, the day of the winter solstice, was wisely chosen with the intention to outweigh the popular pagan Roman holiday of Saturnalia.

Story Of Christ

Jesus Christ's coming to this world was predicted by the prophets years before His birth. The Old Testament has in it, over 300 such prophecies. And, you'll be truly surprised to know that all of these proved true-from Christ's miraculous birth, His sinless life, His atrocious death to His astounding resurrection. Now, if you want to know the complete story of Christ, read on.

There lived in the village of Nazareth a carpenter called Joseph, who married a young virgin named Mary of the same village. Mary once had a beautiful dream in which an angel came to her and said that she had been chosen to bear the Divine Child, Jesus, the Son of God. But the young couple was forced to leave Nazareth and return to their towns of birth following a whimsical declaration of the emperor there. And so, they set off for Bethlehem.

It was a very long journey spanning several days and nights. Mary, who was bearing Jesus at the time, was carried by a donkey, and Joseph walked beside her. After some days, they reached Bethlehem. Desperately looking for shelter, they were turned down by every potential host. At last, the fatigued couple chanced upon a cave in the hills, with a stable in it. Joseph made a bed of hay for his weary wife. The next night, Mary gave birth to the Son of God and named Him Jesus, as was instructed by the angel in her dream.

The birth of Jesus was marked by the appearance of a bright star over Bethlehem, which could be seen from miles around. In the hilly fields nearby, some shepherds were managing their flocks, when an angel appeared before them and told them that a Savior was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds were also told that they were to find the babe in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. They soon reached the place where Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary. Also, following the shining star in the sky, came the Three Wise Men from the east, who are more popularly known as the Magi. Bowing before the newborn, they offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Him. These gifts had a special symbolic significance. The gold symbolized Kingship- that He would be a King. Frankincense symbolized His Divine nature, and myrrh stood for a life of suffering and sacrifice.

Do you know where the word 'Christmas' sprang from ? Christmas is derived from the words 'Cristes Maesse', meaning Christ's Mass. It is also sometimes referred to as Xmas. This 'X' in the word stands for 'Xristos', and means Christ in Greek. Xristos Mass is shortened to Xmas. However, this shouldn't be looked upon as a move to bump off Christ's name from Christmas. It's simply another way of referring to Christmas. So wish a 'Merry Christmas' to your loved ones and dive into celebrating the holidays !