Everything you need to know about the last major festival of the year
Why is Christmas celebrated?
Christmas is an annual Christian festival celebrated on December 25. It is celebrated to honour the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the time of the year when Christians as well as believers of other faiths, decorate their homes with Christmas trees, build creative cribs, prepare sweets and share gifts with family and neighbours. People come together and sing Christmas carols and greet one another a 'Merry Christmas'.
Christmas is celebrated differently in different places around the world. Some parts of the world celebrate the festival in a quiet, solemn manner while other places have big celebrations with carnivals and festivities.
Where does the word 'Christmas' come from?
The word 'Christmas' comes with a combination of two words, 'Christ' and 'mass' from the old English words, 'Cristes maesse'. Christmas was also known as Yule. In Spanish, the festival is referred to as Navidad, in Italian it is better known as Natale and the French refer to it as Noel; all these words are related to the nativity or the birth of Jesus Christ.
Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?
The exact date of Jesus' birth is not specified in the Bible. There are disagreements among scholars as to when exactly Jesus was born, but most believe it was between 6 and 4BC. The first recorded date when Christmas was celebrated December 25, 336, during the time of the Roman emperor Constantine, who was the first Roman emperor. It is believed that December 25 was chosen as it is exactly nine months after Jesus was immaculately conceived on March 25. Christmas was also celebrated by the early church on January 6, which is celebrated as the Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus or Three Kings Day. January 6 is still referred to as Old Christmas.
What is a Christmas crib?
The Christmas crib, also called the nativity scene, shows baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. Building a crib is a tradition that was started in 1223 by St Francis of Assisi at Greccio in central Italy. He created a live manger scene that was enacted by real humans and animals. It showed Jesus Christ born in a hay-filled stable surrounded by animals and shepherds as described in the Bible. The nativity scene also shows the three Kings- Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar- with their camels following a star, which points to the north. They passed through fields and mountains to pay their respects to baby Jesus.
Crib building is now a common Christmas activity and cribs are displayed in churches, homes, shopping malls and on streets during Christmas.
What is midnight mass?
The Christmas mass service was the only service that was allowed to take place after sunset and is held on midnight of December 24. The Christmas midnight mass dates back to the early church; it was believed that Jesus was born at midnight, although there is no proof of this. It is also believed that the midnight mass tradition started in the western world in 430AD in Rome, Italy, and it became widely popular by the 12th century.
What are the symbols that we often see on Christmas trees?
Have you ever wondered why people hang things around an evergreen Christmas tree? Most of these decorations Have a special meaning. In the 16th century, Germans decorated their trees, which they called paradise trees, with real apples, nuts and berries. Some of the other decorations that go up on a Christmas tree include:
Stars: The Christmas star, which is placed right on the top of the tree, symbolises the star of Bethlehem. According to legend, a star guided the three kings or wise men to the stable where Jesus was born. The star also symbolises shining hope for humanity.
Gifts with bows: The three wise men who brought gifts to honour the birth of Jesus inspired the concept of exchanging gifts on Christmas. The ribbons tied around the gifts represent how people should be bonded together in unity.
Candy canes: The Christmas candy cane is originally a concept from Germany and it dates back to some two and a half centuries ago. Candy canes represent the shape of a shepherd's crook and are supposed to remind children of the shepherds that came to visit baby Jesus. Jesus himself was also referred to as the Good Shepherd. The candy cane is red and white in colour, where red represents blood and white represents Jesus' purity.
Lights and candles: The lights around the tree and the candles lit near it bring warmth and brightness to the season. Candles are lit on the eve of Christmas. They represent the light of the star that appeared at the birth of Jesus. Candles were also used as decorations on Christmas trees before electric lights were invented.
Bells: Bells are rung on Christmas Eve to proclaim the birth of Jesus and to announce the arrival of the Christmas season. On the eve of Christmas, church bells are rung while choirs sing hymns to proclaim the birth of Jesus.
Red and green colour: For hundreds of years, red and green have been used as the traditional Christmas colours. The colour red represents the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross and the colour green signifies light and life. It also represents the evergreen trees that remained green right through the winter when Jesus was born.
