Christmas
Christmas is the main Christian celebration event and is celebrate as
birth of Jesus and its celebration spreads happiness. The word Christmas
comes from the Greek word Crises messes, or "Christ's Mass."
In 336 A.D. the first celebration of Christmas was held in Rome. In many
parts of the country Christmas is one of the chief event of the year and
is celebrate with great joy and happiness. The day of Christmas is an
important day on the religious calendar. The various govt. like federal
government, all state governments, and all institutes like schools/colleges/universities
and the huge mass of businesses in America give employees one or two days
off at Christmas, in order to make Christmas an important holiday. Although
there are many other federal holidays like: New Year's Day, Martin Luther
King Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor
Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, but Christmas is one of
six sacred feast days in the Roman Catholic calendar, celebrated in America,
the others being: Circumcision (New Year's Day), Ascension, Assumption
(Mary's assumption into heaven, August 15), All Saints (November 1), and
Saturnalia (worship of sun), which means the celebration of Sun and this
festival was known by the name Saturnalia and its beginning was the middle
of December and ending was the January 1st. Visiting friends, arrangement
of large amount of festive meals, masquerades in the streets, celebrated
this festival and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Sterna (lucky
fruits). The Romans decorated their halls with garlands of laurel and
green trees, which look pleasure by the litting candles, and now it is
known as Christmas tree. A very special practice was followed on this
occasion was that the masters become slaves and slaves become their masters.
This practice created equality among one another and made everyone independent
to work and live.
Although the Romans celebrate their festival Jo Saturnalia!" with
a great joy and fun to honor the pagan god but the early Christians wanted
to celebrate the birthday of Christ solemnly simply a religious holiday,
not like the Romans and this resolution was made in 137 AD by the Bishop
of Rome. But when Christianity reached at its peak the Christians started
to celebrate Christmas with joy and happiness. Their was no any criteria
to celebrate the birthday of Christ because no one knows the exact day
and date birth of Christ It has been stated in history that Christ’s
birthday has been celebrated since98 A.D. Eventually another Bishop of
Rome, Julius I, chose December 25th as the ceremony of Christmas in 350
A.D.
Foremost the Church prohibited to celebrate in this manner but there was
no advantage to ban this celebration. At the long run a resolution was
made that the festival will be celebrated in that way that will suit to
the Christian Son of God. If we take a look at the mythology it is asserted
that the "Christmas" celebration was the way of responding of
Christians against the pagan celebrations of December.
The beginning of Gospel Luke starts by telling that story in which it
is discussed that an angel make Mary learn that she is with the child
only with the help of the Holy Spirit. By this story Mary concluded that
she is a virgin and the angel responds, "If God is with us nothing
is here in the world which shall be impossible." After few days thereafter,
Mary and her husband Joseph leave for Joseph’s ancestral home from
their home in Nazareth by traveling about 150 kilometers. Emperor Augustus
ordered for a census in Bethlehem, in order to register. When they reached
at the inns, no room was available their hence they lodge in a stable.
And their Mary gives birth to Jesus. An angel tells the shepherds in the
field "tidings of joy." A heavenly host announced, "Glory
to God in the uppermost, and on earth peace on all who are living.
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