Why do we Celebrate Christmas?
Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ's birthday and literally means Christ's Mass. Christmas is celebrated all over the world by many people including non-Christians. While the birth of Jesus Christ is generally unknown, historians believe it to be around 7 and 2 BC. Many people are confused about the exact date of Jesus's birth. Around the time of the 4th century the Western Christian Church had Christmas on December 25.
Father Christmas/Santa Claus is always associated with Christmas, but why and where did he come from? It all started a very long time ago in the 4th century AD in a place called Myria (which is now Turkey). It started with a man called St. Nicolas who was a bishop, his parents died when he was young and left him all of their money therefore making him a rich man. He was known for his kindness and giving out gifts. One day there was a poor man who had three daughters, he wanted to get them married however he did not have enough money to pay for the dowry (a sum of money which is paid the the groom's parents). St. Nicolas dropped a bag of gold down the chimney during the night and it fell into a stocking that was being hung to dry. This is was enough money to get his daughter married and this is why we use stockings for Christmas.There are many different stories about St. Nicolas some true and some false however he was a very extraordinary man with a very big heart. St. Nicolas died on 6 December 343 AD in Myra. Over the years St. Nicolas has been transformed into a jolly, over-weighted man with a white beard who wears a red suit giving out presents.
Christmas is usually celebrated in a spectacular fashion which includes a meal that depending on which country you are in, compromises of; Roast turkey, roast potatoes, mince pies and yule log. There is also gift-giving, caroling and Christmas music.
However many people have forgot the true meaning of Christmas and it has become very commercialized and many people just buy things for each other while forgetting why they are actually celebrating Christmas.
How is Christmas celebrated around the world?
The festive holiday is celebrated in different ways around the world. In South American countries like Argentina, Christmas begins very early in December and houses are decorated with bright lights and white flowers. On Christmas Eve at night, the skies are filled with 'Globos' (similar to Chinese Latterns). Some people spend all night on Christmas Eve chatting to friends and family and spend most of Christmas day sleeping. In Brazil it is normally celebrated in a fashion similar to the UK and USA.
In China since many people aren't Christian, only a small amount of the population celebrate Christmas but the number is increasing every year. Many people give Apples to each other on Christmas Eve and going to midnight mass service is becoming popular. In France a nativity crib is usually used to decorate the house while the main meal of Christmas is Reveillon and is eaten on Christmas Eve/Early Christmas morning after people come back from the midnight mass. Another great tradition in France is that 13 different deserts are eaten!
In the UK and USA it is normally celebrated in the same manner. People decorate their houses with a variety of different lights and some even use statues of Santa Claus and Snowmen to decorate their house. Like a lot of countries Nativity Plays and Carolling services are very common. The traditional meal is usually Turkey with cranberry sauce and Roast potato.
Boxing day is the day after Christmas which is on the 26th of December, it is only celebrated in a number of countries. It is a tradition that started in the UK over 800 years ago during the Middle Ages. On this day the alms boxes and collection boxes that are kept in churches for the poor are opened and distributed among the poor.
We hope this article has helped you learn more about Christmas. We should all remember that this should be a time to be grateful for what we have and spend time with our loved ones. We should also remember to help the less fortunate ones and help the poor.
Merry Christmas to everyone from The Marketing Guy and we hope you have a Happy and prosperous New Year. Remember to subscribe to our Mailing list for all the latest updates, offers, discounts and articles from us.
In China since many people aren't Christian, only a small amount of the population celebrate Christmas but the number is increasing every year. Many people give Apples to each other on Christmas Eve and going to midnight mass service is becoming popular. In France a nativity crib is usually used to decorate the house while the main meal of Christmas is Reveillon and is eaten on Christmas Eve/Early Christmas morning after people come back from the midnight mass. Another great tradition in France is that 13 different deserts are eaten!
In the UK and USA it is normally celebrated in the same manner. People decorate their houses with a variety of different lights and some even use statues of Santa Claus and Snowmen to decorate their house. Like a lot of countries Nativity Plays and Carolling services are very common. The traditional meal is usually Turkey with cranberry sauce and Roast potato.
Boxing day is the day after Christmas which is on the 26th of December, it is only celebrated in a number of countries. It is a tradition that started in the UK over 800 years ago during the Middle Ages. On this day the alms boxes and collection boxes that are kept in churches for the poor are opened and distributed among the poor.
We hope this article has helped you learn more about Christmas. We should all remember that this should be a time to be grateful for what we have and spend time with our loved ones. We should also remember to help the less fortunate ones and help the poor.
Merry Christmas to everyone from The Marketing Guy and we hope you have a Happy and prosperous New Year. Remember to subscribe to our Mailing list for all the latest updates, offers, discounts and articles from us.
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