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Modern
customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the
display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree, lights,
mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus, also referred to as
Father Christmas, is a popular mythological figure often associated with
bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of
a syncretization between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic
and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have
originated in 19th century media.
Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also
celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The
holiday is widely celebrated around the world, including in the United
States, where it is celebrated by 96% of the population.
Christian origins
It is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became associated with
Christ's birth. The New Testament does not give a specific date. Sextus
Julius Africanus popularized the idea that Christ was born on December 25 in
his Chronographiai, a reference book for Christians written in AD 221. This
date is nine months after the traditional date of the Incarnation (March
25), now celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation. March 25 was
considered to be the date of the vernal equinox and early Christians
believed this was also the date Christ was crucified. The Christian idea
that Christ was conceived on the same date that he died on the cross is
consistent with a Jewish belief that a prophet lived an integral number of
years.
The celebration of Christmas as a feast did not arise for some time after
Chronographai was published. Tertullian does not mention it as a major feast
day in the Church of Roman Africa. In 245, the theologian Origen of
Alexandria denounced the idea of celebrating Christ's birthday "as if he
were a king pharaoh". He contended that only sinners, not saints, celebrated
their birthdays.
The earliest reference to the celebration of the nativity on December 25 is
found in the Chronography of 354, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome
in 354. In the East, early Christians celebrated the birth of Christ as part
of Epiphany (January 6), although this festival focused on the baptism of
Jesus.
Christmas was promoted in the Christian East as part of the revival of
Catholicism following the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the
Battle of Adrianople in 378. The feast was introduced to Constantinople in
379, and to Antioch in about 380. The feast disappeared after Gregory of
Nazianzus resigned as bishop in 381, although it was reintroduced by John
Chrysostom in about 400.
The Twelve Days of Christmas are the twelve days from the day after
Christmas Day, December 26, which is St. Stephen's Day, to the Feast of
Epiphany on January 6 that encompass the major feasts surrounding the birth
of Christ. In the Latin Rite, one week after Christmas Day, January 1, has
traditionally been the celebration the Feast of the Naming and Circumcision
of Christ, but since Vatican II, this feast has been celebrated as the
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
In some traditions the 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas Day (25
December) and the 12th day is therefore 5 January.
Christmas tree and other decorations
The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of pagan
tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use
of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship. The English
language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835 and represents an
importation from the German language. The modern Christmas tree tradition is
believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century though many argue that
Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16th century. From Germany the
custom was introduced to England, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George
III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of Queen
Victoria. Around the same time, German immigrants introduced the custom into
the United States. Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and
ornaments.
Since the 19th century, the poinsettia has been associated with Christmas.
Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and
Christmas cactus. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be
decorated with these plants, along with garlands and evergreen foliage.
In Australia, North and South America, and to a lesser extent Europe, it is
traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with
illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Municipalities
often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners may be hung from street
lights and Christmas trees placed in the town square.
Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night, the
evening of January 5.
- wikipedia
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