The year is about to end with all the sweet and sour memories that we gather with our family, friends, and relatives throughout the year. Every year we celebrate festivals with ample enthusiasm and joy, cherish those unforgettable moments in the upcoming year, and put faith in celebrating as same in the next. Beginning with Lohri as the year’s first festival, Christmas puts an end to all the sad happenings and allows us to start afresh in the New Year.
Christmas is the last festival we celebrate in India that falls in winters; it is much more than winter vacations. Many of us consider the festival of Christmas as the beginning of the winter vacations or preparatory leaves for exams. But you have a lot to know and, in this blog, we will know why is Christmas on December 25th? The detailed history of 25th December and Christmas, traditions, and facts of Christmas and the origin of the Christmas festival.
What is Christmas?
Christians are the ones who celebrates Christmas all over the World, and the celebration is about the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is a holiday festival, and the term is coined by merging two words- Christ and Mass. Earlier, Christmas was known as Yule, which means the arrival of the Winters Solstice (the time when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point). Also, Christmas is named differently in other countries concerning the language of a particular nation.
Origin of the Christmas
There was a time when Christmas was not celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ. Earlier, people followed the Pagan tradition in which they had a belief that nature is sacred and it brings different stages in our life. Every season, every creature on the planet, and even human beings has spiritual meaning. Rome was the first state to recognize Christmas as a festival and was first celebrated in the church on 25th December in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine, who was the first Christian emperor who got successful in weakening the traditions of Pagan. This was the day when Christmas was first celebrated.
Why we celebrate Christmas?
According to the Pagans (people who believe that nature is sacred and nature is meant to be celebrated), 25th December was when the sun would be at its highest or lowest point. They believed that this was the time when days would get longer and nights shorter, and they could get the time to celebrate the mid-winter solstice. So, they took the day as a festival because they had everything necessary like food and drinks. At this time, they killed the animals for food that had been kept to eat for a long time, and drinks that had been brewing since the season of the harvest will now be ready to drink. If nobody knows when is Jesus’ birthday then, why is Christmas celebrated?
According to some other Christians, Mother Mary said that she would have a very special baby, and the announcement was made on 25th March. Nine months after the date, which is 25th December, it was then celebrated as Christmas. This is how did Christmas start. Still, people have the question that is Christmas the day when Jesus was born? Well, no one has verified the date but the history and stories have marked 25th December as the Christmas festival.
Traditions of the Christmas
The importance of 25th December in Christianity is unexplainable as it is the prominent festival celebrated in India and in all the Christians majority countries. The festival of Christmas has lots of fun and interesting traditions that not are not only enjoyed by the Christians but are also loved by the other religions. But not everyone knows that how is Christmas celebrated. Here, we are listing out some most known, authentic, and significant traditions of Christmas are-
- Setting up a Christmas tree
- Decorating gingerbread houses
- Yard and home decoration
- Hanging mistletoes
- Preparing Christmas cards
- Watching Christmas movies
- Sharing stories
- Exchanging presents
- Making snowman
- Carol singing
- Homemade hot chocolate
Facts of the Christmas
We all have sung this famous carol song called Jingle bells in our childhood days, which is all about Christmas and Santa Claus. Also, the people leave cookies and drink out of their house for Santa to get gifts from him.
Another amazing fact of Christmas is about hanging stockings. There was a man who didn’t have enough money for his three daughter’s dowries. St. Nick dropped a bag of gold down his chimney one night where the girls had hung their washed stockings to dry. And from there, the tradition of hanging stockings was introduced.
Do you know about the most recorded song of Christmas? Silent Night has been declared as one of the highly played and most recorded songs on the Christmas festival.
This was the in-depth information about Christmas that you all need to know. We would love to know you celebrate this festival and what is your favorite carol song?
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year…