The History Of Christmas Essay, Research Paper
The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, an early English phrase that means Mass of Christ.The word Xmas is sometimes used alternatively of Christmas. This tradition began in the early Christian church. In Greek, X is the first missive of Christ & # 8217 ; s name. It was often used as a holy symbol.
Christmas is a Christian vacation that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. No 1 knows the exact day of the month of Christ & # 8217 ; s birth, but most Christians observe Christmas on December 25. On this twenty-four hours, many go to church, where they take portion in particular spiritual services. During the Christmas season, they besides exchange gifts and adorn their places with holly, mistletoe, and Christmas trees
The narrative of Christmas comes chiefly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New Testament. Harmonizing to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus & # 8217 ; birth. Matthew tells how the wise work forces, called Magi, followed a bright star that led them to Jesus.
The first reference of December 25 as the birth day of the month of Jesus occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar. The jubilation of this twenty-four hours as Jesus & # 8217 ; birth day of the month was likely influenced by heathen ( unchristian ) festivals held at that clip. The ancient Romans held year-end jubilations to honour Saturn, their harvest God ; and Mithras, the God of visible radiation. Assorted peoples in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to observe the terminal of the crop season. As portion of all these jubilations, the people prepared particular nutrients, decorated their places with verdure, and joined in vocalizing and gift giving. These imposts bit by bit became portion of the Christmas jubilation.
In the late 300 & # 8217 ; s, Christianity became
the official faith of the Roman Empire. By 1100, Christmas had become the most of import spiritual festival in Europe, and Saint Nicholas was a symbol of gift giving in many European states. During the 1400’s and 1500’s, many creative persons painted scenes of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus. An illustration of these plants appears in the Jesus Christ article in the print version of The World Book Encyclopedia.
The popularity of Christmas grew until the Reformation, a spiritual motion of the 1500 & # 8217 ; s. This motion gave birth to Protestantism. During the Reformation, many Christians began to see Christmas a heathen jubilation because it included nonreligious imposts. During the 1600 & # 8217 ; s, because of these feelings, Christmas was outlawed in England and in parts of the English settlements in America. The old imposts of banqueting and decorating, nevertheless, shortly reappeared and blended with the more Christian facets of the jubilation.
In the 1800 & # 8217 ; s, two more Christmas imposts became popular & # 8211 ; adorning Christmas trees and directing Christmas cards to relations and friends. Many well-known Christmas carols, including & # 8220 ; Silent Night & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, & # 8221 ; were composed during this period. In the United States and other states, Santa Claus replaced Saint Nicholas as the symbol of gift giving.
The jubilation of Christmas became progressively of import to many sorts of concerns during the 1900 & # 8217 ; s. Today, companies manufacture Christmas decorations, visible radiations, and other ornaments throughout the twelvemonth. Other houses grow Christmas trees, holly, and mistletoe. Many shops and other concerns hire excess workers during the Christmas season to manage the addition in gross revenues.
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A short essay of the history of Christmas
