Holly is the most known Christmas greenery, and there are several legends about it, one is that Jesus' crown was made of holly, and the holly berries represented his blood. In North America the centrality of the morning of the 25th of December as the time for the family to open presents has led, with the exception of Catholic and some Lutheran and Episcopal churches, to the virtual end of holding church services on that day, a striking illustration of the way societal customs influence liturgical practices. Learn about the Christmas traditions of Advent calendars and wreaths. PRICE DROP!! Christmas largely remains a Christian holiday and is otherwise not widely observed. Congregations of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria follow the date of December 25 on the Julian calendar, which corresponds to Khiak 29 on the ancient Coptic calendar. The weeklong observance, however, was successively reduced to Christmas day and a single additional holiday on December 26. The Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Celastrales,” exposes the origin of the holly wreath: “European pagans brought holly sprays into their homes, offering them to the fairy people of the forests as refuge from the harsh winter weather. This was one reason why Puritans in Old and New England opposed the celebration of Christmas and in both England and America succeeded in banning its observance. Though the true origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise, today, Christmas has turned out to be one of the most popular festival that fills joy, happiness and love in people's life. The Advent wreath—made of fir branches, with four candles denoting the four Sundays of the Advent season—is of even more recent origin, especially in North America. Professor Emeritus of History and Religion, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. It is believed that the nativity was set on December 25th by a Roman bishop around the third century A.D. Christmas is from Christes Maesse, which means Christ Mass. The celebration of Christmas started in Rome about 336, but it did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century. Moreover, in countries such as Austria and Germany, the connection between the Christian festival and the family holiday is made by identifying the Christ Child as the giver of gifts to the family. It is said that December 17-24th was the period of Saturnalia, a well-known festival in pagan, Rome. Toward the end of the 18th century the practice of giving gifts to family members became well established. In Mexico, on days leading up to Christmas, the search of Mary and Joseph for a place to stay is reenacted, and children try to break a piñata filled with toys and candy. The secular holiday is often devoid of Christian elements, with the mythical figure Santa Claus playing the pivotal role. It derives from the tradition that Jesus was born during the Jewish Festival of Lights that falls on 25th December. In some parts of India the evergreen Christmas tree is replaced by the mango tree or the bamboo tree, and houses are decorated with mango leaves and paper stars. The Renaissance humanist Sebastian Brant recorded, in Das Narrenschiff (1494; The Ship of Fools), the custom of placing branches of fir trees in houses. For example, in Armenia, the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion, the church uses its own calendar; the Armenian Apostolic Church honours January 6 as Christmas. A special service of “lessons and carols” intertwines Christmas carols with Scripture readings narrating salvation history from the Fall in the Garden of Eden to the coming of Christ. Lighting of the U.S. National Christmas Tree, Washington, D.C., 2008. Something else! Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The first commercial calendars were printed in Germany in 1851. As the origin of Christmas has been a debatable issue, various theories has been suggested, supporting the date of 25th December as the birth of Jesus. The Christmas wreath represents everlasting life and God's endless love for us. The church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on December 25 in the 4th century during the reign of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, possibly to weaken pagan traditions. None of the contemporary Christmas customs have their origin in theological or liturgical affirmations, and most are of fairly recent date. In this secular Christmas celebration, a mythical figure named Santa Claus plays the pivotal role. Then, wishing to calculate Jesus' birthday, they followed the ancient idea that Old Testament prophets died either an anniversary of their birth or of their conception. The corresponding terms in other languages—Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, Noël in French—all probably denote nativity. Omissions? A second view suggests that December 25 became the date of Jesus’ birth by a priori reasoning that identified the spring equinox as the date of the creation of the world and the fourth day of creation, when the light was created, as the day of Jesus’ conception (i.e., March 25). … It is an appropriation by early Christians of a day on which the birth of several pagan gods, Osiris, Jupiter, and Plutus, or the ancient deified leader Nimrod, was celebrated. 7. This day was adopted by the church as Christmas to counteract the effects of these festivals. One of the difficulties with this view is that it suggests a nonchalant willingness on the part of the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festival when the early church was so intent on distinguishing itself categorically from pagan beliefs and practices. In particular, during the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus. With the spread of Christianity beyond Europe and North America, the celebration of Christmas was transferred to societies throughout the non-Western world. During the Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival, branches of holly were exchanged as tokens of friendship. The churches of the Oriental Orthodox communion celebrate Christmas variously. In some European countries, St. Nicholas appears on his feast day (December 6) bringing modest gifts of candy and other gifts to children. The festival of Christmas takes place on 25th December, every year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In Ethiopia, where Christianity has had a home ever since the 4th century, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates Christmas on January 7. The Christmas Tree Christmas did not start in Germany, but many of the holiday’s traditions began there, including decorating trees. The practice of giving gifts, which goes back to the 15th century, contributed to the view that Christmas was a secular holiday focused on family and friends. The service, inaugurated by E.W. King Haakon I of Norway rescheduled the date of Yule to coincide with Christian celebrations held at the time. VINTAGE HARD PLASTIC ANGELS SINGING CAROLS CHRISTMAS JAPAN. Annie Spratt on Unsplash. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The morning of December 25, however, has become the time for the exchange of gifts in North America. The tradition of celebrating Christmas as a secular family holiday is splendidly illustrated by a number of English “Christmas” carols such as “Here We Come A-Wassailing” or “Deck the Halls.” It can also be seen in the practice of sending Christmas cards, which began in England in the 19th century. According to tradition, the calendar was created in the 19th century by a Munich housewife who tired of having to answer endlessly when Christmas would come. Yule/Winter Solstice. Most of the churches of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East celebrate Christmas on December 25; at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, however, the Syriac Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January 6 with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Roman Catholic churches celebrate the first Christmas mass at midnight, and Protestant churches have increasingly held Christmas candlelight services late on the evening of December 24. $15.00 ... Vintage Christmas Caroler Noel Japan 10" Dickens Cloth Doll Yule #1. Even though there is some uncertainty about the precise date and origin of the tradition of the Christmas tree, it appears that fir trees decorated with apples were first known in Strasbourg in 1605. These customs include decorating evergreen trees—or, in India, mango or bamboo trees; feasting (picnics and fireworks are popular in warm climates); and exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Eastern Orthodox churches honour Christmas on December 25. Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time" or "Yule season") is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples.Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.. Later departing from its pagan roots, Yule underwent Christianised reformulation, resulting in the term Christmastide. Christmas is celebrated by many Christians on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar. Yule, which is also called Winter Solstice, is the longest night of the year and the time of greatest darkness. The intense preparation for Christmas that is part of the commercialization of the holiday has blurred the traditional liturgical distinction between Advent and the Christmas season, as can be seen by the placement of Christmas trees in sanctuaries well before December 25. While both name and attire—a version of the traditional dress of bishop—of Santa Claus reveal his Christian roots, and his role of querying children about their past behaviour replicates that of St. Nicholas, he is seen as a secular figure. One widespread explanation of the origin of this date is that December 25 was the Christianizing of the dies solis invicti nati (“day of the birth of the unconquered sun”), a popular holiday in the Roman Empire that celebrated the winter solstice as a symbol of the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the heralding of the rebirth of spring and summer. An analogous custom is the Advent calendar, which provides 24 openings, one to be opened each day beginning December 1. In Jesus' case, they reasoned that he died on an anniversary of the Incarnation so the date of his birth would have been nine months after the date of Good Friday-either December 25 or January 6. Vintage Musical Santa Wreath w/Box "Jingle Bells" Holiday Decorations. Various Theories Of The origin of Christmas. Date of Good Friday Gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve in most European countries and on Christmas morning in North America. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. More than one of these; ... Making a wreath. Yule Log - Yule logs were part of ancient winter solstice celebrations, but it was Americans who turned the wood burning into must-see TV. Since the exact date of Jesus' death is not stated in the Gospels, early Christians sought to calculate it, and arrived at either March 25 or April 6. $14.99 + shipping . Benson and adopted at the University of Cambridge, has become widely popular. The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. Various theories of the origin of Christmas exist that give a clear insight into the celebration of Christmas. The New Testament provides no clues in this regard. Rather than the Advent wreath, the Swedes have the Advent candelabrum. U.S. National Christmas Tree, Washington, D.C. Know about Christmas, a Christian religious holiday, “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (or “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas”), Donegall Square, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Learn about the tradition of gift-giving during Christmas, Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. The origin of Christmas differs as the precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. The festival of Christmas has absorbed various customs and traditions of world and 25th December has emerged as the most important day for Christians, irrespective of its roots. The earlier term Yule may have derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl, which referred to the feast of the winter solstice. Christmas is a great summer festival in Brazil, including picnics, fireworks, and other festivities as well as a solemn procession of priests to the church to celebrate midnight mass. Christmas, Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus.The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of fairly recent origin. In most European countries, gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve, December 24, in keeping with the notion that the baby Jesus was born on the night of the 24th. Updates? December 25 was first identified as the date of Jesus’ birth by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 and later became the universally accepted date. In that predominantly Shintō and Buddhist country, the secular aspects of the holiday—Christmas trees and decorations, even the singing of Christmas songs such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “White Christmas”—are widely observed instead of the religious aspects. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Theologically, the feast day reminded Christians of God’s gift of Jesus to humankind even as the coming of the Wise Men, or Magi, to Bethlehem suggested that Christmas was somehow related to giving gifts. In this room, the Christmas tree is paired with a wreath, another decoration that has played a number of roles in ancient European winter holiday traditions. Christmas was traditionally a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, but in the early 20th century, it also became a secular family holiday, observed by Christians and non-Christians alike. For Eastern Orthodox churches that continue to use the Julian calendar for liturgical observances, this date corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar. Fantastic Christmas Recipes from our Ambassadors to make this festive season one to remember! Wrapping gifts. However, for those that continue to use the Julian calendar for their liturgical observances, this date corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar. In 17th- and 18th-century Europe the modest exchange of gifts took place in the early hours of the 25th when the family returned home from the Christmas mass. Some scholars believe the word yule means “revolution” or “wheel,” symbolizing the cyclical return of the sun. The Yule Log was a symbol by which all the men in the family would carry a log large enough to burn for 12 days into the house. For a long time the celebration of Jesus’ birth was observed in conjunction with his baptism, celebrated January 6. According to one origin theory , wreaths were used in the Scandinavian Yule festival, lit on fire, and rolled down a hill as a means of inciting the sun to return. Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout the world, including countries with small Christian populations like India. It is referred that during the 4th century, the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25 was gradually adopted by most Eastern churches. The date of 25th December became popular. The actual observance of the day of Jesus’ birth was long in coming. When the evening of the 24th became the time for the exchange of gifts, the Christmas mass was set into the late afternoon of that day. Since most Eastern Orthodox churches have not accepted either the Gregorian calendar or the Revised Julian Calendar reforms, December 25 will fall on the civil date of January 7 for the years from 1900 to 2099. Japan serves as illustration of a different sort. The festival of Christmas takes place on 25th December, every year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The custom, which began in the 19th century but had roots in the 16th, originally involved a fir wreath with 24 candles (the 24 days before Christmas, starting December 1), but the awkwardness of having so many candles on the wreath reduced the number to four. The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a Christmas tradition in regions of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, and subsequently the Americas.The origin of the folk custom is unclear. 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