Christmas History
Christmas is the most widely celebrated festival world over, and also the most popular festival globally. The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals(parades) with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians. Some customs from those celebrations that have endured include decorating homes with greenery, giving gifts, singing songs, and eating special foods.
Why Christmas is celebrated on December 25 ? Is it the day when Jesus Christ was born ? Well, nobody knows for sure exactly when Christ was born. There had been a lot of dispute over fixing December 25 as Christmas. In the 2nd century A.D, Hippolytus claimed this day as Christ's birthday. Then January 6 was declared by the Eastern Church as the day of His birth. Finally, in 350 A.D, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Julius I, fixed December 25 as the official day for Christmas. This date, the day of the winter solstice, was wisely chosen with the intention to outweigh the popular pagan Roman holiday of Saturnalia.
Xmas time is also the time to commemorate the birth of Christ Child with Nativity and caroling as it is also time for gift-giving, mistletoe and Evergreens, the roses and poinsettia, the cakes, cookies and candies.
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