The History of Christmas
For kids, students, teachers and parents!
Christians all over the world celebrate December 25 as Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. Families usually have their own traditions around the holiday, and they may decorate a Christmas tree, sing Christmas carols, have a big family meal, open gifts, and go to church with the family. Some families include traditions from their ancestors, such as burning a Yule log, kissing under the mistletoe, or burying good luck trinkets in a cake.
The History of Christmas
The name "Christmas" comes from the Old English Christes Maesse, or "Christ's Mass." The story of Christmas is told in the Bible. The Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke tell how Jesus was born in Bethlehem. According to the story, his mother Mary, and her husband Joseph, were traveling and tried to find a room in an inn, but the inn was full. There was only room in the stable where the animals were. The baby Jesus was born there. Angels announced his birth to shepherds outside the town, and a bright star led the three Wise Men to him. But the Gospels do not tell the date of Christ's birth.
According to The New Book of Knowledge Encyclopedia, it is thought that December 25 was chosen because it was around the time of various pagan festivals, such as the Roman Saturnalia. These festivals marked the winter solstice, the time of year when days begin to grow longer in the Northern Hemisphere. The early Christian churches were divided over when to celebrate Christmas. The Western church, based in Rome, chose December 25, while the Eastern church chose January 6. Eventually the holidays merged, and Christmas was celebrated in a 12-day festival that included both days. Today only the Armenian church observes Christmas on January 6. In other churches, this day is known as Epiphany and is said to mark either the visit of the Wise Men or (in Eastern churches) Christ's baptism. Christmas Trees, Gifts and Santa
For many children, gift giving (and getting!) and Santa Claus are the highlights of Christmas. In some countries, gifts are exchanged on New Year's Day or on Epiphany rather than on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
In places all over the world, children's gifts are often brought by a mysterious, magical figure. In the United States, Santa Claus is thought to bring the gifts. Santa is a jolly, fat fellow in a red suit with fur trim. The original Santa Claus is thought to have been Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop in Asia Minor who was famous for his generosity. He be¬came the patron saint of children. The children of Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Nether¬lands still know him as Saint Nicholas. He is called Pere Noel in France, and Father Christmas in Britain.
What about the Christmas tree? In the Middle Ages, a tree called the Paradise Tree — an evergreen hung with apples — was a prop in a play about Adam and Eve. People began to set up similar trees in their homes on December 24, the feast day of Adam and Eve. As the trees became more associated with Christmas, people added candles, cookies and other decora¬tions. The Christmas tree custom was introduced in the United States by German settlers in the 1700s. But they did not become popular until the mid-1800s, when a German prince, Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, married Queen Victoria of England and had a decorated Christmas tree set up in Windsor Castle.
Posadas
Christmas is called Navidad in Mexico. During the week before Christmas Eve (Dec.-24), friends and families get together for a special celebration called Posadas. Each night, everyone forms a parade, carrying candles and little dolls of the baby Jesus.
They sing carols and walk to a neighbor's house. One person pretends to be Joseph and knocks on the door and asks for a room at the inn, but he is told there is only room in the stable. Then everyone is invited inside for food and more carols. Hanukkah
Hanukkah is the eight-day [Festival of Lights celebrated by Jewish people throughout the world. The holiday (which begins on December 26 this year) celebrates a miracle that happened long ago. According to the story, a Syrian King tried to make the Jews give up their religion. A small group of Jews, called the Macabees, were outnumbered but fought so bravely that they were able to fight off the King's huge army. Their temple was ruined and there was only enough oil for one day. But when the priests lit the oil, it burned for all eight days that it took to make new oil. Each year, Jews celebrate that miracle. Each night, a candle is lit on the Menorah and the children get small gifts. Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a holiday that has been celebrated by African-Americans since the 1960s when it was created to help families understand the importance of their heritage. Each day of the seven-day holiday represents a different principle. The name Kwanzaa means "first fruit" in Swahili and many of the traditions come from Swahili harvest celebrations. On each day of the seven-day festival, families get together in the evening and light a black, red, or green candle on the "kinara" and talk about the principle of the day. Many towns hold Kwanzaa celebrations with storytelling and music. Holiday Trivia
• • Did you know the song "Jingle Bells" was actually written as a song to celebrate Thanksgiving, not Christ¬mas? It was written in 1850 by James Pierpont and the original title was "The One Horse Open Sleigh." It was written to honor sleigh races held in Massachusetts.
• Where did Candy Canes come from? After Christmas trees became popular-in Europe, they were decorated with cookies and candies, including straight white sticks of sugar candy. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided to have some of these made with bent ends to represent shepard's crooks. He passed them out to the boys and girls who came to the cathedral, mostly to keep them quiet during services. Later the canes were decorated with sugar roses. Finally, many years later, someone thought to color and twist in red stripes, and to this day these colorful candy treats are a beloved part of the holiday.
• Christmas celebrations were banned ( not allowed) in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Anyone seen celebrating by decorating a tree or singing Christmas carols was fined. This was because the Pilgrims wanted to keep Christmas a religious celebration. • Christmas was declared a federal holiday in 1870. • The first Christmas card was created in 1843 by John C. Horsley, a British artist.
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