its origin,customs and practices?
2006-12-12 08:55:57 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas combines Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus with various secular traditions and customs, many of which were influenced by ancient winter festivals such as Yule[1] and Saturnalia. Christmas traditions include Nativity scenes and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, giving, compassion, and quality family time.
2006-12-12 08:59:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Better questions:
How many more times will this question be asked between now and Christmas?
Why don't you Google it or look it up on Wikipedia?
Seriously, people, I've answered this same question too many times to count, and it's really getting old. Use the SEARCH function!
And it's not as though you're likely to get an accurate answer on here, anyway. The only answers Y!A will give you are biased to one side or the other. Christians will tell you it started with the birth of Jesus, pagans will tell you it started with the feast of Saturnalia or Yule, and atheists will tell you its all a lie.
Since no one living today was really there, no one really knows. All we have is speculation, and you can research that for yourself as easily as I could sit here and copy and paste it for you.
2006-12-12 17:12:42 · answer #2 · answered by whtknt 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The tree, exchanging gifts, the yule log, carolling is all part of the Pagan tradition of the season (around a lot longer than Christianity) celebrating Saturnalia.
2006-12-12 17:03:41 · answer #3 · answered by Terri 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The original christmas was the night or day when Jesus was born.
2006-12-12 16:58:35 · answer #4 · answered by A follower of Christ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
christmas was originally called yule, and is a Pagan festival. when christianity came they took it over in a vein attempt to stop paganism by proclaiming jesus was born dec. 25...when in fact, he was'nt. though pagans still celebrate yule....the suns birthday...now can you see the connection....how convenient. Easter or eostre, named after the saxon goddess of spring is yet another pagan festival christianity has attempted to dominate, though pagans still celebrate it to this day. will leave it with you.
2006-12-12 17:27:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Christmas is NOT a celebration based on the Bible. The date of the celebration:
M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia says: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N[ew] T[estament] origin. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N[ew] T[estament], or, indeed, from any other source.”—(New York, 1871), Vol. II, p. 276.
Luke 2:8-11 shows that shepherds were in the fields at night at the time of Jesus’ birth. The book Daily Life in the Time of Jesus states: “The flocks . . . passed the winter under cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that the shepherds were in the fields.”—(New York, 1962), Henri Daniel-Rops, p. 228.
The Encyclopedia Americana informs us: “The reason for establishing December 25 as Christmas is somewhat obscure, but it is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the ‘rebirth of the sun.’ . . . The Roman Saturnalia (a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the renewed power of the sun), also took place at this time, and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration.”—(1977), Vol. 6, p. 666.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges: “The date of Christ’s birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month . . . According to the hypothesis suggested by H. Usener . . . and accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun). On December 25, 274, Aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and dedicated a temple to him in the Campus Martius. Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome.”—(1967), Vol. III, p. 656.
Gift giving as part of the celebration; stories about Santa Claus, Father Christmas, etc.
The practice of Christmas gift giving is not based on what was done by the Magi. They did not arrive at the time of Jesus’ birth. Furthermore, they gave gifts, not to one another, but to the child Jesus, in accord with what was then customary when visiting notable persons.
The Encyclopedia Americana states: “During the Saturnalia . . . feasting prevailed, and gifts were exchanged.” (1977, Vol. 24, p. 299) In many instances that represents the spirit of Christmas giving—an exchanging of gifts. The spirit reflected in such gift giving does not bring real happiness, because it violates Christian principles such as those found at Matthew 6:3, 4 and 2 Corinthians 9:7. Surely a Christian can give gifts to others as an expression of love at other times during the year, doing so as often as he wants to.
Depending on where they live, children are told that gifts are brought by Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Père Noël, Knecht Ruprecht, the Magi, the elf Jultomten (or Julenissen), or a witch known as La Befana. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 1984, Vol. 3, p. 414) Of course, none of these stories are actually true. Does the telling of such stories build in children a respect for truth, and does such a practice honor Jesus Christ, who taught that God must be worshiped with truth?—John 4:23, 24.
As many encyclopedias clearly state, Jesus’ birthday was arbitrarily set as December 25 to coincide with a Roman pagan festival.
“The date of Christ’s birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III, page 656. “Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church. . . . The Saturnalia in Rome provided the model for most of the merry customs of the Christmas time.”—Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics (Edinburgh, 1910), edited by James Hastings, Volume III, pages 608-9.
“Christmas has been celebrated on December 25 in all Christian churches since the fourth century. At that time, this was the date of the pagan winter-solstice festival called the ‘Birth (Latin, natale) of the Sun,’ since the sun appeared to be reborn as the days once again became longer. In Rome, the Church adopted this extremely popular custom . . . by giving it a new meaning.”—Encyclopædia Universalis, 1968, (French) Volume 19, page 1375.
“The development of the Christmas festival was influenced by the contrast with the pagan celebrations of the Sol Invictus (Mithra). On the other hand, December 25, being the day of the winter solstice, was identified with the light that broke forth into the world through Christ, and the symbolism of the Sol Invictus was thus transferred to Christ.”—Brockhaus Enzyklopädie, (German) Volume 20, page 125.
2006-12-12 17:24:51 · answer #6 · answered by Jeremy Callahan 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Weve done this for the last three days....originally Pagan and now Christian for TWO THOUSAND YEARS Ok??
2006-12-12 17:00:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Jesus is the truth, the way and the life!
"Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One"
(Shema Yisrael Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad)
2006-12-12 17:00:36 · answer #8 · answered by St. Mike 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
How about the Truth of Christmas?
Go to this link.......
http://www.yahweh.com/booklets/Xmas/Xmas.htm
study.
2006-12-12 18:07:42 · answer #9 · answered by YUHATEME 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Christ's Mass was to honor Jesus
2006-12-12 16:58:03 · answer #10 · answered by ♫O Praise Him♫ 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋