I dont get what Christmas is for? I dont understand its importance. Also, what is the importance of lighting up your house and your lawn and having a tree.
2006-12-16 11:42:48 · 12 answers · asked by irock123 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Other - Holidays
Many people are under the assumption that Christmas has it's origins in Christianity. However...
Roman officials decided on December 25th as the date for Christmas because they were trying to convert their heavily Pagan nation to the religion. The Pagan's Mid-Winter festival, Saturnalia, was held at this time of the year. In order to lure them over, many holidays that are now associated with Christianity were decided by the dates of corresponding Pagan holidays and festivals.
Christmas was more like Mardi Gras than the holiday we know today up until as late as the late 19th century. Yes, that's right, Mardi Gras! In England, during the 17th century, Protestants had taken over the country. Being very religiously strict they actually outlawed Christmas for it's vulgarity. Of course the people wanted their celebration so they in turn reinstated the Monarchy.
In the United States, after the Revolutionary War, anything English as shunned. Therefore Christmas was reinvented. It was decided the holiday would be about family and togetherness rather than raucous partying.
The Christmas tree also has it's roots in Pagan culture. Evidence of "Christmas" trees date back as far as Egypt. Santa Claus in his modern form was also only recently invented. In the 1940's he was revamped as the jolly old man we all know. Actually this was done by advertising agencies and stores of the time in order to help sell merchandise. Before that, Santa was more in line with the partying ideology of the Pagan Christmas. In fact, Santa's image evolved from a Pagan gnome like creature. Very much unlike what we know today.
2006-12-16 13:07:53 · answer #1 · answered by Shuggaloaf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What is Christmas?
The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or "Christ's Mass." Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion. Most historians peg the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 A.D.
Christmas tree
This is a German tradition, started as early as 700 A.D. In the 1800s the tradition of a Christmas tree was widespread in Germany, then moved to England and then to America through Pennsylvanian German immigrants.
Why do you decorate it?
In Victorian times, people started decorating trees with candies and cakes hung with ribbon. In 1880, Woolworths first sold manufactured Christmas tree ornaments, and they caught on very quickly. Martin Luther, in the 16th century, is credited as being the first person to put candles on a tree, and the first electrically lighted Christmas tree appeared in 1882. Calvin Coolidge in 1923 ceremoniously lit the first outdoor tree at the White House, starting that long tradition.
2006-12-16 21:30:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christmas is an ancient pagan traidition practiced in Greece many centuries ago. It was a winter festival where men would drink wine, have sex and give each other gifts. The "Christmas Tree" was a symbol for nature, not Jesus. When the Puritans first came to America, a major reason they did so was to escape the ridiculous debauchery and sin associated with Christmas. Unfortunately, it had far too strong of a hold on the minds of the people and it came with them, so instead they changed the meaning into a more church friendly celebration. Don't believe the hype. Christ DOES NOT belong in Christmas. Anyone who says differently is selling something. Probably their own twisted religion.
2006-12-16 19:53:24 · answer #3 · answered by BrainPhoodDood 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Romans held a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun." The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-274); and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin.[11] Emperor Elagabalus (218-222) introduced the festival, and it reached the height of its popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an empire-wide holiday.[12]
December 25 was also considered to be the date of the winter solstice, which the Romans called bruma.[8] It was therefore the day the Sun proved itself to be "unconquered" despite the shortening of daylight hours. (When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar in 45 BC, December 25 was approximately the date of the solstice. In modern times, the solstice falls on December 21 or 22.) The Sol Invictus festival has a "strong claim on the responsibility" for the date of Christmas, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.[3] Several early Christian writers connected the rebirth of the sun to the birth of Jesus.[13] "O, how wonderfully acted Providence that on that day on which that Sun was born . . . Christ should be born," Cyprian wrote.[3]
2006-12-16 21:29:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christmas was intended to be a celebration of the birth of a savior to make Christianity hold together. Since that time Christmas has become a money making, stress causing, awful time of year. The lights are from the past to show that people were indeed celebrating the holy day, showing the light to the holy spirit.
2006-12-16 19:54:00 · answer #5 · answered by ambi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Of course, few people recognize it as such because Christmas has been transformed into a corporate monster, but I shouldn't really be saying anything because I bake gingerbread cookies, listen to the Jackson 5 Christmas album and go Christmas shopping whenever I can...
2006-12-16 19:47:47 · answer #6 · answered by mister_snig 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
christmas iz a time for people to be together and get along ,for everyone to be nice 2 each other and put thier diffrences to a side,and gettin awsome presnts(im getting a PSPâ¢for christmas)and the lighting our houses is just showing our christmas spirit ,duss dis answer ur question?
2006-12-16 19:48:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I demand that you watch Charlie Brown Christmas and You will definitely find out what Christmas is all about.
2006-12-16 19:48:00 · answer #8 · answered by Good Grief 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christmas is God's miracle unfolding before our eyes. Without this wonderful even of God becoming man we would be dead in our sins. But because of this event and those to follow we have life everlasting. I would love to tell you more if you are interested.
gtahvfaith@hotmail.com
2006-12-16 19:46:05 · answer #9 · answered by gtahvfaith 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Christmas is about Jesus (Christ) when he was born and they call it christmas because it is CHRISTmas
2006-12-16 19:51:29 · answer #10 · answered by Kally 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋