Everywhere we see richly decorated Christmas trees during the month of december...it would not seem right today if you don't have one at home....but why do we have christmas trees. Christmas celebration is more like Santa Claus, christmas trees, richly decorated houses, gifts, food, family and friends reunion, parties...and more more expenses. What does that got to do with Jesus?
2007-12-10 19:12:16 · 10 answers · asked by (◕‿◕✿) 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Other - Holidays
When I was a child we didn't celebrate Christmas with a Christmas tree in Spain. That was more of an anglosaxon tradition, together with Santa Claus.
We celebrate Christmas with a reproduction with miniature figures of the scene of Christ's birth (a Belen, as we call it). At least includes figures of Christ, Mary, Joseph, the cow, the donkey and the angel. Apart of this you can include as many shepperds, animals, rivers, houses etc as you want. Ah, and the figures ot the three kings with their camels, of course...
We eat turron (a kind of sweet with almonds) and turkey.
Traditions are different in every place. Even Christmas is an attempt to substitute a pagan tradition (a festivity of the winter solstice) by a Christian one. If you take in account that shepperds were sleeping outside (perhaps to relieve themselves from the warm weather), the actual birth maybe happened in summer.
Christmas is a special period, where days begin to be longer than nights. It is the triumph of the light. The beginning of a process, the renewal of cosmic energies. The true meaning of Christmas has to be a very inner and private one. The external simbols are useless if we dont refill ourselves with the energy of love and prepare to share it along the whole next year.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!!
2007-12-10 22:28:55 · answer #1 · answered by Francisco S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some people are really into their religion so maybe I don't know where you live so if there is A LOT of different cultures it might be more appropriate to say Happy Holidays But I live in a medium city and most people are more or less going to celebrate Christmas and most people shouldn't get offended. So just go ahead say Merry Christmas :D :D Spread the Holiday cheer
2016-05-22 23:57:16 · answer #2 · answered by nydia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The reasons certain symbols remind us of Christmas developed throughout history according to where Christians were and how they were being treated. I believe both the timing of Christmas (Christ's actual birth is believed to have been in the spring) and the tree both come from pagan culture. If the Christians used pagan symbols to stand in for the things they wanted to celebrate, then they were less likely to be persecuted.
Of course it is not necessary to have a tree to celebrate Christmas! Haven't you seen Charlie Brown Christmas? It ain't the tree or the lights or the gifts. It's all about them Jesus. Same goes for church and the Bible by extension. My interpretation is that your faith in and personal relationship to Christ is the most important part of Christianity and the rest is just window dressing. This is the reason the Catholic church got upset at the idea of reformation. They made themselves a necessary intermediary between you and Christ because they did not allow you to have your own Bible or any Christian information in a language you could understand. They translated from Latin what they wanted you to know. When reformation came, the role of the church was called into question.
I'm not Christian and I celebrate Christmas because it holds great meaning to me in terms of maintaining tradition within my family. Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house is THE ONLY constant that remains unbroken in my family and that is incredibly profound and meaningful to me. I don't believe that Christ is my savior and nothing about going home for Christmas has to do with baby Jesus for me, but there is a vaguely Christian spirit of goodwill and generosity during Christmas that imbues our family get together with something more meaningful than the simple exchange of brightly wrapped commodities.
Christmas, its meaning, and how it should be observed is something only you can decide for yourself. If you wanna skip the tree, I don't think Jesus minds.
2007-12-10 19:28:50 · answer #3 · answered by badasitseems 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Necessary? Absolutely not. the early church did not celebrate the birth of Christ at all, observing His martyrdom at Easter. Christmas (the Christ Mass) began around the 3rd century A.D., and it was Martin Luther who brought an evergreen tree into the observance to demonstrate the eternity of God.
Most of our modern "christmas" observances owe as much or more to 19th and 20th century marketing (the red clad Santa Claus instead of the green clad Father Winter of Europe, for instance) than they do to actually obersving the birth of Jesus. Many Christians, for this reason, are no longer celebrating Christmas in the ways they did when they were younger.
2007-12-10 19:24:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, but it's necessary to celebrate Christmas in order to appreciate a Christmas tree.
As to your question regarding the connection between the tree and Jesus, well, Jesus will grow up to be a man, and he will be hung upon a tree (the cross) to die for us. Hence, we decorate the tree, because the tree will soon be bare with nothing to decorate it other than the lifeless body of a man whose death and resurrection is the source of hope and life for all of us.
2007-12-10 19:31:01 · answer #5 · answered by SQUALENEBOY 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nothing to do with Jesus. Everything to do with commercialism. People decorate because they enjoy it. It's tradition! The three kings that visited baby Jesus brought gifts so that started the tradition of gift giving. Sometimes Christmas is only in your heart, and being with your loved ones.....and going to the church of your choice.
2007-12-10 19:25:17 · answer #6 · answered by soupkitty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its part of the traditions, evergreens (anything that is green in winter) is suppose to ward off evil (only time ivy should be indoors) if your following the traditions its actually bad luck to bring it in the house before christmas eve.
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/superstitions.asp
2007-12-10 22:03:49 · answer #7 · answered by jalopina98 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course not, but it's festive. I use a wreath sometimes with just a few lights to make things brighter. Just make your own traditions and don't bow to other peoples'.
2007-12-10 19:16:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anna P 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you don't want a tree, just throw some shiny lights over your furniture, same effect.
2007-12-10 19:15:17 · answer #9 · answered by Lord of Chaos 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't believe that a symbol is necessary, it might be more festive or it might have some meaning to the individual but it is hardly necessary.
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2007-12-10 19:20:37 · answer #10 · answered by fitzovich 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋