Why does the West celebrate Christmas more than Easter?

Question

When the latter is more important. This is not so for eastern European where Easter is more fervently celebrated than Christmas.

Answer 1

I like presents more than eggs. I don't get easter off from work. But honestly I don't 'celebrate' either. They're arbitrary dates on the calendar and I don't celebrate arbitrary dates.

Answer 2

Actually, as a Catholic, we celebrate Easter more than Christmas. But Christmas has the secular and of course retail push. It's become a mega-shopping celebration more than anything. Being end of the year only helps that much more to push the retail stores into the black.

But, as Christians, Easter is THE DAY! Christ conquered death and gave us all a way back to God.

Answer 3

In Western Christianity, Holy Week and Easter are a much bigger deal than Christmas. However, in secular society (is that what you mean by "the West"?) Christmas has been co-opted as a the principal nonsectarian holiday, and Easter, not so much.

Answer 4

Neither one has anything to do with Jesus so what does it matter.

A better question would be, "Why does the west Celebrate Christmas and Easter at all given that they are totally pagan celebrations and are in direct violation of Deuteronomy 12 which strictly forbids the use of pagan customs in the worship of the One True God?

To get good answers you have to ask the right questions.

Answer 5

True, you are supposed to Celebrate his death and resurrection, not the birth. I personally put more emphasis on easter more then Christmas. But, I hate calling it Easter. The word easter comes from the word, "ishtar", which is a babylonian goddess in heaven.

You have to understand what Jesus dying on the cross means before you ask why we celebrate it. He died for our sins so we didn't have to do the eternal death. His birth wasn't important. His dying on the cross was.

Answer 6

The early church felt that the best way to convert "pagans" to Christianity was to use their traditional places of worship and festivals, but in a Christian context. Habit would draw them to these places and times, when/where they could "receive the word of God".

The mid-winter festival (Yule) was generally the most important in pre-Christian Europe, so that festival needed to be celebrated by a big event in the Christian story.

Although Christ's death and resurrection is the most important event in Christianity, the Bible clearly places this around Passover, which is in Spring. The season of Christ's birth was not explicitly stated in the Bible, so it was easier to set the anniversary of this significant event at Yule. (The shepherd's would not have been watching their flocks by night at mid-winter, so Christ could not have actually been born then.)

So, the festivities at mid-winter are a pagan carry-over, but it's the spirit behind the celebration of Christmas that really counts, not the date.

Answer 7

Americans are materialistic. Christmas can be that excuse to worship the idols of material greed so many Americans are mad upon. If people really want to do God's will they would show some compassion, decency, and humility ALL year round.

Answer 8

Its very strange to honour a baby but miss out on a conquering powerful king. The Bible says "the day of your death is better than the day of your birth" because by death you have made a name for yourself, good or bad. In Jesus death life came for all.

Answer 9

What society does and what the Church does are two different things.

The Pasch (Easter) is the most important date on the Catholic calendar

Answer 10

Who doesn't celebrate the birth of a baby?

You need to understand why we celebrate the death of a man.