Christmas
theFeastofChristmas
Itisnoteasytopin-pointtheoriginsoftheChristmasfeast,todaythemoreimportantfeastoftheChristmasseasoninmostwesternChristianchurches.OnecanonlysayforcertainthatthebirthofJesusChristwasbeingcelebratedinRomebytheyear336A.D.;afterwardsthefeastwascelebratedinotherChristianchurchesthroughouttheworld.
WhyitwascelebratedonDecember25thisanotherquestion.NodateforthebirthofJesuscanbefoundintheNewTestament,whichisconcernedmorewiththequestion"WhoisJesus?"thanthedateofhisbirth.EarlyChristianspeculationabouthisbirthdatewasinfluencedbythesymbolismofthechangingseasons,thenpopularinreligiousthought,whichpaidcarefulattentiontotheequinoxesandsolsticesofthesun.ChristianscholarsspeculatedthatJesuswasconceivedatthespringequinox(March25th)andthereforewasbornonDecember25th,thedateofthewintersolstice.
InmanyoftheChristianchurches,March25thisstilltheFeastoftheAnnunciation,whentheAngelGabrielannouncedtoMarythatshewastobethemotherofJesus.
PossibleimpluseforthefeastofChristmasmayhavecametoofromtheestablishmentofthepaganfeastofthe"UnconqueredSun-God"bytheEmperorAurelianin274A.D.tobecelebratedonDecember25,thedayofthewintersolsticeinRomeandthroughouttheempire.Inresponse,Christianscouldcelebratethefeastofthe"Sunofrighteousness"(Malachi4,2),JesusChrist,whocalledhimself"thelightoftheworld."
FatherChristmas
Itissaidthatintheyearof300AD,therewasakindoldmanandhisnamewasSaintNicholas.Hewasalwaysreadytohelpthepoorandoftengavepresentstothem.
Today,FatherChristmasisanimaginaryfigure,butnearlyallyoungchildrenbelieveinhim.Theythinkheisahappyoldmanwithalongwhitebeardandalongredrobe.
Onthenightofthetwenty-fourthofDecembereveryyear,FatherChristmasfromsomecoldnorthernlandcomesdownthechimneyofthefireplacetoputpresentsbythebedsofchildrenortofilltheirstockings.Sowhenchildrengotobedthatnight,theyhanguptheirstockings,andonChristmasmorningtheywaketofindthemfullofpresents.Ofcourse,it'sreallytheirparentswhofillthestockings.
AnothernameforFatherChristmasisSantaClaus.
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