The church did not have Christmas at first, and it did not exist until about a hundred years after Jesus ascended to heaven. It is said that the first Christmas was held in 138 AD on the initiative of Saint Clement, the bishop of Rome. The first Christmas recorded in church history was in AD 336. Since the Bible does not clearly record when Jesus was born, Christmas dates vary from place to place.
It was not until AD 440 that the Holy See designated December 25 as Christmas. In 1607 AD, church leaders from all over the world gathered in Bethlehem and further determined that most Christians in the world would celebrate Christmas on December 25th. In fact, it doesn’t matter which day it is, the important thing is to know that it commemorates the birth of the Savior Jesus.
Since the Bible records that Jesus was born at night, the night of December 24 is traditionally called "Christmas Eve" or "Silent Night".
Legend has it that on the night when Jesus was born, a shepherd who was watching his flock in the wilderness suddenly heard a voice coming from heaven, reporting to them the good news of Jesus' birth. According to the Bible, Jesus came to be the king of the world, so angels used these shepherds to spread the news to more people.
Later, people imitated the angels and reported the news of the birth of Jesus everywhere on Christmas Eve night. To this day, reporting the good news has become an indispensable program of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve in 1818, Moore, an unknown country priest in a small town called Oberndorf in Austria, discovered that the organ in the church had been bitten by mice and had to be repaired. It's too late.
How to celebrate Christmas? Moore was unhappy about this. He suddenly remembered what was recorded in the Gospel of Luke. When Jesus was born, the angels announced the good news to the shepherds on the outskirts of Bethlehem and sang a hymn: "God enjoys glory and blessing in heaven, and loved ones enjoy peace on earth."
He had an idea and wrote a hymn based on these two verses, named "Silent Night". After Moore wrote the lyrics, he showed them to Gruber, a primary school teacher in this town, and asked him to compose the music. Gruber was very moved after reading the lyrics, composed the music, and sang it in the church the next day, which was very popular.
Later, two businessmen passed by here and learned this song. They sang it for King William IV of Prussia. William IV greatly appreciated it and ordered "Silent Night" to be designated as a national church holiday. One of the must-sing songs at Christmas. As a result, this immortal piece has been sung to this day.
Today, Christmas Eve not only represents peace and harmony, but the beauty of reunion and hope behind it is also the reason why it is so popular among people. On Christmas Eve, most European and American families will choose to reunite all members at home, have a sumptuous dinner, and then sit around a burning stove, play the piano and sing, and talk about family happiness.
Or hold a unique masquerade party and celebrate Christmas Eve all night long. It is a happy, peaceful and carnival Christmas Eve and Reunion Eve, looking forward to the arrival of Christmas.
In our country, Christmas Eve and Christmas have attracted more and more attention in recent years. In fact, in addition to the impact of foreign culture, it can also be proved that people in any country in the world are looking forward to a peaceful and happy life.
Extended information
The legend of Santa Claus:
It is said that every night on December 24th, a mysterious man will ride a Santa Claus pulled by 9 reindeer. The sleigh flies in the sky, enters the house through the chimney, and then secretly puts the gifts in the socks on the bedside of the good children, or piles them under the Christmas tree by the fireplace. The rest of the year he was busy making gifts and supervising the children's behavior.
Although no one has actually seen the mysterious man, people will dress up as him to give gifts to their children. He is usually described as an old man wearing a red hat, a big white beard, a red cotton coat, and red boots.
Holding a big bag with gifts, he is habitually called "Santa Claus" because he always appears on Christmas Eve to deliver gifts. He is generally considered to be a derivative of the Christian saint Saint Nicholas.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Christmas Eve