Christmas is one of the most important holidays in the West. In fact, from Thanksgiving to Christmas and until New Year’s Day, Americans are in a New Year’s atmosphere. After New Year’s Day, the American New Year is not considered It's really over. So, do you know the origin of Christmas and related customs? The editor below has compiled information related to the origin and customs of Christmas for your reference!
The origin of Christmas
The word Christmas (Christmas) comes from the old English Cristes maesse, meaning Christian mass. Latin Christians began to commemorate the birth of Jesus on December 25 in AD 336; Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6.
Christmas is an important Christian festival, held on December 25 every year, to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also a commonly celebrated secular festival. The festival commemorating the birth of Jesus coincides with two non-Christian festivals, the Farmer's Day and the Sun's Day, which take place in midwinter. Therefore, the celebration customs come from different sources. Within the Roman Empire, Saturnalia, December 17, was a day for fun and giving to each other. December 25th is the birthday of Mithras, the god of justice worshiped by the ancient Iranians.
The ancient Romans decorated their houses with green branches and lights on New Year's Day and gave gifts to children and the poor. Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain, Central Europe and other places, and brought with them Germanic and Celtic religious rituals. As a result, there were celebration activities such as reunions and feasts, burning large pieces of firewood, tasting large wood-shaped cakes, hanging branches, displaying fir trees, visiting relatives and friends, and exchanging gifts. Fire and light, symbols of warmth and longevity, have always been part of winter holiday celebrations, both in Christian and non-Christian customs. The evergreen tree symbolizes the struggle for survival and has been associated with the celebration of Christmas since the Middle Ages. Due to different calendars, the date of Christmas for the Orthodox Church and other Eastern European churches is equivalent to January 6 or 7 in the Gregorian calendar.
Westerners use red, green and white as Christmas colors. When Christmas comes, every household must be decorated with Christmas colors. The red ones have Christmas flowers and Christmas candles. The green one is the Christmas tree. It is the main decoration of Christmas and is decorated with tower-shaped evergreen trees such as fir and cypress. Colorful lights, gifts and paper flowers are hung above, and Christmas candles are lit.
The red and white contrast is Santa Claus, who is the most popular figure in Christmas activities. Before going to bed on Christmas Eve, Western children put a sock in front of the fireplace or next to the pillow, and wait for Santa Claus to put gifts in the sock after they fall asleep. In the West, playing Santa Claus is also a custom.
7 Traditional Customs of Christmas
Christmas has always been a wonderful holiday. This is the day when the Son of God was born, so this day is very sacred to Christians around the world. The Christmas season is naturally filled with various Christmas traditions. The following traditions have been celebrated by people around the world for centuries.
1. Decorate the Christmas tree
This tradition refers to decorating the pine tree with lights, gold foil, garlands, ornaments, candy bars, etc. Nowadays, Christmas trees are also an integral part of celebrating the holidays.
2. Lighting the Christmas Candle
This tradition refers to the fact that people will place a lit candle outside the house during the Christmas period. Even in the darkest room, candles bring light and represent hope. In earlier times, when Christians were deeply persecuted, they were prohibited from preaching and praying. Therefore, Christians place a candle outside the house to indicate that they are still praying silently in their hearts.
3. Baking Christmas cake
This British tradition has been spread for centuries. In the past, people drank plum blossom porridge on Christmas Eve. As time went by, people also enjoyed preserved fruits, honey and spices, and then Christmas cake replaced plum blossom porridge. Christmas cakes are baked from eggs, butter, desserts, fruits, etc. Nowadays, Christmas cake has become an integral part of the Christmas menu.
4. Give gifts to relatives and friends
This tradition comes from a legend: Three wise men gave gifts to the baby Jesus on Christmas. Every Christmas, relatives and friends, especially children, give each other gifts, and the story of Santa Claus comes from this tradition.
5. Singing Christmas carols
This is an ancient custom: Christmas traditional songs always echo one after another during the Christmas period. Songs bring joy to people and add to the festive atmosphere. Every year when celebrating Christmas, various Christmas hymns or carols such as "First Christmas", "Jingle Bells", "Joy to the World", etc. will be played.