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After the rough year that 2020 has been, we are all looking forward to the most wonderful time of the year when people across the world come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. Each year families get together; some visit their friends and indulge in memorable parties to celebrate the festive season. Christmas is a time of joy and warmth, surrounded with the love of family members and the comradery of friends. Over the years, it is has become much more than just the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth; now it is seen to embody the spirit of giving and affection that one carries along with them for the rest of the year and is also celebrated by people across faiths.
Even with the ongoing pandemic and the new strains threatening another lockdown, the festival of Christmas brings joy and hopefulness along with it. The celebrations might have to be kept at a minimum and large gatherings may seem next to impossible but these difficulties can scarcely dampen the spirit of the festive season.
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History and significance
Christmas or the Feast of Nativity is celebrated annually on December 25 in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The festival has immense religious and cultural significance to billions of Christian and non-Christians alike. The English term ‘Christmas’ has a fairly recent origin and translates as ‘mass on Christ’s day’. Different countries across the globe have different names for this celebration, in Germany it is referred to as ‘Yuletide’ which may have been derived from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl. In Spanish it is referred to as Navidad, Natale in Italian and as Noël in French.
Since the early 20 Century the celebration of Christmas has become much more secular and family oriented rather than religious, even so, all practitioners of the faith go to the mass organised in the church, participate in various charity events and even go carolling for the glory of the Holy Trinity.
In the first two centuries on Christianity, there was a strong opposition for celebrating the birth of Christ, as he was considered a martyr for all people. It was commonly believed that saints and martyrs should be honoured on the day of their martyrdom, which was considered to be their true birthday, rather than the day they were born.
It is a common tradition among Christian children to perform the Nativity play for all the family elders. The Nativity play recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus, or his birth as it is described in the Biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two different accounts agree that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem in Judea, his mother Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who was descended from King David but was not the biological father of Lord Jesus, as his birth is considered to be divine intervention.
Celebrations
Christmas, as we celebrate now, is quite a modern interpretation of the ancient pagan celebrations. Currently, it is heavily centred around the mythical figure of Santa Claus. Also known as, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus is the traditional patron of Christmas in the United States and other countries. His popular image is based on the traditions associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century Saint. Santa is rumoured to live on the North Pole, along with his many helper elves. Each year, Santa Claus keeps an eye on the children of the world and gives gifts to all those who has been nice in the year prior. He rides on his sleigh from the North Pole, giving gifts to children all around the world on Christmas eve.
The exchanging of gifts, decorating the house in twinkling lights and ornaments, cooking a grand meal, all are modern traditions surrounding the celebration of Christmas. The festival marks the close of the year and symbolises all things heart-warming and jolly, as it is a time when people all over the world visit their families and spend time together. Even amid the pandemic, families are organising Zoom meetings and online dinners to get some semblance of normalcy during the holiday season.
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