Christmas History :: essays research papers

Christmas HistoryThe word Christmas comes from the old English "Cristes maesse" meaning ChristsMass. The Holi twenty-four hours celebrates the support of Jesus Christ. The actual birthday ofJesus is not known therefore, the archean Church get under ones skins in the 4th century fixedthe day round the old roman type Saturnalia festival (17 - 21 December), atraditional pagan festivity. The first mention of the birthday of Jesus is fromthe year 354 AD. in stages each(prenominal) Christian churches, except Armenians whocelebrate Christmas on January 6 (the sequence of the baptism of Jesus as well asthe day of the three Magi), genuine the date of December 25th.In American/English tradition, Christmas Day itself is the day for opening giftsbrought by jolly old St. Nick. Many of our current American ideals about theway Christmas ought to be, derive from the English Victorian Christmas, such asthat described in Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol."The caroling, the gi fts, the feast, and the wishing of good cheer to all - theseingredients came together to create that special Christmas atmosphere.The habit of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals ofSaturnalia and Kalends. The very first gifts were simple items such as twigsfrom a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Soon that escalated to food, clarifieditems of jewelry, candles, and statues of gods. To the early Church, gift-giving at this time was a pagan hangover and therefore severely frowned upon.However, people would not part with it, and some apology was found in theoriginal gift giving of the Magi, and from figures such as St. Nicholas. By themiddle ages gift giving was accepted. Before then it was to a greater extent common toexchange gifts on New Years Day or twelfth Night.Santa Claus is known by British children as Father Christmas. Father Christmas,these days, is rather similar to the American Santa, but his direct ancestor is a veritable pagan spirit who regularly ap peargond in medieval mummers plays. Theold-fashioned Father Christmas was depicted wearing long robes with sprigs ofholly in his long white hair. Children frame letters to Father Christmasdetailing their requests, but instead of dropping them in the mailbox, theletters are tossed into the fireplace. The draft carries the letters up thechimney, and theoretically, Father Christmas reads the smoke. Gifts are openedChristmas afternoon.From the English we get a story to explain the custom of hanging stockings fromthe mantelpiece. Father Christmas once dropped some gold coins while overturedown the chimney. The coins would have fallen through the ash grate and been