Its Christmas today. Lets know some interesting facts and history of this festival which is celebrated around the world.
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north.
Origin
Christmas Day is an annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible. Although the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown it is estimated to have been between 7 and 2 B.C. The date of December 25th was chosen in the 4th century.
The word Christmas is derived from the Old English word “Cristes maesse” which literally translates to Christ's Mass.
The first Christmas was celebrated on December 25, AD 336 in Rome.
The letter X in Xmas is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
Christmas Tree
The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.
Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991.
Christmas Lights
Thomas Edison's assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. Christmas tree lights were first mass-produced in 1890.
Electric Christmas lights were first used in 1854.
Candles
One of the earliest records of candles being used at Christmas is from the middle ages, where a large candle was used to represent the star of Bethlehem. Jesus is sometimes called 'the Light of the World' by Christians.
Santa Claus
The modern figure of Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, whose name is a dialectal pronunciation of Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and simply "Santa"
Song
Jingle Bells was originally written by James Pierpont in 1857, for Thanksgiving not Christmas. It was originally called One Horse Open Sleigh.
Nativity Play
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The word nativity comes from the latin word 'natal' which means birth. The first Nativity Play was performed by in a cave by Monks in Italy
Colours
Green, Red, Gold, White, Blue are the colours of Christmas
Christmas Pudding
Christmas (or Plum) Pudding is the traditional end to the British Christmas dinner. But what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like!
Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called 'frumenty' that was made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices. This would often be more like soup and was eaten as a fasting meal in preparation for the Christmas festivities.
Official Holiday
Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday, and the tradition began in 1836.
End of Christmas
You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas Decorations down - but it doesn't! After both Christmas and the season of Epiphany, the end of the Christmas celebrations come on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas.
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north.
Origin
Christmas Day is an annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible. Although the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown it is estimated to have been between 7 and 2 B.C. The date of December 25th was chosen in the 4th century.
The word Christmas is derived from the Old English word “Cristes maesse” which literally translates to Christ's Mass.
The first Christmas was celebrated on December 25, AD 336 in Rome.
The letter X in Xmas is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.
Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991.
Christmas Lights
Thomas Edison's assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. Christmas tree lights were first mass-produced in 1890.
Electric Christmas lights were first used in 1854.
Candles
One of the earliest records of candles being used at Christmas is from the middle ages, where a large candle was used to represent the star of Bethlehem. Jesus is sometimes called 'the Light of the World' by Christians.
The modern figure of Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, whose name is a dialectal pronunciation of Saint Nicholas. Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle and simply "Santa"
Song
Jingle Bells was originally written by James Pierpont in 1857, for Thanksgiving not Christmas. It was originally called One Horse Open Sleigh.
Nativity Play
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The word nativity comes from the latin word 'natal' which means birth. The first Nativity Play was performed by in a cave by Monks in Italy
Colours
Green, Red, Gold, White, Blue are the colours of Christmas
Christmas Pudding
Christmas (or Plum) Pudding is the traditional end to the British Christmas dinner. But what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like!
Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called 'frumenty' that was made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices. This would often be more like soup and was eaten as a fasting meal in preparation for the Christmas festivities.
Official Holiday
Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday, and the tradition began in 1836.
End of Christmas
You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas Decorations down - but it doesn't! After both Christmas and the season of Epiphany, the end of the Christmas celebrations come on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas.
Merry Christmas
please keep sharing of knowledges with us.Thanks a lot for your great posting.
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