Christmas

Christmas (the Messiah`s mass) is an extremely important holiday. It is celebrated on December 25^th  in most of the Christian communities.

 

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus, who is considered the Messiah and the son of God. It is customary to view this date as the date of Jesus’ birth. According to the New Testament, Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem in the place on which the Church of the Nativity now stands. Christians believe that the birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of the biblical prophecy about the coming of the Messiah from the house of David, who would redeem the world from its sins and bridge the gap between God and human beings.

 

One of the customary ceremonies is a dramatization of the birth of Jesus in churches and in Christmas Eve celebrations.

 

Christmas symbolizes the unity of the family. Family members and friends give each other gifts. A widespread tradition is a legend of Santa Claus, a mythical figure described as plump and jolly with a white beard, or similar figures in different cultures, who also distribute gifts to good children.

 

About 2,000 years ago there was a young couple who were in love. The couple were not married when the young woman, Mary, suddenly discovered that she was pregnant. Because of the whispering and rumors, Mary and her fiancé Joseph were forced to leave the city and their wanderings brought them to Bethlehem but here, too, their hardships were not over. As night fell, they could not find even one room in which to lodge.

 

For lack of choice, they decided to spend the night in the stable of the inn. That night, Mary went into labor. Joseph gathered straw and lined the manger in which they placed the infant that was born, with the  horses and donkeys looking on. According to the Christian faith, it was God`s will that the Messiah be born in impoverished conditions, as a poor and modest man.

 

After the birth, a brilliant light shown out of the area of the stable and shepherds who feared the strange phenomenon met an angel who brought the news of the birth of the Messiah. The news of the birth spread quickly from city to city and from village to village, bringing hundreds of visitors, among them kings and ministers, who came to see the wonder, bringing many gifts, gold and silver.

 

 

Modern-day Christmas celebrations took on their characteristics during the Middle Ages, including various customs from different lands.

 

Christmas trees, which are fir trees, are one of the symbols of the holiday. It seems that fir trees and other evergreen trees were symbols of winter holidays well before the birth of Jesus. Evergreen trees symbolized tenacious resistance and survival in the harsh conditions of winter and ancient European tribes used them to decorate the doors of their homes, to request good luck and good health. The connection between the fir tree and Christmas appeared in Germany 400 years ago and from there the custom spread to England, then throughout the Christian world. Today, on Christmas Eve, there is a fir tree decorated with candles, stars and lights at every Christian home.

 

Christians also mark Christmas by decorating an ornamental tree inside their homes. Some cut down a real tree in a forest for the purpose and others decorate an artificial tree. The tree is decorated with all manner of glittering balls and stunning lights.

 

Christmas presents - In the Western world, Christmas is associated more than any other holiday with gifts. There is reason to believe that the connection between the holiday and gift-giving is connected to the many gifts that Jesus received at his birth.. About a month before Christmas, Christians go into a gift buying frenzy and the stores customarily offer special sales during this period.

 

Santa Claus - The image of Santa Claus is also a symbol of the holiday, but the connection to Christmas was actually created just a few hundred years ago. St. Nicholas lived in the Roman Empire about 1600 years ago and was known for his love and generosity toward children. During that time, the Christians were persecuted by the Roman emperors and Nicholas was tortured and humiliated. After his death, he was canonized and he became one of the Christian saints. The date of his death, December 6^th, became a holiday. In the past, St. Nicholas Day was celebrated separately from Christmas and there are countries that still do so. The proximity to Christmas, however, unified the two holidays and Santa Claus became the Christmas grandfather who distributes presents, a tradition that is also new and was added Christianity in 19th-century New York.

 

Food and a special meal - The women will not forgo the traditional holiday food, which is called couscous (moghgrabia) in Arabic. The whole family gathers in the home and dine together on the tasty dish.

 

 

 Family members and friends give each other gifts, so this is your opportunity to ask forgiveness in the family from brothers, sisters, parents, grandfathers and grandmothers and also to cleanse yourselves of all the angers that we carry in our hearts, in honor of the new year.