Christmas History :: essays research papers

Christmas HistoryThe word Christmas comes from the old English "Cristes maesse" meaning ChristsMass. The Holi daylight celebrates the birth of savior Christ. The actual birthday ofJesus is not known therefore, the early Church Fathers in the 4th century fixedthe day around the old Roman Saturnalia festival (17 - 21 December), atraditional pagan festivity. The first mention of the birthday of Jesus is fromthe year 354 AD. Gradually all Christian churches, except Armenians whocelebrate Christmas on January 6 (the date of the baptism of Jesus as well asthe day of the three Magi), accepted the date of December 25th.In American/English tradition, Christmas solar day itself is the day for opening feedsbrought 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 draw in Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol."The caroling, the gifts, the feast, and the wishing of good cheer to all - theseingredients came together to create that special Christmas atmosphere.The custom of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals ofSaturnalia and Kalends. The in truth first gifts were simple items such as twigsfrom a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Soon that escalated to food, smallitems of jewelry, candles, and statues of gods. To the early Church, gift-giving at this time was a pagan holdover and therefore severely frowned upon.However, people would not part with it, and some justification 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 more 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 quite similar to the American Santa, but his direct ancestor is acertain pagan spirit who regularly appeared in medieval mummers plays. Theold-fashioned Father Christ mas was depicted wearing long robes with sprigs ofholly in his long white hair. Children indite 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 undefendableChristmas 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 comingdown the chimney. The coins would befuddle fallen through the ash grate and been