Celebrating a well known Christian festival
Christmas is probably the most popular of all Christian festivals. From the beginning of September shops and restaurants are getting ready for the ‘Christmas rush.’
Most schools will put on Christmas plays, in towns Christmas lights decorate the streets and Christmas trees can be seen everywhere.
But for Christians, the significance of Christmas is not found in the shopping or the decorations – it is not even in the presents.
Today Christmas is probably the most well known of all the Christian festivals, but that was not always the case.
The early Christians did not even celebrate Christmas and it is not until about 200 years after Jesus was born that we get the first mention of any celebration.
Although the Bible gives details about Jesus’ birth, it does not give any date and many scholars doubt that December 25th was actually his birthday. The modern Armenian church actually celebrates Christmas on January 6th.
So how did our Christmas traditions begin?
CHRISTMAS CARDS
The very first Christmas card was made in 1843. Henry Cole had it designed, and printed 1000 of them.
ADVENT CALENDAR
One December a mother cut a cake into 24 pieces and put them onto a piece of cardboard.
Her little boy got to eat one piece each day until Christmas.
That little boy grew up to be a printer. He always remembered what his mother had done, and in 1903 he produced the first Advent Calendar.
SANTA CLAUS
The name Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas who was Bishop of Myra, which is now in Turkey.
CHRISTMAS CAROLS
The first Christmas Carols came from France. The singers would dance as they sang - the word ’carol’ means a circling dance.
CHRISTMAS TREE
The tradition of the modern Christmas tree was likely started in the 8th century with St. Boniface, a Christian monk who was working and living in, what is now Germany.
THE STAR
A star is usually placed on the Christmas tree to remind people of the star that brought the Wise Men to Jesus.
CANDY CANES
The candy cane began as an all-white, straight, sugar treat, and is believed to have been invented by French priests in the early part of the 15th century.
It took on the shape of a shepherd’s crook as a reminder of the shepherds who visited Jesus.
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas, is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh.
THE CRIB
Tradition says that Christmas cribs began with St Francis of Assisi who in 1220 celebrated Mass in a cave with a manger and real animals.
Today the crib appears in the Christians Nativity scenes as a visible reminder of the night when Jesus was born.
CHURCH SERVICES
During the Christmas season churches are busy places with many different services being held.
Services may vary from one church to another, but the focus is always on the preparation for and the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
On a Sunday before Christmas, many churches will have a service that includes a nativity play – a play that shows the events of the first Christmas.
CAROL SERVICE
During the weeks leading up to Christmas, many churches, in fact many organisations, will host a carol service.
These services are made up of songs and Bible readings that together tell the Christmas story beginning with the Old Testament prophecies.
CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICES
Some churches will start Christmas Day with a midnight communion service (midnight mass). Other churches will have a short informal service for all the family on Christmas morning. If the church has a crib, the figure of Jesus is put in on Christmas Day and the last Advent candle will be lit.