Christmas is the happy and colorful celebration that is held every year in the middle of the winter season; Decorated pine trees, lighted strings, a kind old man dressed in red, exciting gifts and the smell of hot butter and gingerbread… Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and every year millions of people around the world celebrate it as the beginning of the New Year. They celebrate. But now, the way of celebrating this great celebration and its interesting and memorable effect, attracts even many non-Christians to celebrate this celebration. But what is really the history of Christmas and when did it come about? How is Christmas celebrated in different countries? Stay with us to learn everything about the Christmas celebration and its customs with this article from Fly Today tourism magazine.
What does Christmas mean?
When talking about this important and attractive celebration, the question probably comes to your mind, where does the word Christmas come from and what does it mean? Christmas is one of the holiest days of the year for Christians and the birth of Jesus Christ. What has reached the present generation from this Christmas celebration is a combination of folklores and church customs and is mostly an international celebration with a religious theme. Many confuse New Year with Christmas, but these two celebrations are different. Christmas is a symbolic celebration to celebrate the birth of Christ, and New Year is considered the day of the end of the previous year and the beginning of the new year; The beginning of the new year is different in different cultures.
Why do they celebrate Christmas?
For many European peoples such as Scandinavians, winter is considered a time of joy and celebration, and the celebration of the winter solstice is an excuse to appreciate the return of the sun and is a magnificent precursor to approaching the spring season. At this time, the Scandinavian people would light a fire and gather around it and celebrate until the last piece of wood was burned, and they considered it very auspicious. With the advent of Christianity and the various conflicts of the followers of this religion, the celebration of Christmas and the way it was celebrated was a point of controversy for centuries until the modern America of the 19th century changed this celebration from a noisy carnival to a family-oriented celebration.
Is Christmas really the birth of Jesus Christ?
Christmas is a celebration based on Christian values, but since the date of Christ’s birth is not completely clear and there are still many doubts regarding the time of his birth, Christmas Day is not the real day of Christ’s birth. The more we look at the history of this celebration and its origin, we will realize that Christmas is not a completely religious celebration and was only an excuse for the equality of different parts of society and for families to be together. Of course, this is still a big and important celebration, and you can celebrate this important day wherever you are. By booking a hotel from the Fly Today website and traveling during Christmas, touch the beauty and attractions of this important celebration.
On what date is Christmas celebrated?
The ceremony is held on December 25 every year by Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians. This celebration lasts for 12 days and lasts until January 6. Christmas 2023 coincides with January 4, 1401. It is not bad to know that the Christians of some countries such as Ukraine and Russia celebrate the seventh day of January (January 17) as the real Christmas based on the Julian calendar. Also, some Christians consider Easter to be the most important Christian event, but for example, Christmas in America is considered more important than other holidays.
Where did Santa Claus come from?
A kind old man with a warm smile wearing a red dress with white woolen cuffs and a red hat with a soft white tassel. With a bag full of gifts on his back, he rides a flying chariot pulled by several reindeer. This is the image of Santa Claus in all of our minds.
Santa Claus is the title of Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was one of those good people of the time, most of his life story is summed up in worship, help and kindness to people. On the other hand, a person named Santa Claus was a rich man who gave away all his possessions to the poor and needy.
By paying the dowries of the three daughters, Nicholas saved them from the unfortunate events that awaited them. He would put the coins in the sock and deliver it to them through the chimney of these girls’ houses. The dowries of the two older daughters were prepared in this way until the father of the girls waited and finally met Nicholas. Although he asked the father of the girls not to reveal his identity, but after some time the man told the story of Nicholas to everyone.
From then on, people combined the personalities of these two people to create a character called Santa Claus, and whenever someone anonymously helped, they attributed it to Santa Claus. In this way, the composite character of Santa Claus entered the popular culture of the people and since then, it is mentioned in a colorful way every year on special days such as Christmas.
The most important customs in Christmas
We all know something about Christmas. On this day, in every house, they decorate a fir or pine tree, eat special foods, wait for Santa Claus, and give each other gifts as a memorial. But the customs of celebrating Christmas are beyond these words. In the following, we will examine Christmas customs together.
Celebration of Advent and its rituals
Many Christians welcome Christmas from 4 weeks and 4 Sundays before Christmas by going to church and singing special religious music, fasting and lighting candles. During the festival of Advent, special rituals are performed and all churches are ready to receive people. In this celebration, candles with four lines engraved on them (symbolizing the four Sundays before Christmas) are lit from the night before Christmas and the remains are burned the next day. Another interesting thing about Advent is the church decorations for this celebration, which completely change color to purple and blue. Of course, some churches decorate the church with sage color to honor Maryam.
Christmas decorations
Christmas decorations are completely unique and special; A design of mixing nature with beautiful human symbols. These decorations include the following:
Decorative orbs: Green orbs are a symbol of nature, red orbs are a symbol of Christ’s blood, and golden orbs are a symbol of wealth.
Ring behind the door: During these days, people hang a ring of plants and a green head behind their doors in memory of the crown of Jesus Christ, they hang socks from the fireplace to receive gifts from Santa Claus, they place a tree in memory of their ancestors in a corner of the house, and at the foot of it, a gift They leave it for their loved ones.
Christmas tree : One of the most important customs that must be observed during the Christmas celebration, and most of us are familiar with it, is decorating the Christmas tree. Since the tree is one of the important and evergreen symbols of this celebration, evergreen trees such as pine are used for the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree is decorated with colored glass balls, string lights, green and red ribbons, candy canes and gingerbread cookies and a single star as a symbol of the birth of Christ. There is no information about when and by whom the Christmas tree was used for the first time, but in any case, this tree is never removed from the special decorations of this celebration.
Christmas carol
Christmas is a holiday full of music; Religious hymns written by archbishops or modern music written in its honor by the new generation. Jingle Bells, Veni redemptor gentium (I am the savior) or Corde natus ex Parentis (born from the heart of the family) are some of the most famous Christmas carols.
Christmas food
We come to the delicious part of the celebration, Christmas food and treats. Although the foods that are included in the Christmas ceremony are different from country to country, but foods and sweets such as gingerbread, fruit cake, pudding, cookies, a dessert called Bûche de Noël, turkey food, eggnog bread Eggnog and lollipops are very popular.
Christmas gifts
At Christmas, everyone gives gifts to their loved ones according to their wishes. Of course, from a more traditional point of view, we should say that giving things like bread, mint and gold as Christmas gifts is considered very auspicious.
Show the birth of Christ
One of the other things that is part of Christmas customs; It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. In this show, which is mostly performed in countries such as Spain, Germany, Mexico and France, they recreate the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Interesting superstitions about Christmas
There are many interesting stories about Christmas. Some of them are superstitions and others are interesting stories to hear. In the following, we will read some of the most interesting stories and superstitions about this celebration.
- If someone is born on Christmas Day; He will be a very very lucky person.
- Don’t put up Christmas decorations before the twelfth! Otherwise, bad luck will be with you until the end of the year.
- Don’t give shoes to someone on Christmas Day because they might leave you with the same shoes!
- One of the strange customs of Christmas in different countries is that if you want to spend a great year, on Christmas day, say loudly to every house you visit: Hello Father Christmas!
- Eat an apple the night before Christmas and be healthy for the whole year.
- On Christmas Eve, keep a house plant. By doing this, evil spirits and witches will stay away from you.
- On the night before Christmas, light a candle and do not let it go out until the day of the celebration because it is a bad omen.
Wish you…
Christmas is now a celebration without borders and an excuse to be happy and together. In this celebration, equality waves and life will warmly greet everyone. They say that Christmas Eve wishes come true; So, wherever you are, wish the earth, peace and a bright tomorrow. Christmas celebrations are held all over the world, including Iran, and you can experience Christmas differently than ever by traveling during the Christmas holidays .
Do you celebrate Christmas? Share your experience with us.
