The origin of Christmas is in the Christian tradition - December 25 is accepted as the date of Jesus' birth, although this is not known unequivocally. Historically, Christmas was first celebrated on December 25, 336 in Rome. Over the centuries, the celebrations have developed and today contain both religious and secular elements.
In the Middle Ages, Christmas was a church holiday, celebrated with services and processions. From the 19th century onwards, however, the holiday took on an increasingly secular character - decorating the Christmas tree, giving gifts to relatives and friends, etc. Today, Christmas is both a religious holiday and a commercial event, celebrated by people of different religious orientations, writes on its website in the online magazine „Focus".
In the Christian world, many Christmas traditions, such as putting up the Christmas tree, singing Christmas carols and giving gifts, are an integral part of the holiday. And Santa Claus, who in his current form was popularized by „Coca-Cola" in the 1930s, is a symbol of the holiday.
What is the origin of the holiday of December 25?
December 25 has great significance not only for Christians. That is why the date is so important for people:
1. Christian tradition: December 25 is the central date of the Christian Christmas holiday, dedicated to the birth of Jesus Christ, although there is no historical evidence that he was born on that exact date. However, since the 4th century, this has been the official date for the holiday in honor of the birth of Jesus.
2. Roman tradition: In Roman times, December 25 was the day of the winter solstice - the shortest day and longest night of the year. In Roman religion, there were celebrations associated with the end of darkness and the beginning of longer days. The choice of this date for Christmas may also be related to the intention to give Christian meaning to the existing pagan holiday.
3. Birthday of the god Mithras: In ancient Roman religion, December 25 was also celebrated as the birthday of the sun god Mithras. Mithraism was a widespread mystical religion in Roman times, and the date may have been carried over into the Christian tradition. The birth of Horus (god of the sky and sun) in ancient Egypt was also celebrated on this day.
4. The tradition of the ancient Germans: in the Scandinavian space, the ancient Germans also celebrated December 25 - as the day from which the warm weather began to approach.
Why are gifts so important?
The giving of gifts for Christmas within the family is very important, notes „Focus". It is also connected with the birth of Jesus Christ - in the Christian tradition, the story of the three wise men who brought gifts to the newborn Jesus - gold, frankincense and myrrh is told.
This story has influenced the ritual of gifts, which symbolize God's generous gifts to humanity.
How did the decorated Christmas tree become part of the holiday?
There is no Christmas tree in the story of the birth of Jesus, but today it is an integral part of the holiday, writes ZDF and answers the question of where the custom comes from. “There is information that craft guilds in the 16th century used to put up a tree decorated with lights at their Christmas celebrations, on which there were also sweets. The tree was intended primarily for the joy of children, who could eventually loot it," explains cultural historian Christiane Kantauve.
However, the practice of placing decorated Christmas trees in homes only became necessary in the 18th century. At first, this was a privilege of aristocratic families, who bought green trees for their homes. The custom became more widespread in the second half of the 19th century.
Bilyana Mihaylova (editor)