It’s the season of Christmas again. It’s a time of celebration and fun time with the family. A lot of people look forward to this time of the year which according to some is the best time of the year.
But, a lot of people celebrating have no idea what Christmas really is.
Yes, we all love the Yuletide season but how much do you really about Christmas and why it’s been celebrated.
It’s the season to be jolly and more importantly, the season to well-informed.
1. Christians celebrate Christmas to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. However, the Bible does not mention December 25 as the date Jesus was born. In fact, most historians believe he was probably born in the spring.
2. The Catholic church decided to recognize the birth of Jesus as an official holiday in the 4th century. Pope Julius I chose December 25 for the Feast of the Nativity.
3. The date for Christmas coincides with the pagan festival known as Saturnalia, which celebrated the agricultural god Saturn with partying, gambling, and gift-giving.
4. Christmas as we know it became widely popular only in the 19th Century.
5. The word Christmas comes from the Old English Christes Maesse (Christ’s Mass) which was first recorded in 1123.
6. The shorter form ‘Xmas’ was first used in Europe in the 1500s. It was derived from the Greek alphabet, in which X is the first letter of Christ’s name, therefore ‘Xmas.’
7. The reason for giving presents at Christmas is to symbolize the gifts given by the wise men to baby Jesus.
8. The Bible does not say how many wise men came to visit Jesus. It is thought to be three because the Bible mentioned that three types of gifts were given to the baby Jesus, gold, incense and myrrh.
9. Santa Claus came from St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop living in the fourth century AD. St. Nicholas was known for his good deeds and he gave away his inheritance to help those in need. As his legend spread, he was eventually known by names like as Sinter Klaas in Dutch, which morphed into Santa Claus.
10. Santa’s coat wasn’t always red. Santa wore a variety of colorful suits through the years, including blue, white, and green. Legend has it that the popular red coat came from a 1930s ad by Coca Cola.
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