Christian Festivals
There are two great festivals in the Christian Church - Christmas and Easter.
Christmas celebrates the day Jesus was born. The original celebration dates back to the Roman winter solstice celebration of Dies Invicta Solis (the Day of the Invincible Sun). The Germanic and Celtic tribes also celebrated the winter solstice and the Norsemen believed that their gods were present and active upon earth from December 15 to January 6. After Christianity became the official religion in Rome the 'birthday of the Son of Righteousness' took the place of the winter solstice celebration. Of all festivals, Christmas has become the most commercialised. However the religious celebrations both at midnight on the 24th December and during the morning of the 25th December are still very important to Christians.
Christmas trees and evergreens.
The use of evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands as symbols of eternal life comes from an ancient custom of Germanic tribes who worshipped trees. This tradition was introduced into England by Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria. Candles are also associated with fire as a symbol of eternal life. Christians follow the custom of decorating their houses with evergreens, using bay, laurel and rosemary as well as holly, ivy and mistletoe. The association of fire with good fortune and eternal life goes back to very early times.
Christmas carols.
The word carol is of Anglo-Norman origin and meant, among other things, a popular dance-song or a religious procession. Many Christmas hymns which we now call carols were written after 1750.
Santa Claus
Saint Nicholas of Myra, who gave his name to Santa Claus, was a patron saint of charitable organisations and guilds, of children and sailors, who was believed to visit children with gifts and blessings on his feast day, December 6.
Christmas presents
It was a Roman custom to exchange presents at the Saturnalia and New Year festivals and masters feasted with their slaves who were given presents and allowed to do and say what they liked. In medieval times clay boxes were hung up so that people could give money for the poor and this money was distributed on the day after Christmas. Sending Christmas cards is a relatively modern custom; the first card is believed to have been designed in England in 1843 with an edition of 1000 copies.
Christmas dishes
In the middle ages the highlight of Christmas festivities was feasting. Even in poor houses they managed to have a large bird at Christmas. A traditional Christmas dish for the rich was a boar's head decorated with rosemary and an apple or orange. Mince pies were eaten in England long before they became associated with Christmas. Crusaders returning from the Holy Land brought spices with them - cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. These were mixed with mincemeat, seasoned with vinegar, salt and pepper and baked in pastry. Before the Reformation the mince pie was oblong to represent a manger and often had a little figure of the baby Jesus on top, which was removed before the pie was eaten. Gradually the shape became the round shape we now know. Christmas pudding used to be porridge, a mixture of raisins and spices, breadcrumbs and fruit juices and had to be eaten with a spoon. The custom of stirring the pudding and making a wish is a very old one.
Easter
The second great festival of the year took the place of the ancient spring festivals and has many reminders of their fertility rites. The early Christians celebrated the Lord's Passover at the same time as the Jews, the night of the first full moon of the first month of spring. Today the date of Easter is still calculated by the moon. It is celebrated on the Sunday after the full moon that occurs upon or next after the vernal equinox (March 21). If the full moon falls on a Sunday, Easter Day is the Sunday after; it may therefore fall on any date between March 22 and April 25. In the Eastern Orthodox Churches a slightly different calculation is used and the date may not coincide with that of Western Churches.
Easter is probably the oldest of the great Christian festivals and celebrates the ressurection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. The crucifixion is remembered on the Friday before Easter Sunday and is called Good Friday. Preparation for the Easter begins 6.5 weeks earlier with Ash Wednesday. This commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness (40 days excluding Sundays). Today many people give up something for Lent or make gifts to charity.
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