December 24, 2011

The Christians around the Globe celebrate Christmas with great devotion.  It is Christmas season again around the Globe.  All Christians celebrate Christmas as one family. Christmas, literally meaning the Mass of Christ, is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar. The festival of Christmas takes place on 25th December, every year to celebrate the birth of Lord Jesus Christ the founder of Christianity who was born around 2000 years before in the town of Bethlehem in Israel. It is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout the world, including countries with small Christian populations like India. Various theories of the origin of Christmas exist that give a clear insight into the celebration of Christmas 
 

Religious aspect 

Apart from the fun and enjoyment, knowing the religious aspect of Christmas is equally important. As per the Bible, , there is an immense number of customs that surround Christmas, such as the Christmas tree, the crib Santa clous ,Christmas carol and the exchange of gifts and food and sweets are taken from the earlier pagan holiday of Romans which is almost common aspects to celebrate Christmas, still it may vary from country to country. In most Western countries, Christmas celebrations have both religious and secular aspects.
 
Christmas rituals have been shaped by the religious and popular traditions of each culture that celebrates the holiday. Traditionally, the sacred Christmas season starts with Advent, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues to Christmas Day.  During Advent, Christians make preparations for the commemoration of Jesus' birth on December 25. Each of the four weeks symbolizes a different way in which believers perceive Christ: through the flesh, the Holy Spirit, death, and Christ's judgment of the dead. The Advent wreath, which consists of four candles anchored in a circle of evergreen branches, originated with German Lutherans; the tradition has been adopted by many churches and families. At the beginning of each of the four weeks preceding Christmas, Christians light an Advent candle as they say a prayer. The sacred season ends on Epiphany, January 6.
 
On the Christmas Eve, churches around the world hold evening services. At midnight, most Catholic and many Protestant churches hold special candlelight services. The Catholic "Midnight Mass" was first introduced by the Roman Catholic Church in the 5th century. Christmas Masses are sometimes solemn and sometimes buoyant, depending on the particular culture that conducts them. On this day the worshipers enter the church in communal processions. Church services often feature candlelight and music. Some also include a dramatization of the Biblical story of Jesus' birth. 
 

Christmas Day

Christmas observances have also assimilated remnants of ancient rituals such as the custom of burning Yule logs; the Yule log symbolizes the victory of light over the darkness of winter. The tradition of lighting the Yule log is still observed, especially by Europeans. Families light the log on Christmas Eve and keep it burning until Epiphany.
 

Christmas also celebrated for 12 days

The twelve days of Christmas begins on December 25 and end just before Epiphany, that falls on January 6. Epiphany is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the 'shining forth' or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. The observance originally included the birth of Jesus Christ; the visit of the three Kings (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) who arrived in Bethlehem; and all of Jesus' childhood events, up to his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist.
 

12 Day Christmas : The Origin

The origin of Christmas feast was initially based on, and viewed as a fulfillment of the Jewish Feast of Lights known as Chanukah. This was fixed on January 6 , but over time the western churches decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25. The eastern churches continued to treat January 6 as the day marking Jesus's birth. This has given rise in the west to the notion of a twelve day festival, starting on December 25 and ending on January 6, called the twelve days of Christmas.

Feasting and Merrymaking

In the Middle Ages, this period was one of continuous feasting and merrymaking, which climaxed on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas season. During the twelve days of Christmas, traditional roles were often relaxed, masters waited on their servants, men were allowed to dress as women, and women as men. There is dancing singing of Christmas carols throughout the night .
 
The Song

This period is referred to in the song Twelve Days of Christmas. Twelve Days of Christmas is a traditional Christmas song, or Christmas Carol. The Twelve Days of Christmas are the days from December 25 to January 6 or the Twelfth Night. . The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…" The "true love" mentioned in the song refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.
 
1st Day:The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross.
 
2nd Day:The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments. 
 
3rd Day:The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love. 
 
4th Day:The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels-Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 
 
5th Day:The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 
 
6th Day:The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation. 
 
7th Day:The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. 
 
8th Day:The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount. 
 
9th Day:The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
 
10th Day:The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments.
 
11th Day:The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles. 
 
12th Day:The 'twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles' Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

The Significance

The Significance of Christmas is known to men & women all over the world. Though it is true that Christmas is celebrated as the day of the Birth of Christ into this world, yet it also symbolizes a very deeply significant truth of the spiritual life. Jesus Christ is the very personification of Divinity. He was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed upon the land. Purity was forgotten and morality was neglected. 
 
In the midst of these conditions, Christ was born and He worked a transformation in the lives of people. He gave a new and a spiritual turn to the lives of man. There came a change upon the land. People started upon a new way of life. Thus a new era dawned for the world.
 
In that period the seeker has no thought of God or higher spiritual life. He lives a life of lust, anger, greed, deluded attachment, pride and jealousy. If the seeker must enter into a new life of spiritual aspiration, purity and devotion, then the Christ-spirit must take its birth within his heart. That is the real Christmas when the Divine element begins to express itself in the heart of the man. From then onward, light begins to shine where darkness was before. 
 
A very small, but very beautiful, point of deep significance is attached to Christmas. It is the time and the manner of the birth of the Lord upon the holy Christmas day. Jesus Christ was not born in a grand palace. He was not born to very wealthy or learned parents. Jesus Christ was born in a simple lowly place, a corner of a stable. He was born to humble and poor parents, who had nothing to boast about, except their own spotless character and holiness.
 
The above point of deep significance tells that the spiritual awakening comes to the seeker, who is perfectly humble and "meek" and "poor in spirit." The quality of true humility is one of the indispensable fundamentals. Then we find simplicity, holiness and the renunciation of all desire for worldly wealth and pride of learning. Thirdly, even as Christ was born unknown to the world and in the obscurity of darkness, even so, the advent of the Christ-spirit takes place in the inwardness of man when there is total self-effacement self-abnegation.

The birth of Jesus

In the beginning God created the world with love  for man. In the Holy Bible it is mentioned that God created the Universe in 6 days and on the 7th day God rested.( Genesis). After creating the universe God made first  man Adam of His own image and out of man He created a woman Eve from Man’s rib. Thus the first family of the world is born. As everybody knows that the first  family sinned against God by disobedience to God by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden. Thus God said man because of his sin to sweat  and work hard for his daily bread and woman to child bearing for the new born children.  Thus man died because of his own sin,

As per Salvation History God so loved man that He already  pre-panned to redeem man from sin. If we go back to our Holy Bible – Old Testament God sent several Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses ,Jacob,  Abraham , King David and so many, but still mankind not turned to God, but the God who loved man so much that He at last  sent his own son Jesus Christ in order  to save man from bondage or sin so that man can re-unite with God who forgives every sin by the blood of Jesus who gave away his life on the cross for the sake of mankind’s redemption or salvation. Thus God fulfilled his plan through Jesus in the New Testament man to live with God for eternity.

In the course of time a small town of Bethlehem in the desolate province of Judea in the great empire of Rome, a baby was born in about 2000 years back. to a young woman named Mary and her fiance, Joseph. The child's mother, Mary was a young virgin who had conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was a carpenter and a man of great integrity. When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant prior to their marriage, he decided quietly to break the engagement. In a dream he was told by an angel that the child was from God and that he should proceed with the marriage.

Mary's baby was born at night in the stable. Mary and Joseph named him Jesus. There was no cradle for him, so they wrapped him in strips of cloth and he slept in a manger and the  world over people celebrate Jesus's birthday on 25th December every year.  The night when Jesus was born, some shepherds were looking after their sheep on the hills when suddenly an angel appeared. The shepherds were terrified, but the angel said, "I bring good news. God's Savior has been born tonight. You will find the baby lying in a manger". Soon the shepherds arrived at the stable in Bethlehem - Jesus birth place, to see the baby and told Mary and Joseph about the angel's message. She knew this was a very special baby. 

After the birth of Christ some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking the place where the newborn king of the Jews has arrived. They have seen the star as it arose, and had come to worship him. These men were probably astronomers from Mesopotamia. The "star" they followed may have been a comet or a supernova.

Thus the second Holy family was born as per God’s own plan. So Man will have everlasting life through Jesus who gave his life for us. Jesus saves and cleans everyone’s sin  one who believes in Him by his precious and holy blood that poured  on the cross for the whole world. We also believe that Jesus is the son of God come down from heaven taking the form of a man. That the reason Christmas is holy and divine feast . Though Jesus is God in every respect took the form of a man and became humble for us to save from sin and bondage.
 
After the birth of Christ some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking the place where the newborn king of the Jews has arrived. They have seen the star as it arose, and had come to worship him. These men were probably astronomers from Mesopotamia. The "star" they followed may have been a comet or a supernova.
 

Gold, Frankincense, And Myrrh

The gifts the wise men, or Kings brought to Jesus were of such value in the ancient world that a poor family would have considered them treasures. Gold, of course, continues to be a consistently valuable commodity. The practical use of myrrh and frankincense, processed from aromatic plants are used to make perfumes, incense, and other scented products. Frankincense was sometimes used for religious ceremonies and myrrh for funerals, so some have seen symbolic meanings in the gifts. The kings then returned back through another way as directed by the Angel and they spread the good news of Jesus birth throughout their journey.

Thus Christmas is the most popular festival that fills joy, happiness, peace, forgiveness and love in every family  & people's life. The festival of Christmas has absorbed various customs and traditions of world and 25th December has emerged as the most important day for Christians, It is taken as a day that reflects the power, glory and salvation of Jesus Christ and his message of hope to the world. Christmas derives from the tradition of Jews that Jesus was born during the Jewish Festival of Lights that falls on 25th December to commemorate the date of Christmas.

Wish everyone a Merry Christmas!