Merry Christmas and Happy New year 2022
When is Christmas Celebrated?
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 across the globe to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. Christmas is a time of the year when families, relatives, and friends come together and enjoy.
Where does the workd Christmas came from?
There are a lot of interpretations related to the name of Christmas and why we celebrate it. One of them is EUCHARIST (which is also called mass service or communication), where according to Christians, Jesus died for his people and then came back to life. Therefore, after dusk and before dawn on the following day, the service is Christ-Mass, so it is celebrated at midnight. And the term Christ-Mass became Christmas.
Christmas is now celebrated by the people of the whole world, whether they are Christians or not. Christmas is a time of happiness and enjoyment.
Why Is Christmas celebrated on December 25?
There are a lot of theories related to the date of Christmas. The actual birth date of Jesus is still unknown; it’s not in the bible. In 336, during the rule of Constantine (a Roman emperor), Christmas was celebrated on the 25th for the very first time.
Histories tell that the 25th march (also called the Annunciation) was when Mary was told that she would have a special child. So, December 25 is after the same nine months of 25th march. Also, they think that it’s the day Jesus died, and some early Christians also believe that it’s the day of the creation of this world.
How is Christmas celebrated?
On Christmas eve, evening services are performed in churches. People exchange gifts with their close ones; kids wait eagerly for Santa Claus. Houses and streets are decorated, its happiness all-around. It’s a big day which brings a smile to everybody’s face.
In the United States, Christmas Day _ December 25, has been a Federal Holiday since 1870.
According to Agnes M.
“What is Christmas? It is the tenderness of the past, courage for the present, and
hope for the future.”
There are a lot of traditions related to Christmas celebrations which are
Santa Claus
Around the third and fourth centuries, a Greek bishop called St. Nicholas lived. That’s when the story of Santa Claus begins. He was very close to nature. Santa Claus spent a lot of time in the forest with elves; he also traveled on a sleigh pulled by reindeers and sometimes by huskies. Santa Claus loved to pick berries in summer, and he used to admire the glorious lights during winters.
Santa believed that one of the best gifts we can give to our future generation is healthy nature.
There were many miracles associated with him, even after his death. Once, he saved three sisters who their father was selling in prostitution. He gave gold to their father to marry them and keep them away from the life of slavery. St. Nicholas was known as a magical gift giver by1200s. Firstly; he was called Sinterklaas, which became Santa Claus later.
St. Nicholas’s date of death is December 6; many European countries celebrate this date.
One of the very close helpers of Santa Claus are elves; they help him with all the decoration for Christmas and also reminds children to be good and well-behaved.
During Christmas, Santa Claus travels the whole world and distribute gifts among children. Every year children ask him for different gifts, and he tries to fulfill their wishes.
Christmas tree
In the 1800strend of Christmas trees was brought to America. Many years ago, people believed that the evergreen trees were the signs of happiness and well-being. They used to hang those trees boughs outside their house to keep evil spirits away. Now people decorate the trees as a symbol of love and happiness.
Christmas Stockings
There is a story related to every Christmas tradition. The origins of the Christmas stockings can be traced back to St. Nicholas’ miracle story when he saved three children from prostitution.
The three girls’ father, who had recently been widowed, didn’t have much money, St. Nicholas wandered around telling his village people about his troubles, and in order to secretly give the father the financial assistance he required, he slid down the chimney of the man’s home and placed gold coins in the girls’ stockings that were drying down, by the fire.
NEW YEAR
When is new year celebrated?
The new year is celebrated on January 1 all around the world. History tells us that the new year was celebrated overtime on different dates and months; still, few cultures have their calendars and other times for the start of a year like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Nepal, but now the majority celebrates it on January 1.
Why is new year celebrated?
No matter the time and date, New year is celebrated worldwide to take a fresh start, make new resolutions, make new promises, or get the courage to accomplish more paths in life.
According to Joel Osteen
“Don’t go into the new year holding the grudge from last year, leave the hurt and
disappointments behind.”
How is new year celebrated?
New year come with a lot of resolutions and celebrations.
Resolutions
People make a lot of resolutions before entering a new year of their life. They put efforts into setting some goals for themselves to stay motivated throughout the year. Common resolutions and goals are
· Diet goals
· Exercise goals
· Reading goals
· Health goals
· Financial goals
· Personal well being
· Improving mental and physical health and some other.
Celebrations
Now celebrations related to the new year are also so exciting. These include
· Firecrackers
New year celebrations
· Dinners
· Dancing
· Parades
· Concerts
· Big gatherings
Superstitions
There are also some superstitions related to new year food, visitors, and other things.
Food: one of the most common superstitions is that people prefer to eat circle-shaped food in the new year it is because they think it symbolizes cycles as they are entering a new cycle of their life.
Visitors:There is another superstition related to the first man entering the house in the new year. They believe if the tall, dark-haired man will step first in the home, it is a sign of good fortune, and it will bring good luck for the whole year.
There is also a superstition that says that don’t let anything leave the house in the new year. And if you remove something, replace it with something else. These rules are also applied to other areas like breaking something or paying bills.
