Thursday, August 7, 2014

origin of holiday

Christmas 



          Is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ  and a widely observed cultural holiday, celebrated generally on December 25 by billions of people around the world. the birth year of Jesus is estimated among modern historians to have been between 7 and 2 BC, the exact month and day of his birth are unknown.His birth is mentioned in two of the four canonical gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East,although some churches celebrate on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which corresponds to January in the modern-day Gregorian calendar. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived, or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern solstice a further solar connection has been suggested because of a biblical verse identifying Jesus as the "Sun of righteousness",

          The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pagan, pre-ChristianChristian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift givingChristmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cardschurch celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas treesChristmas lightsnativity scenesgarlandswreathsmistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa ClausFather ChristmasSaint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

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