Why does the festival take place?
Since about 400AD, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus on Christmas. We celebrate this because of the Christmas story which was recorded in the bible by Matthew and Luke. The story differs slightly as Matthew recorded that Jesus was born in a house but this is the most common Christmas story. More than 2000 years ago, a young woman called Mary was approached to by the angel Gabriel. The angel told the virgin Mary she was pregnant with the son of God and she must call the boy Jesus. Soon after Gabriel’s visit, Mary got married to a man called Joseph and they travelled to Bethlehem. There was no room at any of the inns so the had to stay in an innkeepers stable. A few hours later Mary gave birth to Jesus. Three wise men had noticed a bright new star which meant that a ruler had been born so they followed the star and found Jesus. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts. King Herod heard about the birth and set out to kill Jesus but he was killed and Jesus grew up in safety in Nazareth. Christmas is a time when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. They believe that this was very important because Jesus was God’s son.
What happens during the festival?
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, People give presents to others. This reminds us of the three wise men that gave gifts to Jesus. We mirror this and give gifts to others which they then put under the Christmas tree to open on Christmas day. The Christmas tree doesn’t have anything to do with the Christian tradition apart from the fact that we put a star or a angel on the point to remind us of the bright new star and the angel, Gabriel. In fact, the Christmas tree is actually a Pagan symbol, and we also have Christmas dinner because the pagans would have a huge celebration when winter arrived. Around Christmas time, children in schools usually re-enact the nativity scene or have carol concerts, the word ‘carol’ meaning ‘joyful song’. Some of the traditional Christmas carols are based on Jesus’ birth such as Once in Royal David’s City which is about Jesus being born in a stable, Little Donkey and Away in a Manger which is also about the birth of Jesus. On Christmas day, It is a time to spend with your family and if you are a Christian, you go to church on Christmas morning and celebrate the birth of Jesus there.
How Important is the festival?
Christmas is the second most important festival of the Christian year, after Easter. In early Christianity, Easter was the central Christian festival and it wasn’t until around 400 years after Christ’s Birth that Christmas became an official Christian festival. Before that, Christ’s birth wasn’t really recognised and it took a while for this tradition to take hold so Easter was much more recognised, even today Easter is considered more important than Christmas. Before Christmas, many people already celebrated the end of the winter month with feasts and decorations. The early church modified this celebration and as at that time of the year the days started going longer again and the sun came out, there became an opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birthday as ‘the Light of the World’.
Christmas is a Christian fesival of light. It takes place on 25th December. People celebrate this because Of the birth of Jesus. During the festival people give gifts, sing carols, spend time with their families and celebrate Jesus’s Birth. It is important to the religion because it is a time of giving and celebration.
Bibliography
BARNES, Trevor, “World Faiths: Christianity”. Kingfisher, 2005
COOPER, Alison, “The Facts About Christianity”. Hodder Wayland, 1994
PENNY, Sue “Introducing Religions”. Heinemann, 1995
PENNY, Sue, “Discovering Religions: Christianity”. Heinemann, 1995
Yahoo Answers, Accessed 05/01/08
Ph.answers.yahoo.com
THORLEY, Sarah, “Christianity in words and Pictures”. A. Wheaton & co, 1984