Long ago, many pagan festivals took place in the Winter. In Scandinavia, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with the festival of Yule. Also at Winter Solstice, the Druids celebrated the festival of Nolagh. The Romans held a festival called Saturnalia in December, in honour of their harvest god, Saturn. The Greeks and the Egyptians also had celebrations at this time of year.
- Today, Christmas is when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is the most joyful time of year for Christians, altough non-believers also look forward to Christmas.
- We do not know the exact date when Jesus was born, so early Christians did not celebrate the birth of Jesus on a special day. Later, the Church decided that an official date should be fixed, and chose 25th December.
- The word Christmas means Christ´s Mass, and it was first celebrated officially in AD 354.
Different countries have different Christmas customs and traditions.
In Holland and Germany, children receive sweets on 6th December, St. Nicholas´s Day. Their Christmas presents are brought by the Christkindl on Christmas Eve. St. Nicholas is the messenger of the Christkindl.
In Italy and Spain, most gifts are given on 6th January. In France, Father Christmas is known as Père Nöel, and children leave their shoes for him to fill with gifts on Christmas Eve.
Children in Mexico take part in a procession called "a posada", which means "inn".This commemorates the time when Joseph and Mary were seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Christmas Day itself is a quiet family day and presents are exchanged on 6th January.
America has many different Christmas customs because so many people have settled there from other countries. In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of summer, so Christmas Dinner is often served on the beach as a barbecue. Homes are decorated with palm leaves and special flowers.
IT´S TIME TO BE HAPPY. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!
