Christmas

Christmas

Stoian Matei
• Christmas is a Christian holiday that refers to the birth
of Jesus and a cultural holiday for non-Christians.
• The day known as Christmas Day is celebrated on the
25th day of December. It is one of the most important
days of the year for Christians, along with Easter when
the death and resurrection of Jesus are celebrated. The
season of preparing for Christmas is called Advent and
begins on a Sunday about four weeks before Christmas.
The Christmas Season (called Christmastide) ends 6
January or the Twelfth Day of Christmas, in which
Epiphany is remembered.
• Christmas is celebrated all over the world, as a religious holiday or as a time of
celebration by Christians and non-Christians alike. The traditions are different
from country to country, but they nearly always include a feast, giving gifts or
cards, and enjoying church or public festivities such as singing Christmas carols
and songs. Santa Claus is a tradition in many countries of the world.
• Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus. The story of how this happened is told
in part of the Bible known as the Gospels. There are four Gospels telling the life
of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke tells the most about his birth, and the Gospel of
Matthew tells another part of the story. The Gospel of John says that Jesus came
 Tree and decorations

• In most homes when Christmas is celebrated, people set up a

Christmas tree in the house. The tree may be a cut tree that is
bought from a plantation or taken from the forest. Artificial trees are
sometimes preferred to real trees. The Christmas tree is decorated
with lights, shiny coloured balls, sparkly tinsel and other ornaments.
• Many people decorate their homes at Christmas time. These
decorations and the Christmas tree are generally inside, but may be
put where they can also be seen through a window by people
passing by. These decorations may be just a few lights around the
porch, or hundreds of lights and colourful Christmas figures
decorating the whole house and garden. Some neighbourhoods hold
competitions for the best-decorated house, and driving around the
streets to look at them has become another family tradition.
 Christmas dinner
• Christmas Dinner, usually eaten in the middle of the day, is
an important part of the family celebration. The food differs
from country to country and also from family to family.
• In English-speaking countries, the traditional dessert is
Christmas plum pudding. Nowadays these puddings are
often bought from bakers, but many people make their own
to a family recipe. The tradition came from the Middle Ages
when the pudding was used to preserve some of the fruit
from the autumn until the mid-winter. Many families have a
Christmas cake or a special bread instead of a pudding (or as
well as a pudding). These are very different depending on
the country, but often have marzipan which is made from
almonds and is traditional in many countries at Christmas.
 Christmas cards
• Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting
exchanged between friends and family members during
the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The traditional
greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year“.
• Christmas cards are purchased in considerable
quantities and feature artwork, commercially designed
and relevant to the season. The content of the design
might relate directly to the Christmas narrative, with
depictions of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christian symbols
such as the Star of Bethlehem, or a white dove, which
can represent both the Holy Spirit and Peace on Earth.