Christmas History & Celebration 2020 – Christmas is a holy religious festival in the Christian religion and celebrated worldwide in a huge range. For two thousand years, people have been observing it with traditions that are both religious and secular.
All organizations, except hospitals and shelters having a holiday on Christmas. Some small snack shops or gift shops may be opened for a few hours. People go to meet their relatives, so roads are full of crowd.
History of Christmas Festival
Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth anniversary of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a spiritual leader who forms the basis of their religion. Earlier, Easter was the main festival and birth of the Jesus was not part of the celebration. In the fourth century, it was decided by the church officials to celebrate the birth of Jesus as a holiday.
The holy book bible does not contain the date of birth of Jesus. Some evidence shows that his birth should have occurred in the spring season according to the story of the shepherds and angels in the bible which story of the birth of Jesus is hidden. According to this story, shepherds were going with their sheep and suddenly an angel of God appeared to them an angel told to them that a baby is born recently in the manager who is the gift of God to people. Shepherds praise God and thanked him after the angel disappeared. Shepherds searched manager for baby and they found a newborn baby in a manger with his parents Mary and Joseph. They told them all the facts that happened to them, Mary thanked God. According to the Bible, this has happened in spring.
But, Pope Julius I decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25. It is believed that the church chose this date in order to adopt the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. The tradition is spread in Egypt by 432 and in England by the end of the sixth century also in Scandinavia by the end of the eighth century. In Greek and Russian Orthodox, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th December which is also called Epiphany or Three Kings Day and is the day on which is believed on which three wise men finally found Jesus in a manger. Since 1870, the 25th December official holiday in the United States.
Christmas 2020 Celebration in USA, UK & Australia
Christmas is celebrated on a huge amount in the USA, UK, Australia. While Australians celebrate Christmas, it is the season of summer which is opposite to us.
Before some days to Christmas, people decorate their homes, gardens, and shops with Christmas trees, colored lights, and leaves, flowers, berries from holly trees and mistletoe bushes, trees specially imported from Norway, etc. Scenes are arranged which tells the story of the birth of Jesus statues, actors, and living animals. Family members exchange gifts with each other, arrange special food, arrange parties, wishes each other, pray to God, go to church. This festival is very special for children as they get gifts from parents, relatives, Santa. Christmas meal includes dried fruit and nuts, cake, roast turkey, potatoes and parsnips, and other vegetables, Mince pies which are a sweet, etc.