Christmas is for joy, for giving and sharing, for laughter, for coming together with family and friends, for tinsel and brightly decorated packages... But mostly, Christmas is for love.
It was this love for which Jesus came to this world and sacrificed his life.
Thus Christmas is a celebration of love and mirth symbolized by the Nativity, the Santa, the caribou, the poinsettia and the evergreens. All that bring home the spirit of love and life.
And this is the spirit that makes Christmas so popular throughout the world.
Though originated by the Roman Catholics who commemorate the December 25th as the day of birth of Christ Child, it has gradually come to be celebrated by the
non-Catholics as well. As far as the United States goes, the celebration of X'mas is comparatively of recent origin. Much of the world was already well into Christmas celebrations by the time the United States began to wake up.
In the first half of the 19th century the Sunday schools in America held Christmas celebrations. And the celebration of Christmas in America owes its origin to these schools. Alabama was the first state to grant legal recognition to X-mas in 1836. The DC did it in 1870. By 1893 all the states and territories had made similar acknowledgements.
So be it the United States or in other parts of the world Christmas is
celebrated as the commemoration of the birth of Christ Child -- very likely the holiest event ever to take place anywhere on the Earth, and an entirely worthy occasion to celebrate. But
don't we often wonder if we've got these things about it right? And why is
the difference of opinion (however immaterial) regarding the date of
birth? Is it even on the right date?
We bring to you a story of the Birth of Christ Child along and offer
you a short tour across the world to know the way Christmas is
celebrated in different parts. But before doing this please don't forget
to brush up some historical trivia regarding Jesus' birth.
Click here to know the answers to some simple yet vulnerable questions.
There are a number of characters and icons associated with Christmas and
history of Christmas. Here we give a brief outline of all such Christmas
icons:
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