Religious Origins
Though Christmas is a widely-celebrated holiday today, it wasn’t always called Christmas. In fact, the name ‘Christmas’ has rather complicated origins. Before Christmas came to be celebrated by Christians, it was celebrated by pre-Christian Europeans who celebrated the winter solstice and the coming of a new year.
During this period, the midwinter solstice was celebrated differently among various cultures. The Ancient Greeks called their midwinter festival the “Clashing of sticks,” while the Ancient Romans celebrated a weeklong festival called Saturnalia. During Saturnalia, Romans attended temple ceremonies and offered sacrifices to Saturn, the god of agriculture, before feasting and exchanging gifts of food, wine, and wax candles.
This period then eventually became a Christian holiday when the Church adopted the pagan celebrations of the period to spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. The Church bishops chose December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus as it seemed fittingly close to the existing midwinter festivities.
Early Variations and Celebrations
The celebration of Christmas was incredibly popular and eventually became known as Christ’s Mass, which was further shortened and corrupted to become Christmas. Though many of the ancient traditions of the holiday were christianised and adapted, old customs survived and other non-Christian elements were incorporated.
In the middle ages, for example, women fasted the day before the Nativity and could not eat until a single star appeared in the sky. After the star was sighted and the fasting was broken, dinner was served, which was in testament to Jesus being born under the star. Other ancient rituals included decorating houses with wreaths and bonfires, while branches of fir were used to decorate living spaces. Singing and feasting were also an integral part of the celebration.
Post Reformation Celebrations
During the Reformation period in the1500s, Christmas lost much of its popularity due to the strong disapproval of it by the Puritans and Protestant reformers who believed that it was too closely associated with the traditions of popery. Christmas was thus forbidden in some places, yet it continued to exist; more secular versions of the holiday were celebrated with games, feasting, and the singing of carols.
In Britain, for example, people began to celebrate Christmas again in the late 1700s with all its festive cheer. Following this, other nations also began to start celebrating Christmas as a time of eating, drinking, and wishing goodwill, although certain countries and denominations still reject the Christmas celebrations that are popular throughout the world today.
21st Century Celebrations
Nowadays, Christmas is enjoyed by the majority of the world’s population, including those who don’t adhere to the Christianity faith. Christmas festivities typically include activities with family and friends such as exchanging gifts, decorating trees, going to church and enjoying traditional meals together. Post-modern culture also has celebrated Christmas with various aspects, such as giving to charity and ensuring that everyone, regardless of faith, has a positive experience enjoying the holiday season.
Major stores, shopping malls, and other places of commerce generally provide the best example of how popularly the holiday is celebrated. During this time of year, the festive season is prominent in decorations, with wreaths, stocking, Santa’s hat, and other images filling public spaces.
Cultural Reinterpretations of Christmas
Christmas has also been re-interpreted and commercialized in many countries around the world, such as the United States and Japan. In Japan, for example, KFC has become a popular choice for Christmas dinner, while Americans have associated Santa Claus with the spirit of giving. As a result, Christmas has become a time to bring joy and good wishes to friends and family, who exchange greetings and gifts, harkening back to the ancient traditions of Rome, Greece, and other pagan cultures.
Furthermore, Christmas has become a popular time of year for charities to help the needy, and to make those less fortunate feel like part of the larger, joyous, Christmas festivities. From homeless shelters to soup kitchens, these organisations help spread the joy associated with Christmas. Given the cultural and global dimensions that Christmas now enjoys, it’s a reminder of how traditions evolve over time and a perfect example of how cultures can interact, adopt and enjoy each other’s customs.
A Diversity of Christmas Celebrations
Christmas is now celebrated in different forms and variations. While originally called Christ’s Mass, the name has evolved over time, as have the customs and traditions. Christmas has now taken on a much broader meaning and is celebrated by people of all faiths around the world. This has allowed Christmas to become a truly global holiday, with different countries and cultures celebrating it in different ways.
Christmas has also become a time where people often take stock of the past year or reflect on the deeper meaning of the holiday. It is a reminder that through the year we have shared good and bad times and that we should cherish one another and remember to be kind and generous, both during the festive season and through the year.
Appropriating Religious Elements
The appropriation of Christian symbols, such as the star, the Nativity, and Santa Claus, has had a major impact on the way we celebrate Christmas today. Though these symbols are used mainly for their secular customs, they can still evoke religious feelings in some people. Additionally, this appropriation creates a cultural link between two very different holidays, making the holiday season more complex and interesting.
Though some cultures reject Christianity, it has become impossible to dismiss the Church’s influence when it comes to Christmas. Even today, religious celebrations still remain a major part of the holiday season and Christmas Masses are celebrated in churches around the world. Churches now use their Christmas celebrations to share the religious beliefs and teachings of Christianity in order to spread the gospel.
Conclusion of Christmas’ Evolving Nature
What was once a pagan celebration, has evolved over time to become a celebration of the birth of Jesus. While the traditions of those pre-Christian cultures still remain, the holiday has now been adapted by cultures around the world in various forms and interpretations. Christmas, therefore, remains a celebration full of magical and religious elements that still manages to bring people around the world together.
