...h of Jesus , hom the Bible calls the light of the orld.The Catholic Church hoped to dra pagans into its religion by alloing them to continue their revelry hile simultaneously honoring the birthday of Jesus.The Eastern Orthodox Church took a slightly different course.By the end of the 4th century the Eastern Church in Constantinopole had also begun to acknoledge December 25 as Jesus birthday , but it emphasized the celebration of Christs baptism on January 6 as the more important holiday. Over the next 1000 years , the observance of Christmas folloed the expansion of Christianity into the rest of Europe and into Egypt.Along the ay , Christian beliefs combined ith existing pagan feasts and inter rituals to create many long-standing traditions of Christmas celebrations.For example , ancient Europeans believed that the mistletoe plant held magic poers to besto life and fertility , to bring about peace , and to protect against disease.Northern Europeans associated the plant ith the Norse goddess of love , Freya , and developed the custom of kissing underneath mistletoe branches.Christians incorporated this custom into their Christmas celebrations , and kissing under a mistletoe branch eventually became a part of secular Christmas tradition. During the Reformation of the 16th century , Protestants challenged the authority of the Catholic Church , including its toleration of surviving pagan traditions during Christmas festivities.For a brief time during the 17th century , Puritans banned Christmas in England and in some English colonies in North America because they felt it had become a season best knon for gambling , flamboyant public behavior , and overindulgence in food and drink. Europeans ho settled in North America often found they had to change their Christmas celebrations because they could not faithfully recreate the traditions of their homelands.For example , colonists in the American South may have aspired to recreate a sense of the English Christmas.But colonial accounts of Christmas celebrations in the South do not mention the presence of mummers or aits , both of hich ere central figures of the traditional English Christmas.Nor do historical accounts describe settlers engaging in such traditional English customs as feasting on boars heads or drinking from assail bols. Colonists from England , France , Holland , Spain , and other countrie also gradually modified their Christmas ceremonies as they encountered ne cultures and traditions in the Ne orld.Rise of the modern American Christmas In the United States and Canada , many elements of modern Christmas celebrations did not emerge until the 19th century.Before then Christmas had been an ordinary orkday in many communities , particularly in Ne England , here early Puritan objections to Christmas celebrations remained highly influential.Among some groups , Chhristmas as an especially boisterous event , characterized by huge feasts , drunkenness , and raucous public revelry.In an English tradition that survived in some parts of North America , Christmas revelers ould dress in costume and progress from door to door to receive gifts of food and drink. The rapidly expanding industrialeconomy of the 19th century not only flooded the market ith ne goods for sale , but also helped establish a ne middle class , one that placed special value on home and family life.Christmas gained increased prominence largely because many people believed it could dra families together and honor children. Giving gifts to children and loved ones eventually replaced the raucous public celebrations of the past , and Christmas became primarily a domestic holiday. The ne custom of Christmas gift giving alloed the marketplace to exert an unprecedented influence on holiday celebration.Commercial innovations such as department stores and mass advertising further expanded the custom of exchanging Christmas gifts.Seasonal retail sales helped fuel the economy , causing merchants and advertisers to become some of the seasons most ardent promoters.Many holiday celebrants regretted these changes , hoever , and began voicing the no common lament that Christmas had become too commercial.Santa Claus The legend of Santa Claus had origins in Europe and as brought by Dutch settlers to Ne York in the 18th century. Traditionally , Santa Claus as depicted as a tall , dignified , religious figure riding a hite horse through the air.Knon as Saint Nicholas in Germany , he as usually accompanied by Black Peter , an elf ho punished disobedient children.In North America he developed into a fat , jolly old gentleman.The Christmas Tree The German Christmas tree acquired popularity in North America.As early as the 17th century , Germans had transformed this pagan symbol of fertility into a Christian symbol of rebirth.According to legend , the Christmas tree tradition began ith the founder of German Protestantism , Martin Luther.hile alking through the forest on Christmas Eve , Luther as so moved by the beauty of the starlit fir trees that he brought one indoors and decorated it ith candles to remind his children of Gods creation.In 1841 Prince Albert of Germany gave his ife , Queen Victoria of England , a gift of a Christmas tree. uKVegiaiii56CJ HOJaQJaaJ 56CJ OJaQJaaJ 56CJOJaQJaaJ56BCJOJaQJaaJphzA7KyS 1h à!ia8i8NormalCJsHaJmHsHtHAiDefault Paragraph Font.Ui.HyperlinkBphazA7KyS000000000000mI08aataga
aa23z0rjy0FSKZk0iIKU7CSSmS DLa0ahqSS33333333333333...
Download