- Advertisement
- SEO Tactics - Signal Your List With Viral Direct e-Mail Quake
- Three E-Zine Alternatives You May Not Have Considered
- How To Make Your Web Site Popular - Fast
- Advice
- An Effective Way to Cope with Being Dumped
- Natural Treatment For Varicose Veins
- Musicians, Put More Time Into Doing What You Love
- Arts
- Why Outsource Graphic Designers, Web Programmer, Call Centre Agents, Telemarketer Staff, Virtual As
- All of God's children
- Scrapbooking: Creating memories on paper
- Business
- Using a Hair Dryer to Rapidly Dry a Watercolor
- Communication Skills: Talk the Talk!
- Advantages and Disadvantages on Incorporating Your Small Business
- Entertainment
- Woodhouse Audio Visual Services and Rentals
- Watch Movies Online For Free Downloads - Rent Movies Online - Streaming Movies Online - Watch
- 2008 Horoscopes - Get Free 2008 and 2009 Weekly and Yearly Horoscope
- Family
- Kid`s Favorite Party Christmas Games & Ideas - Santa`s Best Xmas Jokes
- When both parents work, do children suffer?
- EXERCISE AND KIDS (PART-3)
- Health & Fitness
- Does Muscle Memory Occur?
- What Does Radiation Therapy For Localized Prostate Cancer Involve?
- Anthrax Information and Treatment
- Hobbies
- Origins of Christmas
- Secret Carp fishing Bait Recipes Formulation!
- MY MANIA WITH FASHION BRACELETS
- Home & Garden
- Why Your Business Technology System is Critical to Your Success in your Real Estate Business
- Watch Movies Online For Free Downloads - Rent Movies Online - Streaming Movies Online - Watch
- A Culinary School Will Teach Almost Anyone How to Cook Like a Real Chef
- Internet
- Dollars from Home with an Online Business.
- 16 Customer and Client Generating Tools For Recession
- Why Outsource Graphic Designers, Web Programmer, Call Centre Agents, Telemarketer Staff, Virtual As
- News
- Sacred Headwaters Campaign
- The Pentagon's Battle Plan Is To Go Green
- $50Gs raised to probe BC dumpster dog's death
- Reference
- Soy-One of The Best Active Ingredient for Skin Care
- How To Prevent A Break Up
- A Culinary School Will Teach Almost Anyone How to Cook Like a Real Chef
- Relationships
- How to meet men or women from the comfort of your home
- How To Prevent A Break Up
- An Effective Way to Cope with Being Dumped
- Sales
- The Cadillac of Dog Beds - You will Also want to Sleep on It!
- Where To Buy Quality Swiss Watches
- Mulitilevel Marketing Work At Home Business Money Making Opportunity
- Self Improvement
- Roger Revaks Book, Internal Vision: A Ten-Day Journey to True Happiness
- Seven Exercises That Help Develop a Business Mission and Vision Statement
- Self-love is not Narcissism!
- Spiritual
- Can 10 Million People be Wrong about Meditation?
- Roger Revaks Book, Internal Vision: A Ten-Day Journey to True Happiness
- Age New Spirituality - The Open Secret ( Read It At Your Own Risk )
Database Error. System Administrator has been notified and this problem will be solved as soon as possible. We are sorry for the inconvenience.Database Error. System Administrator has been notified and this problem will be solved as soon as possible. We are sorry for the inconvenience.Database Error. System Administrator has been notified and this problem will be solved as soon as possible. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
Origins of Christmas
11/24/2008 - By Thomas O Donovan
There was a time when Christmas did not exist. It was simply, in one culture or another, a pagan celebration of the winter solstice.
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year which usually occurs on the 22nd or 23rd of December. During the solstice the ancient Egyptians filled their homes with palm rushes to protect themselves from evil and celebrate the return of their Sun God Ra. European and Mediterranean cultures also have episodes in this long saga that is part of the history of Christmas (and Christmas trees). In ancient Rome, the Romans held their own December festival, Saturnalia, and even decorated their homes with evergreen boughs. This honored the God Saturn whose domain was agriculture. Further north, the Celtic Druids also celebrated the winter solstice and used evergreens on the darkest day of the year to symbolize eternal life.
This has all evolved to the present day when Christmas is the time that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The name "Christmas" literally comes from the early English phrase, "Christes Masse" which means the Mass of Christ. While the actual date of Jesus' birth remains a mystery, Christians in many countries observe it on the 25th of December. The birth of Jesus is described in the first couple of chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament.
Why December 25th? There were competing groups of early Christian believers who felt that Jesus' birth and his ascendancy into divinity might have been on two different occasions.
Before the fourth century, early followers of Jesus did not have a festival for His birth, fearing that it might be interpreted to place him on par with King Pharaoh. Around the third century, many believed that Jesus' spiritual and physical birth occurred on the same day, January 6th that is the feast of Epiphany.
Eventually, December 25th was finally selected when St. Cyril of Jerusalem requested that Pope Julius I settle the matter definitively. That date however, was likely selected to coincide with existing pagan holidays. It made converting the pagans to Christianity that much easier.
Christmas or Xmas? Many people feel that 'Xmas' is a secular substitute for Christmas. Some feel that it takes the "Christ" out of Christmas. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the Greek letter X represents the first letters of Christ's name (Ch). Therefore, X was taken to represent the word "Christ" in the early Christian Church.
I am involved with a web-site that provides topical information about Christmas.
http://christmas.irishastrology.com/christmas-articles.html
Ever wondered what your Celtic Tree Astrology Sign is?
http://www.irishastrology.com/celtic-astrology/celtic-tree-astrology.html
Also, go here if you want some lovely (and free!) Screensavers of Happy Animals, Beautiful Flowers, Amazing Galaxies, etc.
http://screensavers.irishastrology.com/
My hobbies/pastimes/life include Astrology, Music, Reading, Sport, Cycling, Chocolate, My cat and a love for animals...our equals.
