The Evolution of Christmas
The day that we know as Christmas has been celebrated long before the birth of Christ. The ancient societies noticed the short length of the days culminating at December 21st, the Winter Solstice, and celebrated this holiday before Christianity adopted it as their own. Christmas has evolved over the years to become the holiday we know it as today, but not all of the evolution of Christmas was happy.
In the early days of the Church, the Roman Empire persecuted Christians to the point of throwing them into lion pits and confiscating the property of the Christians and their churches, making life hard in general for an early Christian. Christianity had the last laugh when Emperor Constantine not only allowed Christians to practice but also gave them the sacred day of the 25th of December, previously dedicated to Mithras, as their own. Christmas with the date as we know it now, was forged.
As the ages progressed, Christmas became an important holy day in the Christian calendar. Kings demanded to be crowned on Christmas, and notable ones having their crowns placed on their head on this auspicious day include none other than Charlemagne and William the Conqueror.
During the 17th century, American Puritans moved to have Christmas banned, citing the lewd and unseemly behavior of their compatriots during the holiday. In England, Cromwell also moved to have Christmas banned, stating that the twenty-fifth of December was an arbitrarily selected date for the placement of the birth of Christ and had no evidence whatsoever connected to its choosing.
The other important man for the celebration of Christmas around the globe, aside from Jesus Christ is, of course, Santa Claus. Santa comes from the Dutch folk tale of "Sinterklaas", which paints St. Nicholas of Myra as a gift-bringer to all the well-behaved boys and girls of the country. our current interpretation of Santa Claus is due to the literary imaginings of Charles Dickens in "A Christmas Carol", combining the Dutch myth with the Ghost of Christmas Present as described to make Santa a large man in a red-and-black suit, the iconic representation we have today of the jolly fat man.
During World War I, Christmas halted the war at parts of the front. A German rendition of Silent Night was responded to by French and British soldiers which led to camaraderie between the combatants and a general ceasefire along certain areas of the front. In some places, this ceasefire lasted until New Years, with some battalions having to be transferred because of their unwillingness to shoot the enemy.
Christmas has come through many notable changes and the iconic representations of its well-loved tales and stories have changed over the years. It has given hope to the hopeless and stopped the deadly tide of war. It has turned the cold hearts of misers into warm, loving old gentlemen in just one night. Indeed, Christmas time is a magical time of the year. It's not a wonder that people say many miracles happen at Christmas.
In the early days of the Church, the Roman Empire persecuted Christians to the point of throwing them into lion pits and confiscating the property of the Christians and their churches, making life hard in general for an early Christian. Christianity had the last laugh when Emperor Constantine not only allowed Christians to practice but also gave them the sacred day of the 25th of December, previously dedicated to Mithras, as their own. Christmas with the date as we know it now, was forged.
As the ages progressed, Christmas became an important holy day in the Christian calendar. Kings demanded to be crowned on Christmas, and notable ones having their crowns placed on their head on this auspicious day include none other than Charlemagne and William the Conqueror.
During the 17th century, American Puritans moved to have Christmas banned, citing the lewd and unseemly behavior of their compatriots during the holiday. In England, Cromwell also moved to have Christmas banned, stating that the twenty-fifth of December was an arbitrarily selected date for the placement of the birth of Christ and had no evidence whatsoever connected to its choosing.
The other important man for the celebration of Christmas around the globe, aside from Jesus Christ is, of course, Santa Claus. Santa comes from the Dutch folk tale of "Sinterklaas", which paints St. Nicholas of Myra as a gift-bringer to all the well-behaved boys and girls of the country. our current interpretation of Santa Claus is due to the literary imaginings of Charles Dickens in "A Christmas Carol", combining the Dutch myth with the Ghost of Christmas Present as described to make Santa a large man in a red-and-black suit, the iconic representation we have today of the jolly fat man.
During World War I, Christmas halted the war at parts of the front. A German rendition of Silent Night was responded to by French and British soldiers which led to camaraderie between the combatants and a general ceasefire along certain areas of the front. In some places, this ceasefire lasted until New Years, with some battalions having to be transferred because of their unwillingness to shoot the enemy.
Christmas has come through many notable changes and the iconic representations of its well-loved tales and stories have changed over the years. It has given hope to the hopeless and stopped the deadly tide of war. It has turned the cold hearts of misers into warm, loving old gentlemen in just one night. Indeed, Christmas time is a magical time of the year. It's not a wonder that people say many miracles happen at Christmas.
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