A Short history of the Christmas holiday


Why the Pilgrims Outlawed Christmas

...and other fascinating facts about trees, cookies, and Santa
For millions of people around the world, Christmas is a favorite holiday. To some it is merely an occasion to give and receive gifts. For Christians it honors the birth of Jesus Christ. But did you know that for many years Christmas was not observed? At times celebrations were discouraged and even outlawed? Here is a brief history of Christmas and some of the traditions connected to it. During the first two centuries after Christ's death, Christmas was not celebrated. In A.D. 245, when a group of scholars attempted to determine the exact date of Christ's birth, a church council denounced the endeavor, declaring it would be wrong to celebrate the birthday of Christ "as though he were a King Pharaoh."

Still, attempts were made to pinpoint Jesus' birthday. The result was multiple dates: January 1, January 6, March 25, and May 20. Initially, the May date was favored because the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:8) reports that the shepherds who received the announcement of Christ's birth were watching their sheep by night. Shepherds guarded their flocks day and night only during lambing time, which was in the spring. In winter, the animals were generally enclosed in corrals, unwatched.

In A.D. 349, Pope Julius formally selected December 25 as the DAY for Christmas. This date was already widely celebrated in the Roman world as citizens observed the Natalis Solis Invicti (the Birthday of the Inconquerable Sun) in honor of the sun god, Mithras. The festival took place just after the winter solstice, when the days become longer.

Many modern Christmas customs such as decorating a house with greenery, exchanging gifts, and enjoying festive meals originated with this pagan celebration. Scholars believe that Pope Julius selected December 25 as the date of the Nativity to win over followers of Mithras as well as to give Christians an opportunity to honor Christ's birth.

OUTLAWED FESTS
In seventeenth century England, the Puritans objected to Christian celebrations that had no clear biblical basis (the Bible does not tell us to celebrate Jesus' birthday). As a result, the English Parliament in 1643 outlawed Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays. However, December 25 as a festive day was so popular that by 1660 the citizens reclaimed it.

When the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 they also brought with them a distrust of Christmas. A 1659 Massachusetts law fined people for celebrating on December 25. But again, the day was so popular that the law was repealed in 1681, although strong religious opposition lasted into the next century.

Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Catholic, and Anglican churches were most responsible for establishing Christmas traditions in the United States. Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and Puritans voiced opposition to the day because of the pagan origins of most of the Christmas festivities.

TREES AND POINSETTIAS
The Christmas tree tradition was started in Germany in the late 1400s. At that time a popular theatrical performance, the Paradise Play, depicted the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise and was represented by a fir tree hung with apples. Soon the tree was placed in the homes of Christians, who interpreted it as a symbol of the coming Savior. The apples were replaced with small white wafers representing the Holy Eucharist or Communion. Later the wafers were replaced by pieces of pastry cut into shapes of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells.

Pennsylvania Germans claim to have brought the Christmas tree custom to America. The first Christmas tree is recorded under the date December 20, 1821, in the diary of a Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The first known exhibition of a Christmas tree was held in York, Pennsylvania, in 1830. Early trees were decorated with fruits, nuts, popcorn, toys, and candles. Today more than 80 percent of American families buy and decorate a tree at Christmas.

The tradition of poinsettias in churches and homes at Christmas traces back to a village in Mexico. According to the legend, it was a custom for villagers to place gifts before the Nativity scene at the church on Christmas Eve. A small boy, too poor to give anything, knelt to pray in the snow outside. On the ground where he knelt, the legend says, a beautiful plant with scarlet leaves grew immediately.

The boy took it into the church and presented it as his gift to the Christ Child. Mexicans call the colorful plant Flor de la Nocha Buena (Flower of the Holy Night), and it is thought to resemble the Star of Bethlehem. The poinsettia plant is named after Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico and an accomplished amateur botanist. He discovered the beautiful plant there in 1828 and brought it to the United States, where it was named in his honor.

XMAS AND SANTA
The abbreviation Xmas for Christmas originated with early Greek Christians. X is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ: Xristos. By the sixteenth century, Xmas was widely used in Europe among Christians who understood that it meant "Christ's mass." Later Christians, unfamiliar with the Greek origin, mistook the X as a sign of disrespect and an attempt by unbelievers to rid Christmas of its central meaning.

St. Nicholas, the godly bishop of Myra in Asia Minor (today's country of Turkey), is the source of the Santa Claus tradition. He was widely known as a generous Christian who was especially kind to children. After his death the legend grew that he visited children on Christmas Eve and left gifts. During the Reformation of the sixteenth century, St. Nicholas's popularity faded and some countries banished the custom completely. As a result, a more secular version emerged: Father Christmas in England and Papa Noel in France When Dutch settlers came to America, they brought St. Nicholas (Sinter Klaasin Dutch) with them. Sinter Klaas became secularized into Santa Claus. While no longer a bishop, he still came the night before Christmas, leaving gifts for children. His red-and-white-colored uniform derived from the colors of a bishop's vestments. Christmas is the only religious holiday in America that is also a national legal holiday. In 1836, Alabama became the first state to declare Christmas an official holiday. By 1890 all other states followed suit.

As you celebrate this day of days, remember these thoughts expressed by Wilda English: "God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is love; the radiance of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; and all of Christmas, which is Christ."

By Victor M. Parachin
Christian Reader. Nov/Dec 1995. Vol. 33, No. 6, p. 27 Also check out this link for more information and history on Christmas

http://members.aol.com/santalie/santa2.htm

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