History of Christmas and its Growth in Popularity - Part 2

LAFAYETTE, La. - Sept. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- History of Christmas and Celebration the Christmas Holiday

All the celebrating of Christmas is truly a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon, not to mention that it is the most sacred religious holiday we celebrate. For thousands of years, people worldwide have honored it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate this Day as the date of birth of Jesus of Nazareth, their spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion. In honor of this date, many attend church services, decorate Christmas trees, exchanging gifts, sharing meals with family and friends and, for the kids impatiently awaiting Santa Claus' arrival. During the past few decades, it has become more popular to celebrate with a Christmas party and create your own colorful and vibrant Christmas invitation wording from http://www.invitationsbyu.com/wording-christmas-invitations.htm for your invites.

The Roman Saturn Christmas

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.

It was about this same time period that the winter solstice was observed Juvenalia, a Roman feast honoring the Roman children. Also, the Roman upper classes usually celebrated the birthday of the god of the unconquerable sun, Mithra, on December 25th. Mithra was believed to be a god for infants and was born of a rock. For most Romans, the birthday of Mithra was the most sacred day during the year.

Christian Evolution of Christmas

During Christianity's early years, Easter was considered the most popular and main holiday, and the birth of Jesus was not, at that time, a cause for celebration. However, during the fourth century church officials proclaimed the birth of Jesus as an official holiday to be celebrated by all the people, even though the Bible did not mention his date for his birth. And, it was because of this that the Puritans, for the longest time, denied the legitimacy of the celebration. Confusion existed since there was some evidence that suggested that his birth might have occurred in the spring, Pope Julius I eventually proclaimed it to be December 25th.

The Churches Influence in the Development

It is widely thought that the church selected December 25th trying to absorb and adopt the traditions of the pagan festival, Saturnalia. It was originally called the Feast of the Nativity and eventually spread to Egypt around 432 and over to England by the beginning of the seventh century. By the beginning of the 8th century, the celebrating of Christmas had spread as far away as Scandinavia. Currently, in the Russian and Greek orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated on the 13th day after the 25th and is referred to as the Three Kings Day or Epiphany. It is believed that on this day the three wise men found Jesus lying in the manger.

Deciding on the Time of the Year for Christmas

By celebrating Christmas during the traditional winter solstice festivals, the leaders of the church increases the chances that Christmas would be embraced by the masses, but at the same time gave up the ability to dictate how it was to be celebrated. Christianity, by the Middle Ages had for all practical purposes replaced the pagan religion. The believers, on Christmas, attended church, and then typically celebrated raucously in a carnival-like and drunken atmosphere much like the modern day Mardi Gras celebrations.

Holiday Begging to the Rich

Annually, a student dressed as a beggar would be crowned the 'lord of misrule' and those participating in the celebration would play the part of his subjects. The lower class went to the houses of the rich and request their best drinks and food. And, if those house owners failed to comply, the visitors would likely terrorize them with mischievous deeds. Christmas became the time during the year when the upper classes would repay their imagined or real 'debt' to society by giving to the less fortunate citizens.

The Christmas history throughout the world and over the centuries has been one of change and growth. From its early acceptance, it has grown to be the most popular holiday, not only in the United States, but throughout the entire world. If you are planning a holiday party for Christmas, you'll want to ensure you party invitations for Christmas http://www.invitationsbyu.com/christmas-invitations.htm are as special as this wonderful holiday, and that can be achieved if you shop at http://www.invitationsbyu.com

Read History of Christmas Part 1 at http://www.prlog.org/12217109-history-of-christmas-and-ce...