IT'S CHRISTMAS,
ALL OVER THE WORLD
By Louis B. Homer
Sunday Guardian
December 21, 1997
Page 23
Christmas is a world event regarded as a mosaic of religion, culture and traditions made possible through the birth of Jesus Christ.
As early as the 1600's this festival was still regarded as a pagan festival that was outlawed in England and parts of the English colonies in America. It took almost 800 years for Christmas to become the important festival it is today.
The first mention of December 25th as the birth date of Jesus Christ occurred in 336 AD in an early Roman calendar. The recognition of this day was influenced by a pagan festival held around that time to commemorate the festival of Saturn, the harvest god and Mithras the god of light.
The story of Christmas comes chiefly from the gospels of Luke and Matthew. In these gospels, an angel appeared to the shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them about the birth of Jesus Christ. Matthew tells of the three wise men called Magis, who followed a bright star that led them to the birth place of Jesus.
The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, an English phrase that means Mass of Christ. The word Xmas is often used instead of Christmas, simply because the letter X in Greek was used frequently as a holy symbol.
Although Christmas is celebrated the world over by Christians and non-Christians alike, the celebration varies from country to country. It is the happiest and busiest time of the year for millions throughout the world. People of different countries celebrate the holiday in various ways depending on national and local customs.
NORTH AMERICA: People decorate their homes with Christmas trees. Cities sparkle with coloured lights and the bells of Christmas could be heard during the period preceding the Christmas holiday. During the weeks preceding Christmas, children write letters to Santa Claus advising hi of the gifts they would like to receive. Christians attend church services on Christmas Eve or Christmas night, after which they attend family dinners.
Black Americans in certain parts of the United States recently combined Christmas with the festival of Kwanzaa, which lasts seven days from December 26th to January 1st. Each day, families light a special candle symbolizing one of the seven principles practiced by them.
THE BRITISH ISLES are where many Christmas traditions have originated, such as the exchange of gifts and the use of Christmas cards. Lavish Christmas dinners are held, consisting primarily of roast turkey. Caroling and other established traditions of the western world are practiced.
IRELAND: People put a lit candle on their windows on Christmas Eve as a sign of welcome to Mary and Joseph, the mother and foster father of Jesus.
SCOTLAND: Some families decorate a Christmas tree and sing carols around it. Most of their celebrations are held on New Year's Day.
FRANCE: Children put their shoes in front of the fireplace so that Pere Noel (Father Christmas) would fill them with gifts. After midnight mass, families settle down to a festive supper called Le Reveillon. French families decorate their homes with Nativity Scenes made of clay and called Santons (Little Saints).
GERMANY: Saint Nicholas visits the children's home on St Nicholas's Eve, December 5th, and delivers candy and sweets to them. Most families decorate a Christmas tree with lights, tinsel and ornaments. A spicy cake called lebkuchen is made in various shapes and used as decorations.
SPAIN: People dance and sing in the streets after midnight mass. Most Spanish homes and churches display a miniature Nativity scene called Nacimiento.
HOLLAND, BELGIUM: Saint Nicholas distributes gifts to the children on December 5th. Wearing a red robe he arrives by boat from Spain and rides down the streets on a white horse. His servant (Swarte Piet) accompanies him. They both travel down the street and Swarte Piet enters the chimney of each house and leaves gifts in shoes that are left by the fire place.
ITALY: Most homes are decorated with a presepio (nativity scene). Many Italians serve eel for dinner at Christmas. They also make a Christmas bread called panettone which is made with raisins and candied fruits. Italian children receive gifts from La Befana, a kind of witch.
POLAND: Midnight mass is called Pasterks (Shepherd Mass) and many Christian families follow the tradition of breaking an oplatek, a thin wafer made of wheat and flour and water. Nativity scenes are stamped on the wafer. The head of the family holds the wafer in his hands while family members break off a small piece and eat it.
DENMARK, SWEDEN and NORWAY: Their Christmas dinners include rice pudding called julgrot. It has an almond inside, and whoever gets the almond is expected to have luck throughout the year. The Christmas season in Sweden begins on December 13th, St Lucia Day. On that day the oldest daughter in the home dresses in white and wears a wreath with seven lighted candles on her head. She serves the other members of the family with coffee in bed.
ASIA: Only a small number of Christians live there, so Christmas is not widely celebrated. In Japan, Christians are also in the minority, but they practice the exchange of gifts.
PHILIPPINES: The people in that country attend Misas de Galio (Masses of the Cock) which is celebrated early in the morning on the nine days before Christmas. On Christmas Eve they parade through the streets carrying colourful star shaped lanterns called parois.
AFRICA: Christmas is not widespread, but in Christmas communities many western practices are followed. Africans sing carols and hymns in their own language. In Ethiopia members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church hold religious services on January 7th. The major celebration takes place on the Epiphany.
GREECE: Christmas Day is celebrated on January 6th. It begins with merrymaking and parties. Greek mothers make their famous fried cakes during the festival and serve them to children while they listen to stories and folk legends. One of the most famous legends is the story of Karkantzari, a figure that is half-human and half monster.