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Christmas Resources

xmas — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:24:58 +0000

Christmas resources for your convenience. we found various interesting websites and we would like to share them here. If you have one, or know one, please feel free to add it to this page using the comment form below.

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Definition of Christmas

xmas — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:44:03 +0000

Christmas (IPA: /krisməs/), also referred to as Christmas Day or Christmastide, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25[2] that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.[3][4][5] His birth, which is the basis for the Anno Domini system of dating, has been determined by modern historians as having occurred between 7 and 2 BC. The date of celebration is not thought to be Jesus' actual date of birth, and may have been chosen to coincide with ancient Roman solar festivals that were held on December 25.[6]

Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus, also referred to as Father Christmas, is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th century media.

Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is widely celebrated around the world, including in the United States, where it is celebrated by 96% of the population.[7]

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

Etymology of Christmas

xmas — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:26:45 +0000

The word Christmas originated as a contraction of "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1032, compounded from Old English derivatives of the Greek christos and the Latin missa.[1] In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ. Since the mid-16th century Χ, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ.[2] Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas.

After the conversion of Anglo-Saxon Britain in the very early 7th century, Christmas was referred to as geol,[1] the name of the pre-Christian winter festival from which the current English word 'Yule' is derived.[3]

Reference:

1: "Christmas", The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1313.

2. Oxford English Dictionary

3. "The Christmas Season" The Voice, CRI/Voice, Institute, 2006.