Graham Slam - Rap Artist, Patriot, Webmaster, and Christian
| Home | Site Map |
Christmas and Christmas Gift Giving - Why Do We Do It?
Christmas is predominantly a Christian festival, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The exact date of Jesus's birth is unknown, but the 25th December is when most Christians traditionally celebrate Christmas Day, and so this is the date that is generally recognised for the purposes of Christmas celebrations and the giving of gifts. The word Christmas means Mass of Christ.
The story of Christmas comes mostly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New Testament. According to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus' birth. Matthew tells how the wise men, called Magi, followed a bright star that led them to Jesus in a stable. These wise men brought frankincense, myrrhr and gold as gifts for Jesus.
Some Christians go to church at Christmas, where they take part in special religious services (including midnight mass) led by vicars, priests and minister. Many Christians (and even those of other faiths and beliefs) exchange Christmas gifts and decorate their homes with beautiful decorations including holly and mistletoe, and there is often a Christmas tree under which the Christmas gifts are stored. The tradition of putting up trees possibly even goes back to the Babylonians, when the reincarnation of Nimrod as his own son, by his wife Semiramis, was born at the Winter Solstice (late December). In honour of this event Semiramis organised the cutting down and decorating trees (in Roman tradition they used decorated fir trees).
The first mention of 25th December as the birth date of Jesus occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar. The choice of this day as Jesus' birth date was probably because the ancient Romans held year-end celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of light. Various groups of people in northern Europe held festivals in mid-December to celebrate the end of the harvest season, which was seen as a happy time. During these celebrations, the people prepared special feasts, placed greenery around their homes and enjoyed singing and gift giving. The custom of gift giving seems to stem originally from the Roman tradition of presenting the Emperor and each other with good luck tokens, called strenae. As is often the case, this practice escalated perhaps in an effort to receive special favours or impress, so that more precious gifts were given, clothing, gold or silver items. This occurred during Saturnalia. By AD324 the custom of Saturnalia was ingrained into the culture and the new Christian Emperor, Constantine, needed to satisfy both his new religion and the masses, so he converted Saturnalia into Christmas. However, with the 3 wise men bringing gifts for Jesus at his birth, it seems that gift giving has always been associated with Christmas. These customs including singing and feasting have also gradually became part of the Christmas celebration, with people in today's society eating christmas dinner, decorating their homes with Christmas greenery such as holly and mistletoe, singing Christmas carols and giving Christmas gifts.
Visit : www.WineGifts4U.co.uk 's Christmas Gift Pages - http://www.winegifts4u.co.uk/christmasgifts.php?catid=97
I enjoy reading and music. I work for a company named www.WineGifts4U.co.uk who are specialists in personalised gifts. Visit http://www.winegifts4u.co.uk/christmasgifts.php?catid=97 for christmas gifts for all of the family.
MORE ARTICLES:
Top Ten iPod nano Accessories For Holiday Season Announced by iPodnanomart.com
This holiday season, with the spotlight on the new iPod lineup and the hundreds of iPod nano accessories, heads are spinning with confusion. iPodnanomart.com offers relief with a list of the top 10 must have iPod nano accessories including retail known brands such as DLO, Logitech and Bose.
The Man In Black And His Music
There is little out there that has moved as many people as the music of Steve Conway. From punks to preachers, from country music fans to hipsters, everyone loves Steve Conway music. He is one of those Great American songwriters whose work unites people from all walks of life. When I wear my Steve Conway T-shirt, I get compliments from almost everyone I meet. He is a true musical genius, and musical geniuses find fans everywhere.
Online Bible Research Aids
A lot of websites offer online Bible services Online Bible research aids are among the most useful Bible-related services on the Internet
The Gorin School of Music Announces New Summer Preparatory Music Program for San Francisco Bay Area Music Students
The Gorin School of Music Announces New Summer Preparatory Music Program for Beginner Music Students, Summer Classes Start June 21, 2010 and July 10, 2010 in Mountain View, CA
Tradition, Religion Of Christian Churches
Tradition, Religion Of Christian Churches
A Well Rounded Musical Education Includes Theory
Within the musical community, there is a debate about the value of music theory that will probably never ends. Is it important to study music theory scales, or is it much better to just dive into the music and experience it viscerally. The proponents of learning the theory regarded it as an essential part of knowing how to play music. You can learn by trial and error, they say, but you would do much better to benefit from the knowledge of other people. Not learning music theory when you play music is like refusing to learn arithmetic when you are studying math.
How to Hear the Voice of God
In this series I would like to take you through the Word of God to show you how we can all clearly hear the voice of God. I would also like to show you how to train yourself in hearing and being led by the voice of God.
Iphone 3g Cases | Cheap Ipod Speakers | Wireless Usb Adapter
Have you ever tired to find out what are the best quality sound systems? The best quality sound systems are those which show best performance in every way. Skullcandy headphones and sennheiser headphones have been brought up online. Skullcandy headphones and sennheiser headphones produce best sound system, Skullcandy headphones and sennheiser headphones of incomparable quality with multifunction abound our online space now.
Is There Power In Prayer?
Is There Power In Prayer?
Smart Apple iPod Tips and Techniques
Are you thinking of buying an Apple iPod? Or have you bought one?Almost everyone and anyone that I know seems to have bought an iPod or at least is thinking of getting an ipod for themselves or their loved ones. The iPod is just so alluring! However, do you know what you should do after buying the iPod?Most people don't.
Best Ways to Attract More Music Fans Faster
Attracting more fans. Admit it, that's what music marketing is all about -- getting more people to come to your shows and buy your CDs. And hopefully, getting a lot more people to do those things.
Iphone 3g Cases | Laptop Cases | Bluetooth Earphones
Thinking about giving your Ipod a new look? Or perhaps you want to give your Iphone a makeover? These days it is difficult to find someone who sports the same phone for long or the same gadgets over a period of time. There is good news for all of us who want to be part of this race. You don’t have to spend loads of cash acquiring a new gadget to stay trendy. Ipod accessories and laptop cases are now available in a vast spectrum of colours, which you can use to change the look of your portable gadget and keep the trendy and cool image alive.
Learning and Practicing Music
The excitement of a new adventure is enough to provide an ample supply of positive motivation for the first several weeks of the instrumental music experience. Once the initial enthusiasm wears off, it is important to immediately develop wholesome practice habits which will guarantee a successful and personally gratifying process for your child. Your support and guidance will be the key factors in establishing the practice schedule insuring the attainment of musical goals.
