MERRY CHRISTMAS GREETINGS 2023
The birth day of Jesus Christ is known as Christmas which is the most important popular Christian Celebration Festival all over the World.
Birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated on the midnight between 24th December and 25th December at 0.00 hours all over the world in all countries.
BIRTH PLACE OF JESUS
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) It was done because the Roman Government wanted to make sure that everyone in the Empire was paying their taxes correctly. The census was carried out all over Empire but in Palestine because it was carried out in a Jewish way rattan a Roman way. This meant that families had to register in their historical tribal town rather than where they lived. This also meant that Joseph and the very pregnant Mary would have to travel from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of the royal family of David i.e. a journey of about 70 miles (112 Kilometres). He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
The journey would have taken about three days and they might have well have arrived in the evening, because if they has arrived earlier in the day, it is more likely that they would have found somewhere to stay.
In the ancient days there are no guest rooms or inns available for stay. But in ancient days most of the houses would have been shared with the animals that the family kept. Houses had two levels, the upper/mezzanine level where people slept and the ground floor where the animals slept at night and the family lived during the day. The animals were a kind of “central heating” at night keeping the house warm. The ‘guest room’ was often an area on the upper/mezzanine level or even a hut on the flat floor of the house.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
“JESUS CHRIST BORN IN BETHLEHEM”
Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Various Christmas traditions have been associated with the celebration of Christmas, and different cultures celebrate different ways.
The angel who appeared to the shepherds the night of Jesus’ birth said, “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord”.
We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, the birth of Jesus Christ is “good news.” Good news is meant to be celebrated. In fact, the angel said the news of Jesus’ birth would cause “great joy” and would be “for all the people”—the joyful celebration would be universal.
People around the globe would be glad for this occasion.
WHY WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?
We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, “A Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” The three titles the angel applies to Jesus are important.
Jesus is the Savior who delivers us from sin and death. He is the human Messiah (or Christ) who fulfills the Law and the Prophets, showing that God is faithful. He is the divine Lord who has entered our world: the Almighty has taken on human flesh; God and man have been fused together in an indivisible, eternal bond; God is truly with us in celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the Savior, because we needed deliverance. We celebrate the Christ in whom all of God’s promises are “Yes” and “Amen”. We celebrate the Lord who in humility took on “the very nature of a Servant for oursakes.
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS AT VATICAN CITY
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Vatican City comes alive at Christmastime, with special masses and gatherings in celebration of the birth of Christ. Typically, a midnight mass is held on Christmas Eve inside St. Peter’s Basilica. Christmas Day features an event at noon, when onlookers converge at St. Peter’s Square to listen to Benedict recite a holiday reading from his perch on the basilica’s central balcony.
We celebrate Christmas with gift-giving because of the “indescribable gift” that God gave to us.
When even one person is in a life-threatening situation, we understand what has to be done. When God looked down at our sinful planet, He saw a whole world of people in mortal danger. We celebrate Christmas because it was at Christmastime that the Rescuer of all mankind came to save us from the hopeless situation we were in. God did not stay in heaven; He came down to where we are to give indescribable gift.
CHRISTMAS TREE
Once on a cold Christmas Eve night, a forester and his family were in their cottage gathered round the fire to keep warm. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When the forester opened the door, he found a poor little boy standing on the door step, lost and alone. The forester welcomed him into his house and the family fed and washed him and put him to bed in the youngest sons own bed (he had to share with his brother, that night). The next morning, Christmas Morning, the family were woken up by a choir of angels, and the poor little boy had turned into Jesus, the Christ Child. The Christ Child went into the front garden of the cottage and broke a branch off a Fir tree and gave it to the family as a present to say thank you for looking after him. So ever since them, people have remembered that night by bringing a Christmas tree into their homes.
We celebrate Christmas by decorating evergreen trees with stars and angels and tinsel because of the eternal life Jesus brings. The stars and angels and beauty were all associated with Jesus birth.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
We celebrate Christmas by stringing lights because the Light of the world has come to us.
Christmas trees displayed publicly and illuminated with electric lights became popular in the early 20th century. By the mid-20th century, it became customary to display strings of electric lights as along streets and on buildings; Christmas decorations detached from the Christmas tree itself. In the United States, it became popular to outline private homes with such Christmas lights in tract housing beginning in the 1960s. By the late 20th century, the custom had also been adopted in other nations, including outside the Western world, notably in Japan and Hong Kong.
Throughout Christendom, Christmas lights continue to retain their symbolism of Jesus as the light of the world.
WHY WE HAVE CHRISTMAS CAKE
The best dish after fasting or on empty stomach is beginning to eat with porridge. Almost this kind of diet is followed by all religions.
Similarly Christmas cake is an English tradition that began as plum porridge. People ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into Christmas pudding.
The plum porridge was first cited in 1573 and was traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. It was also the origins of the Christmas pudding. During the 16th Century the oatmeal in the porridge was replaced by butter, flour from wheat and eggs.
The American tradition of eating fruitcake around the holidays stemmed from the British tradition, when the dessert was sometime called Christmas cake or plum cake.
CHRISTMAS CAROLS WITH CHOIRS
We celebrate Christmas with carols and choirs because they are expressive of joy and follow the examples of Mary and Zacharias and Simeon and the angels, all of whom extolled the Lord in poetry.
