LUCRARE PENTRU OBINEREA ATESTATULUI

DE COMPETEN LINGVISTIC

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

Profesor coordonator:

Elev:

Mai,2016

CONTENTS

1. Introduction: WHY CHRISTMAS?............... 3

2. Around the World: WHEN CHRISTMAS IS
CELEBRATED .... 4
3. Christmas Customs and Traditions
3.1.
3.2.
3.3.
3.4.
3.5.
3.6.

Christmas Eve. 5
Christmas Plants. 6
The Tradition of Mistletoe at Christmas. 7
Pantomime... 8
The Star of Bethlehem 9
The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas /

Santa Claus ...... 10

3.7. Christmas Candles; Christmas Bells .... 11
3.8. The History of Christmas Trees.. 12
4. Christmas Celebration in Romania... 13
5. Christmas Celebration in England 16

6. Interesting Facts about Christmas Customs and Traditions

in Romania and England.. 18
7. Conclusion.22
8. Bibliography. 23
WHY CHRISTMAS?
Christmas is everybodys most favorite time of the year, the fresh snow on
the ground, a warm house smelling of fresh baked goodies and icicles hanging off
the roof. The lights always make the house look great from the outside, shining off
the snow and glistening off the icicles.
Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and
commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been
observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in
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nature. Christians celebrate Christmas

Day as the anniversary of the birth of
Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader
whose teachings form the basis of their
religion. Popular customs include
exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas
trees, attending church, sharing meals
with family and friends and, of course,
waiting for Santa Claus to arrive.
In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of
Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute
the birth of Jesus as a holiday.
In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way
Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces
took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of
their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to
the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.
It wasnt until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace
Christmas. The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil.
During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted
classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city
council instituted the citys first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This
catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way
Christmas was celebrated in America.

When Christmas is Celebrated

Christmas or Christmas
Day
(Old
English:
Crstesmsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual festival
commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and also the most
widely celebrated festival world over, the most popular
festival globally.
The first Church did not celebrate the birth of Christ.
And the actual date of his birth was and still is unknown.
The earliest known indication to such a celebration comes in a passing statement
by St. Clement of Alexandria who mentions that the Egyptians of his time
celebrated the Lord's birth on May 20. At the end of the 3rd century, the Western
Churches celebrated it in the winter, and this was only accepted in Rome in the
middle of the 4th century.
Many people think Christmas is on December the 25th and that's all there is
to Christmas. However, for many people around the world, in different countries
and in different Christian traditions, Christmas lasts for a lot longer than that - and
it's even celebrated at different times!
Some churches (mainly Orthodox churches) use a different calendars for
their religious celebrations. Orthodox Churches in Russia, Serbia, Jerusalem,
Ukraine, Ethiopia and other countries use the old 'Julian' calendar and people in
those churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
Most people in the Greek Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on
December 25th. But some still use the Julian calendar and so celebrate Christmas
on 7th January! Some Greek Catholics also celebrate on January 7th.

Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve has many of its own customs and traditions. The most widely
practised one that still exists today is going to a Midnight Mass Church Service. In
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many countries, especially Catholic ones such as Spain, Mexico, Polandand Italy,
this is the most important Church service of the Christmas season. People might
fast during Christmas Eve (not eat any meat or fish usually) and then the main
Christmas meal is often eaten after the Midnight Mass Service in these countries.
The Midnight Mass Communion Service (or 'Christ-Mas') was a very special
one as it was the only one that was allowed to start after sunset (and before sunrise
the next day), so it was held at Midnight!
Christmas Eve is also the day when people in some countries,
like Germany, Sweden and Portugal exchange their presents. In many european
countries including Germany, Serbia and Slovakia, Christmas Eve is the day when
the Christmas Tree is brought into the house and decorated.
One of the most famous Christmas Eve superstitions included that farm and
wild animals would kneel at midnight in honor of Jesus being born or that they
could even talk!

Christmas Plants
Holly

The prickly leaves represent the crown of thorns that

Jesus wore when he was crucified. The berries are the
drops of blood that were shed by Jesus because of the
thorns.
In Scandinavia it is known as the Christ Thorn.

Ivy
Ivy has to cling to something to support itself as it
grows. This reminds us that we need to cling to God
for support in our lives.
In Germany, it is traditional that Ivy is only used
outside and a piece tied to the outside of a Church was
supposed to protect it from lightning!

Rosemary
Rosemary was connected with the Virgin Mary
(because it was thought to be Mary's favourite plant)
and people thought that it could protect you from evil
spirits. It is also sometimes called the friendship plant
and it was the most common garnish put on the boar's
head that rich people ate at the main Christmas meal in
the Middle ages!
It is also known as the remembrance herb and was
used at Christmas as this is the time that we remember
the birth of Jesus.

The Tradition of Mistletoe at Christmas

Mistletoe is a plant that grows on range of trees including willow, apple and
oak trees. The tradition of hanging it in the house goes back to the times of the
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ancient Druids It was also used

as a sign of love and friendship
in Norse mythology and that's
where the custom of kissing
under Mistletoe comes from.
When the first Christians
came to Western Europe, some
tried to ban the use of Mistletoe
as a decoration in Churches,
but many still continued to use
it! York Minster Church in the
UK used to hold a special
Mistletoe Service in the winter,
where wrong doers in the city
of York could come and be
pardoned.
The custom of kissing
under Mistletoe comes from
England. The original custom
was that a berry was picked
from the sprig of Mistletoe
before the person could be
kissed and when all the berries
had gone, there could be no
more kissing!

Pantomime
Pantomime (or 'Panto' for
short!) is a traditional British
Christmas play and a chance
for people to go to the theatre.
But it really came from very un-British traditions, nothing to do with Christmas
whatever!
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It is now primarily a children's entertainment show, in the theatre, based on

traditional children's stories Fairy Stories such as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.
But pantomime really began as an entertainment for adults. It can be traced back to
the ancient Roman 'Saturnalia' midwinter feast, at which everything was supposed
to be turned upside-down. Men dressed up as women and women as men. Just like
the Pantomime Dames (Men comically dressed up as women) and principal boys
(young women dressed up as boys, normally the leading role) of the modern day
panto.
Pantomime first came to Britain in the 18th century from the 'commedia
dell'arte', the Italian tradition of improvised theatre. The stories of the commedia
dell'arte had many 'stock' characters in them such as clowns and jesters and a
'baddie'. Traditional plots got mixed up with fairy stories, folk tales, or tales from
the Arabian Nights stories, and
gradually evolved into the dozen
or so familiar stories of the panto
repertoire that are still used today.
The traditional figures from the
commedia dell'arte gradually
disappeared, and pantomimes
became more as we know them
today; they also became an
expected part of our Christmas
festivities, traditionally starting on
Boxing Day (or often before
Christmas now so more people
can see them!)

The Star of Bethlehem

The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas
Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the Biblical Magi, and
later led them to Bethlehem, according to Christian tradition.
The star appears only in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where
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astrologers from the east are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There they
meet King Herod of Judea, and ask where the king of the Jews had been born.
Herod, following a verse from the Book of Micah interpreted as a prophecy, directs
them to Bethlehem, to the south of Jerusalem. The star leads them to Jesus' home
in the town, where they worship him and give him gifts. The wise men are then
given a divine warning not to return to Herod so they return home by a different
route.
Many Christians see the star as a miraculous sign to mark the birth of the
Christ (or Messiah). Some theologians claimed that the star fulfilled a prophecy,
known as the Star Prophecy. Astronomers have made several attempts to link the
star to unusual astronomical events, such as a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, a
comet or a supernova.
Many modern scholars do not consider the story to be describing a historical
event but a pious fiction created by the author of the Gospel of Matthew.
The subject is a favorite at
planetarium shows during the Christmas
season, although the Biblical account
describes Jesus with a broader Greek word,
which can mean either "infant" or "child"
(paidon), rather than the more specific word
for infant (brephos), possibly implying that
some time has passed since the birth. The
visit is
traditionally celebrated on
Epiphany (January
6)
in
Western
Christianity.

The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/Santa Claus

St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called
Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his
parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very
kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people
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who needed it. There are several legends

about St. Nicholas, although we don't
know if any of them are true!
The most famous story about St.
Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging
up stockings to get presents in first
started! It goes like this:
There was a poor man who had
three daughters. He was so poor, he did
not have enough money for a dowry, so
his daughters couldn't get married. (A
dowry is a sum of money paid to the
bridegroom by the brides parents on the
wedding day. This still happens in some
countries, even today.) One night,
Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold
down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then
able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to
dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to
discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the
fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas
begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to
bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a
secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.
Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint.

Christmas Candles

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There are many different reasons why candles

are associated with Christmas, although no one knows
when they first became connected!
They were used during ancient winter solstice
celebrations a way of remembering that spring would
soon come.
One of the earliest records of candles being used
at Christmas is from the middle ages, where a large
candle was used to represent the star of Bethlehem. Jesus is sometimes called 'the
Light of the World' by Christians. This might have started the custom of
the Advent Crown and Advent Candles.

Christmas Bells
Bells, especially Church Bells, have traditionally
been associated with Christmas for a long time. In the
Anglican and Catholic churches, the church day starts at
sunset, so any service after that is the first service of the
day. So a service on Christmas Eve after sunset is
traditionally the first service of Christmas day! In
churches that have a Bell or Bells, They are often rung to signal the start of this
service.
In some churches in the UK, it is traditional that the largest bell in the
church is rung four times in the hour before midnight and then at midnight all the
bells are rung in celebration.
In many Catholic countries such as England, France, Spain and Italy, the
midnight mass service is very important and everyone tries to go to a service.
In Victorian times, it was very fashionable to go carol singing with small
handbells to play the tune of the carol. Sometimes there would only be the bells
and no singing! Handbell ringing is still popular today.

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The History of Christmas Trees

The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been
used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and Christian)
for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of it to
decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it
made them think of the spring to come. The Romans
used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival
of Saturnalia. Christians use it as a sign of everlasting
life with God.
Nobody is really sure when Fir trees were first used as Christmas trees. It
probably began about 1000 years ago in Northern Europe. Many early Christmas
Trees seem to have been hung upside down from the ceiling using chains (hung
from chandeliers/lighting hooks).
Other early Christmas Trees, across many parts of northern Europe, were
cherry or hawthorn plants (or a branch of the plant) that were put into pots and
brought inside so they would hopefully flower at Christmas time. If you couldn't
afford a real plant, people made pyramids of woods and they were decorated to
look like a tree with paper, apples and candles. Sometimes they were carried
around from house to house, rather than being displayed in a home.
The first documented use of a tree at Christmas and New Year celebrations is
argued between the cities of Tallinn in Estonia and Riga in Latvia! Both claim that
they had the first trees; Tallinn in 1441 and Riga in 1510.
The first Christmas Trees came to Britain sometime in the 1830s. They
became very popular in 1841, when Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's German
husband) had a Christmas Tree set up in Windsor Castle. In 1848, drawing of "The
Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle" was published in the Illustrated London
News.The publication of the drawing helped Christmas Trees become popular in
the UK and USA.

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Christmas Celebration in Romania

How would winter look without Christmas and how would Christmas be
without all its charming traditions? Its hard to imagine, especially in a country like
Romania where Christmas traditions were kept alive and passed from generation to
generation, finding their place and relevance even today when more commercial
habits are overwhelming the Christmas holiday.
Christmas is popularly known as 'Crciun' in Romania. The festival was
once observed in the country with much fanfare. But after the surrender of
Romania to the USSR during World War II, the country was declared a
communist republic in 1947 and its citizens were forced to abandon many
of their Christmas traditions. However, the festival has again begun to
be observed in the country, since the country regained its independence in 1989.
Christmas in Romania falls on December 25 and is generally considered one
of the most important religious holiday.
A very important Christmas
custom practiced in Romanian
villages is 'Ignatius', the sacrifice of a
pig in every house in the honor of
Saint Ignatius. A pig is specially
chosen for this purpose and fed to
make it grow fat, often around 300
pounds. Five days before Christmas,
on 20th of December, a very sharp
knife is used to cut the throat of the pig.This sacrificial ceremony is performed in
the back yard of houses. All the extended members of the family , friends and
neighbors are invited to the feast and the meat is then shared with them, along
with bacon and plum brandy. This feast is known as the pig's funeral feast. The
'Ignatius' ceremony is looked down as a barbaric custom in countries like U.S., but
Romanians insist that it is performed to ensure that the soul of the pig receives
ample gratitude for the nourishment that it provides to all in the family.

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But the real celebrations begin with the decoration of the Christmas tree on
"Ajunul Craciunului" (Christmas Eve). Fir trees happen to be the main Christmas
trees here. Gift exchanges take place in Romania in the evening of Christmas Eve,
contrary to the American way of opening gifts on Christmas morning. Romanian
children believe that 'Mos Craciun' (the Romanian equivalent of Santa Claus) is the
one who delivers them their presents. Unlike in the U.S., the Romanian children do
not leave milk and cookies out for 'Mos Craciun'. While urban children receive
expensive gifts and money, those in the villages have to settle with sweets, fruit,
nuts, and pastries as Christmas gifts. A common and popular gift is
knotshaped bread, which, in Romania, symbolizes an abundant harvest.
The singing of carols is a very
important part of Romanian Christmas
festivities. Throughout the Christmas
season, little Romanian children
(especially those in the villages) visit
every house in the locality singing
carols such as Steaua ('The Star'), Trei
Pastori ('The Three Shepherds') and
Mos Craciun ('Santa Claus') and
reciting poems and legends tied to the
festival. On the first day of Christmas,
many carolers walk through the streets
of the towns and villages, holding a
star made of cardboard and paper on which are depicted various scenes from the
Bible. The leader of the group carries a large wooden star called "Steaua", which is
wrapped up with metal foil and adorned with bells and coloured ribbons. An image
of the Nativity is pasted on the center of the star, and the entire handcraft is
attached to the end of a broom or stout pole. The singing is taken up first by young
children, then the adolescents and lastly the adults, who join in often after
midnight). In return for such performances, carolers recieve apples, nuts,
traditional cakes ('cozonaci') and sometimes even money from each house.
Romanian folklores bound with Christmas carols which lend a religious mood to
the festival. Churches specially organize concerts to celebrate the occassion.

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In Romanian familes, all the women cook for three days leading up to
'Craciun'. Christmas dinner in Romania is a rich, multi-course meal. On the top of
the menu comes various kinds of pork sausages, along with plum brandy and home
made pickles. 'Sarmale' , an indispensable item for the festive dinner, comes next.
This dish consists of pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a combination of pork
and beef, along with rice, pepper, thyme and other spices. Other dishes to follow
are roasted pork and turkey with red wine. The wine is consumed to celebrate the
birth of Jesus. The last item is 'cozonaci', a cake filled with nuts and raisins.
All the members of the extended family enjoy the feast together.
On Christmas day, children and grown-ups alike wander around, singing
carols. They may come from all over the country, for instance from central and
southern Transylvania, Crisana and sometimes from Banat. Traditionally, they
perform their carols wearing masks. The mask stands for a god in his zoomorphic
instantiation, impersonated by the group leader, who wears the mask while
performing the carol.Turca (the stag, BORITA) is born at the same time when the
mask is made, and it revels and makes merry with the group of carollers acting as
its divine company, dying violently, club-beaten, shot or drowned, so that it may be
reborn in the New Year. Quite often, the groups leader has fun scaring women and
children with the mask; at the same time he may ask for his due, the moneys worth
he thinks he should receive for the ritual he performed, being offered the most
honoured guests seat at the groups ceremonial table.

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Christmas Celebration in England

Christmas Day is celebrated in the
United Kingdom on December 25. It
traditionally celebrates Jesus Christ's birth
but many aspects of this holiday have pagan
origins. Christmas is a time for many people
to give and receive gifts and prepare special
festive meals.
Prior to Christmas Day, people decorate their homes and gardens prior to
Christmas Day. In many towns and cities, the shopping streets are also decorated
with lights and large pine trees, often specially imported from Norway. In some
places a Nativity scene is arranged. This illustrates the story of Jesus' birth using
statues or actors and live animals. Many churches hold special services in the night
before Christmas Day.
Many people spend Christmas Day with family members, with whom they
exchange gifts and cards. Many children wake up to find a sock or stocking filled
with small gifts on their bed or somewhere else in the house. These have
supposedly been brought by a mythical figure called 'Father Christmas' or 'Santa
Claus', who lives for most of the year at the North Pole. He travels in a sleigh
pulled by reindeer and enters houses by climbing down the chimney. He hopes to
enjoy a small snack of mince pies and brandy at each house. He supposedly travels
so fast that he can deliver presents to all children in one night, although some in
some stories elves help him with his work.
Later in the day, people may attend special church services, even if they do
not usually go to church. Nearly everyone prepares and eats a special meal. This
often includes roast turkey, potatoes and parsnips, and other vegetables. After the
main course, Christmas pudding is often eaten. This is a heavy steamed, dense,
cake-like pudding filled with dried fruit and nuts. Burning brandy is often poured
over it as it is served, giving a spectacular effect. Mince pies are also popular on
Christmas Day. They are sweet pastry cases filled with a mixture of dried fruit, fat
and alcohol.
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Interesting Facts about Christmas

Customs and Traditions in Romania and England
Public Life: ROMANIA
Christmas Day is a public holiday in Romania so
banks, public offices, and many private businesses are
closed. People intending to travel via public transport
during public holidays must check with the public transit
authorities on any changes to time schedules.

Public Life: ENGLAND

Nearly all organizations, except hospitals and shelters for the homeless, are
closed on Christmas Day. Some public houses and smaller stores selling food may
open for a few hours in the middle of the day. Public transport services do not run
to their normal timetables and may even not run at all. Public life closes down
almost totally on Christmas Day.
Many churches hold special services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Some also organize shelter, company and food for the homeless or those who need
help. Others hold events for people who wish to return to the spiritual aspects of
Christmas and turn away from the commercial aspects of modern Christmas
celebrations.

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Christmas Fasting: ROMANIA (Postul Craciunului)

Romanians are religious people and they usually practice fasting throughout
the year, each Monday and Friday, by abstaining from eating animal products. The
Christmas fast begins on November 14th and ends on December 24th. According
to Orthodox religion, during these 40 days preceding Christmas, no one is allowed
to eat meat, eggs and milk, with few exceptions when fish is permitted (St
Ignatius).

Christmas Fasting: England (Advent)

The Catholic Church historically observes the discipline of fasting
or abstinence at various times each year. For Catholics, fasting is the reduction of
one's intake of food, while abstinence refers to refraining from meat (or another
type of food). You can be exempt on days of travel. The Catholic Church teaches
that all people are obliged by God to perform some penance for their sins, and that
these acts of penance are both personal and corporeal. The purpose of fasting is
spiritual focus, self-discipline, imitation of Christ, and performing penance.

Traditional Food: ROMANIA

Food is probably the main part of any holiday in Romania, but Christmas is
a true feast for the senses. Preparation begins with pig slaughtering, when a good
part of the poor animal is turned into smoked ham, bacon, sausages, liver sausage,
pigs trotter and other goodies whose names are untranslatable. On Christmas Eve
women make sarmale (delicious meat-and-rice rolls wrapped in cabbage, served
with polenta) and bake cozonaci, a sort of sponge cake with nuts, cocoa and
Turkish delights, similar to the Italian panetone, but more consistent. Despite all
financial problems, Christmas dinner is always a rich, multi-course meal.
Highlights of the menu always include roasted pork, pickled vegetables, the
delicious beouf salad, home-made wine and plum brandy, as well as various fancy
cakes.

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Traditional Food: ENGLAND (Christmas Pudding)

Christmas Pudding is the traditional end to the British Christmas dinner.
But what we think of as Christmas Pudding now, is not what it was originally
like!
Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called
frumenty that was made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes,
wines and spices. This would often be more like soup and was eaten as a
fasting meal in preparation for the Christmas festivities.
By 1595, however, frumenty was slowly changing into a plum pudding,
having been thickened with eggs, breadcrumbs, dried fruit and given more
flavour with the addition of beer and spirits. It became the customary
Christmas dessert around 1650.
Over the years, many superstitions have surrounded Christmas Puddings. For
instance, during Victorian times, puddings in big and rich houses were often
cooked in fancy moulds (like jelly ones). These were often in the shapes of
towers or castles. Normal people, by contrast, just had puddings in the shape of
balls. And if the pudding was a bit heavy, they were called cannonballs!
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Putting a silver coin in the pudding

is another age-old custom that is said to
bring luck to the person that finds it. In
the UK the coin traditionally used was a
silver six pence. The closest coin to
that now is a five pence piece!

Traditional songs: Romanian Carols (Colinde)

Probably the best part of a Romanian
Christmas is the laborious, magical suite of
carols that can be heard all over the country
during this wonderful time of the year, from
the paths of the most remote villages to the
classiest venues in the capital. Often
accompanied by wishes for health, prosperity
and fulfillment, Romanian carols are far from
being just simple Christmas songs. They
usually come together with rituals, special
costumes, tools and even short theatrical performances, generating a genuine
spectacle. Most popular include Steaua (the Star boys singing procession), Capra
(The Goat) and Plugusorul. Overall, Romanian Christmas carols, whether religious
songs, pure folklore or theatrical performances, are all wonderful.

Traditional songs: ENGLAND

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The joyous themes for many

traditional Christmas carols were banned
in England by the staunch Protestant
Oliver Cromwell and many of the very old
Christmas carols and songs were
subsequently lost for all time. Christmas
carols were only fully popularised again
during the Victorian era when they again
expressed joyful and merry themes in their carol lyrics as opposed to the normal,
more sombre, Christian lyrics found in hymns. As religious observances in the
United States and England were closely linked the popularity of Christmas carols
grew in both countries in the 19th century.
Many Christmas traditions are relatively recent such as Santa Claus and
reindeer and bear no relation to Christmas carols. We have reflected this in the
unusual and beautiful Victorian Angel Pictures we have included for your pleasure
and enjoyment. Today Christmas songs and carols are also fast becoming a
tradition.

CONCLUSIONS
Christmas is a big festival of joy and happiness. It is celebrated
on the birth anniversary of the Jesus Christ (founder of the
Christianity) faith every year on 25th of December in the winter
season. It is observed as the Christmas Day to commemorate and give
honour to the Jesus Christ. People enjoy the Christmas holiday all
through the day by dancing, partying, singing and going outside the
home for dinner. It is celebrated by the people of all religion,
especially Christians. The wear new and colourful dress at this day
and enjoy a lot. Everyone wishes each other by the quote of Merry
Christmas and go to anothers house to exchange wishes and gifts.

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Christian people start lots of preparations on this occasion at

least a month ago. At this day, houses, offices, churches, etc are
cleaned; white washed and decorated well using paper flowers,
natural flowers, sceneries, pictures, looking glasses, wall buntings,
etc. Market also gets decorated to look attractive and we can see the
market full of Christmas cards, gift items, sceneries, toys, etc. People
enjoy decorating their houses with the Christmas tree in the centre of
house. They load the Christmas tree with lots of gift items like
chocolates, candies, balloons, dolls, birds, flowers, lights, etc to make
it bright and beautiful.
Christian people do pray to their God Jesus Christ, confess in
front of God to remove their sins and sufferings, sing holy songs, and
exchange lots of gifts among friends, relative, family members,
neighbours, etc. They arrange a big feast including delicious dishes in
the dinner which are served to all people. After feast everyone enjoy
music, dance and sing at night. It is a festival of great fervour and
rejoice which everyone enjoy all over the world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/
"Online Etymology Dictionary"
Christmas as a Multi-faith
Retrieved September 30, 2008
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FestivalBBC

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 "The Global Religious Landscape | Christians". Pew

Research Center. December 18, 2012. Retrieved May
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2009 Federal Holidays U.S. Office of
Management. Retrieved November 27, 2009.

Personnel

"The Chronological History of the Christmas Tree". The

Christmas Archives. RetrievedDecember 18, 2007

Chivers, Tom (December 23, 2010). "The biggest 'war on

Christmas'
myths". The
Daily
Telegraph.
Retrieved December 24, 2015.

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