ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS / HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS
The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. (The first was Saturnalia, a two-week festival honouring their god of agriculture Saturn). On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.
As Christianity spread across Europe, the Christian clergy could not curb the pagan customs and celebrations. Since no one knew Jesus’s date of birth, they adapted the pagan ritual into a celebration of His birthday.
People also believe that on this day Santa (who we will be talking about later) come and give gifts to children and for those who are being naughty he takes them away. people also go to church.
Now we come to our second point which is Who is Santa ?
SANTA CLAUS
Inspired by St. Nicholas, this Christmas tradition has Christian roots, rather than pagan ones. Born in southern Turkey in a village called patara on March 15 280 A.D to Theophanes ,Nonna, he was a bishop in the early Christian church and suffered persecution and imprisonment for his faith. Coming from a wealthy family, he was renowned for his generosity towards the poor and disenfranchised. The legends surrounding him abound, but the most famous is how he saved three daughters from being sold into slavery. There was no dowry to entice a man to marry them, so it was their father’s last resort. St. Nicholas is said to have tossed gold through an open window into the home, thus saving them from their fate. Legend has it that the gold landed in a sock drying by the fire, so children started hanging stockings by their fires in hopes that St. Nicholas would toss gifts into them. He died on 6 December 343 AD,Myra, Turkey.
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-ANISH DUTTA