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Show CfiristmasIn ChristmasIn ChristmasI Christmasn Christmas In I n Many Lands LandsEarly Early Christians did not celebrate celebratethe celebratethe celebratethe the birthday ot of Christ Chnst It was not notuntil notuntil notuntil until the fourth fourtb century that Decem December Decemher Decemher ber her 25 cams came to be accepted as the thepresumed thepresumed th thpresumed presumed anniversary anDiversary of the greatevent greatevent great event vent . . In that year Pope Gregory GregoryV V set this day officially His Ins inten intention intention intention tion was partly to absorb the old oldpagan oldpagan oldpagan pagan festival of the returning sun sunthe sunthe Bunthe the ( ( the winter solstice on December December22) December22 22) 22 ) in a Christian Christlan least feast A number numberof of pagan celebrations were over overlapped overlapped overlapped lapped in this manner during the thefirst thafirst I Ifirst first centuries of Christianity ChristianityIt It is tor for this thus reason that the rem remnllnts remnants reranants nllnts nants of ancient ntes rites and customs customshave customshave customshave _ _ _ have become interminglcd intermingled inter intermingled mingled minglcd with genu genuIne genuins genuine pratf Ine ins Christian prac prat practlces practices f tlces tices and Ilnd symbolism symbolismThe symbolismThe symbolismThe The Yule rites of the theScandinavIan theScandinavian theScandinavian ScandinavIan , , Ger Germanic Gerr11 Germanic r11 t'iiIIH tiiIIH t'iiIIHmanic ' manic and BrItish BrItishnations Britishnations Britishnations nations blended wIth wIththe withthe withthe the new ChrIstian ChrIstianholy Christianholy Christianholy holy day In northernEurope northernEurope northern Europe In Italy France Spain and andother andother andother other nations descended from Ro- Ro Re- Re Roman Reman Ro Roman - - man colonies the rowdy festival festivalspirit festivalspirit festivalspirit spirit and customs of pagan Rome Romehung Romehung Romehung hung on to some extent , , and merged mergedWith mergedwith mergedwith With the observation of Christmas ChristmasIn In the main however the birth of o1 ofChrist o1Christ ofChrist Christ was a religious holiday-joy holiday joy holidayjoyous holiday - joyous ous but restrained in mood in inthe inthe Inths the early centuries of the tbe Christian Christianera ChristianI era Gradually however In the theMJddle theMiddle theMiddle MJddle Middle ages the feast became more morerobust morerobust morerobust robust as peasants and lords made mademerry mademerry mademerry merry ! in n the baronial baromal hallsNativity hallsNativity halls hallsNativity Nativity Plays PlaysOn PlaysOn PlaysOn On the other hand the Nativity Nativityplays Nativityplays Nativityplays plays were purely Christian in origin -havmg havmg -having having - orIginI orIginhavmg originhaving having arisen spontaneously in inmany Inmany inmany many earlyMiddle parts of Europe in the early MIddle ages In one form or an another another another other they have been enacted all allover allover allover over the world world , , with additions and andembellishments andembellishments andembellishments embellishments There are puppet puppetversions puppetversions puppetversions versions elaborate pageants music musicscores musicscores musloscores scores all treating of the birth of ofChrist ofChrist ofChrist Christ . . In Ia Spanish countries the " . ' Posadas is the name given to a acombination acombination acombination partywith combination procession and party partywith partywith with religious rell210us overtones that covers coversthe coversthe coversthe the nine Says days ( preceding precedlDg Christmas Christmasitself ChristmasItself itself . . . ' The 'nIe nIe Polish PolJsb Christmas play Is Isan isan isaa an intermingling intermmgllng of ot the Nativity sto- sto ate- ate story ate57 sto story - - ry 57 with elements of Polish history historyand historyand historyand and legendThe legendThe legend legendThe The Santa Claus tradition repre repre- represents represents represents - - sents the combining combinmg of a number of ofwidely ofwidely ofwidely widely differing reIics refics rel reI ref _ Ics of old supersti 1 1tion l lfj -fj fj - ' 'tlon tlon ' tlon tion and beliefs bellets Thenorthern The Thenorthern , -northern northern - 11tlon 11 northern European Europeans Europeansis * _ A.in Ain . in is pre Christiantimes Christian , jtimes | , times believed in aspirit a .J J . ! 2-ispirit 2 ispirit - [ spirit .Jspirit of woods and . afields . - , 1ields fields jplacated 11fields who had bad to be beplacated beplacated j 11 placated now andthen andthen and - then or he wouldrum wouldrum would _ rum the harvests This being was wasknown wasknown wasknown known in Norway as the Nisse NlSse * ' and by various names m in other Scan Scandinavlan Scandinavian Scandinavian dinavlan dinavian countries It Is still a cus custom custom custorn tom in rural regions for children to toS9t toset tosat S9t set out porridge and beer on Christ Christ- Christmas Christmas Christmas - - mas eve to please the NlsseIn NisseIn Nisse Nlsse NisseIn In Britain the character cbaracter known knownas as Father Christmas is supposed supposedto to be a Christian version of o1 this an anclent andent andent clent dent spirit spurt of the fields tlelds The Dutch DutchSmter DutchSinter DutchSinter Smter Sinter Klass mass or St Nicholas Is still stillrecogmzable stillrecognizable stillrecognizable recogmzable recognizable as the good bishop of ofMyra ofMyra ofMyra Myra in Dutch plays but he too is isbemg isbeing isbeing bemg being absorbed m ID in the more popular popularversIOn popularversion popularversion versIOn of Santa Claus the fat fat , , red redcoated redcoated redcoated coated little l.1ttle l1ttle . man with tha the big bag bagof bago1 bagof of o1 presents This Tbis idea of Santa SantaClaus SantaClaus SantaClaus Claus is a south German interpreta interpretation interpretation interpretatlon tion In other otber parts of Germany Germanythe Germanythe Germanythe the dispenser of gifts gilts is Dame Ber Bertha Bertha Bertha tha The custom of hanging up upstockmgs upstockings upstockings stockmgs stockings comes from ItalySWitzerland ItalySwitzerland Italy ItalySwitzerland Switzerland has developed the cus custom custom custorn tom of parading from house to houseand houseand house _ and singing singmg carols ina ina in ina a picturesque way wayCostumes wayCostumes wayCostumes Costumes are re remark remarkable remarkable mark markable able Young Youngmen YoungUb Youngmen Ub Ubmen men and women womenwear womenwear womenwear wear headdresses beaddresses beaddressesrepresenting headdressesrepresenting headdressesships representing bouses houses bousesslups housesships I housesI ships slups mountain mountains mountainsand mountainsand s sand and so forth . . Huge Hugesleigh Hugesleigh Hugesleigh sleigh bells tinkle tinklefrom tinklefrom tinklefrom from their waists and shoulders shouldersThese shouldersThese shouldersThese These Swiss carolers also have a apeculiar apeculiar apeculiar peculiar dance used only on Christ Christmas Christmar Christmai mas mar eve In Switzerland as in oth 0th other 0ther other er southern European countries the thegifts thegifts thegifts gifts are brought to good children childrennot childrennot childrennot not by Santa Claus but by the Christ ChristCb ChristChild ChristChild Cb Child d who comes from the North NorthPole NorthPole NorthPole Pole in a fairy sleighMembers sleighMembers sleigh sleighMembers Members of the Orthodox Greek Greekchurcb Greekchurch Greekchurch churcb church who cling to the old style stylecalendar stylecalendar stylecalendar calendar celebrare celebrate celebrareChrist celebrateChrist celebrateChrist Christ s birthday onJanuary onJanuary on on"January "January January " January 0 6 Manypeople Manypeople Many ; people in GreeceSerbia GreeceSerbia Greece fSerbia Serbia Romania andother andother and aother other Balkan states ' "Siaa Siaa " as well as statesg many manyI manyRussians manyRussians manytvE"Russians manytvERussians g : = I " Russians belong to toi toi tothe to/ to tog tothe / i g the Orthodox cburchTheir churchTheir church cburch ggTheir Their Cbristmas Christmas Cbristmasfeast Christmasfeast Christmasfeast feast traditionally begins begms with a bowl bowlof bowlof of 01 kutya ; which is a combination combinationof of . wheat v.heat vheat Cheat honey ground poppy seed seedand seedand seedand and pecans Mushroom soup fruit fruitfish fruitfish fruitfish fish and nuts are also served . . . A.mall Asmall A Amall .mall mall small . mall layer of hay is spread under underthe underthe underthe the table cloth to show humility for forClmst forChrist torChrist Clmst Christ s birth in a stableSo stableSo stable stableSo So every country and every dls dis dlstrict district district trict often has its own special ways waysof waysof waysof of keeping Christmas The Umted United UmtedStates UnitedStates UnitedStates States being bemg composed of people peoplerom peoplefrom peopletzora rom from ! everywhere has received cus customs customs customs toms from every eve17 people and has hasadopted hasadopted hasadopted adopted those It liked and altered alteredthem altered.hem alteredthem them .hem hem . to fit l1t the American style So SoIt Soit SoIt It has been with Santa Claus the theChrIstmas theChristmas theChristmas ChrIstmas tree holly and mistletoe mistletoethe mistletoethe mistletoethe the Christmas plays and carols the theluscious theluscious theluscious luscious menus - everything hasbeen has hasbeen hasbeen been gladly taken over with thanks thanksto thanksto thanksto to the many nations and peoples that thathavo thathave thathave havo have bequeathed them to us |