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Show ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS The celebration of December 25th in memory of the birth of Christ dates from the fifth century, before which time it was observed conjointly with the feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Inasmuch as the exact date of Christ's birth, or even the year, i9 unknown, the annual observance is in commemoration of the event rather than as the anniversary of its actual occurrence. The Christmas tree, now an almost universal symbol, is derived from the Egyptian use of a palm branch of twelve shoots to signify the completed year, a custom which prevailed long before the Christian Chris-tian era. Its presence significance is by some thought to have originated orig-inated in Germany. The use of evergreen decorations, particuarly mistletoe, has been observed since the time of the Druids. In the Middle Ages the festivities incident to Christmas were marked by widely hilarious proceedings. These called forth remonstrances from church authorities, author-ities, who deplored the tendency to stress the festive rather than the serious significance of the Christmas season. The mythical Santa Claus has been known by many names Kris Kringle, St- Nicholas, Knecht Ruprecht, Robin Goodfellow, and others. In Germany an ugly dwarf known as Grampus was supposed suppos-ed to carry off naughty children instead of rewarding them with presents. Although it draws its symbolism from many sources, both Christian and pagan, Christmas remains one of the most important and widely observed festivals of the year a season of "Peace on Earth; Good Will Toward Men." |
