Observance and
traditions
Many Christians attend church services to celebrate the
birth of Jesus Christ.
Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public
holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are
mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial
rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian
minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the
holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular despite there
being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects
of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees.
Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety
of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local
cultures.
Church attendance
Christmas Day (inclusive of its vigil, Christmas Eve), is a
Festival in the Lutheran Churches, a holy day of obligation in the Roman
Catholic Church, and a Principal Feast of the Anglican Communion. Other
Christian denominations do not rank their feast days but nevertheless place
importance on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, as with other Christian feasts like
Easter, Ascension Day, and Pentecost. As
such, for Christians, attending a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day church service
plays an important part in the recognition of the Christmas season. Christmas,
along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance. A 2010
survey by LifeWay Christian Resources found that six in ten Americans attend
church services during this time. In the
United Kingdom, the Church of England reported an estimated attendance of 2.5
million people at Christmas services in 2015.
Decorations
Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were
popularized by Saint Francis of Assisi from 1223, quickly spreading across
Europe. Different types of decorations
developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available
resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more
elaborate sets – renowned manger scene traditions include the colorful Kraków
szopka in Poland, which imitate Kraków's historical buildings as settings, the
elaborate Italian presepi (Neapolitan, Genoese and Bolognese), or the Provençal
crèches in southern France, using hand-painted terracotta figurines called
santons. In certain parts of the world,
notably Sicily, living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint Francis
are a popular alternative to static crèches. The first commercially produced decorations
appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children. In countries where a representation of the
Nativity scene is very popular, people are encouraged to compete and create the
most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make
the representation are considered a valuable family heirloom.
The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are red,
green, and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his
crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the
evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter, and gold is the
first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the Magi,
symbolizing royalty.
The Christmas tree was first used by German Lutherans in the
16th century, with records indicating that a Christmas tree was placed in the
Cathedral of Strassburg in 1539, under the leadership of the Protestant Reformer,
Martin Bucer. In the United States,
these "German Lutherans brought the decorated Christmas tree with them;
the Moravians put lighted candles on those trees." When decorating the Christmas tree, many
individuals place a star at the top of the tree symbolizing the Star of
Bethlehem, a fact recorded by The School Journal in 1897. Professor David Albert Jones of Oxford
University writes that in the 19th century, it became popular for people to
also use an angel to top the Christmas tree in order to symbolize the angels
mentioned in the accounts of the Nativity of Jesus. The Christmas tree is considered by some as
Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice,
which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree
worship; according to eighth-century
biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface (634–709), who was a missionary in
Germany, took an ax to an oak tree dedicated to Thor and pointed out a fir
tree, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed
to heaven and it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the
Trinity. The English language phrase
"Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835 and represents an
importation from the German language.
On Christmas, the Christ Candle in the center of the Advent
wreath is traditionally lit in many church services.
Since the 16th century, the poinsettia, a native plant from
Mexico, has been associated with Christmas carrying the Christian symbolism of
the Star of Bethlehem; in that country it is known in Spanish as the Flower of
the Holy Night. Other popular holiday
plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus.
Other traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy
canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels. Both the displaying of wreaths and
candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric
assortment of leaves, usually from an evergreen, makes up Christmas wreaths and
is designed to prepare Christians for the Advent season. Candles in each window
are meant to demonstrate the fact that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is
the ultimate light of the world.
Christmas lights and banners may be hung along streets,
music played from speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places. It is common in many parts of the world for
town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations.
Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are
manufactured for the purpose of wrapping gifts. In some countries, Christmas
decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night.
Nativity play
For the Christian celebration of Christmas, the viewing of
the Nativity play is one of the oldest Christmastime traditions, with the first
reenactment of the Nativity of Jesus taking place in A.D. 1223. In that year, Francis of Assisi assembled a
Nativity scene outside of his church in Italy and children sung Christmas
carols celebrating the birth of Jesus. Each
year, this grew larger and people travelled from afar to see Francis' depiction
of the Nativity of Jesus that came to feature drama and music. Nativity plays eventually spread throughout
all of Europe, where they remain popular. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
church services often came to feature Nativity plays, as did schools and
theatres. In France, Germany, Mexico and
Spain, Nativity plays are often reenacted outdoors in the streets.
Music and carols
The earliest extant specifically Christmas hymns appear in
fourth-century Rome. Latin hymns such as "Veni redemptor gentium",
written by Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the
theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to Arianism. "Corde
natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's love begotten") by the
Spanish poet Prudentius (d. 413) is still sung in some churches today. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas
"Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North European
monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a sequence of rhymed
stanzas. In the 12th century the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to
derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the
traditional Christmas carol.
The songs now known specifically as carols were originally
communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide"
as well as Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church.
Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it
is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some
carols like "Personent hodie", "Good King Wenceslas", and
"The Holly and the Ivy" can be traced directly back to the Middle
Ages. They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung.
"Adeste Fideles" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form
in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th
century.
The singing of carols initially suffered a decline in
popularity after the Protestant Reformation in northern Europe, although some
Reformers, like Martin Luther, wrote carols and encouraged their use in
worship. Carols largely survived in rural communities until the revival of
interest in popular songs in the 19th century. The 18th-century English
reformer Charles Wesley understood the importance of music to worship. In
addition to setting many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the
Great Awakening in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three
Christmas carols. The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All
the Welkin Rings", later renamed "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing".
Hark! The Herald
Angels Sing
Completely secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the
late 18th century. "Deck the Halls" dates from 1784 and the American
"Jingle Bells" was copyrighted in 1857. In the 19th and 20th
centuries, African American spirituals and songs about Christmas, based in
their tradition of spirituals, became more widely known. An increasing number
of seasonal holiday songs were commercially produced in the 20th century,
including jazz and blues variations. In addition, there was a revival of
interest in early music, from groups singing folk music, such as The Revels, to
performers of early medieval and classical music. John Rutter has composed many
carols including "All Bells in Paradise", "Angels' Carol",
"Candlelight Carol", "Donkey Carol", "Jesus
Child", "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" and "Star Carol".
Traditional cuisine
A special Christmas family meal is traditionally an
important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food that is served varies
greatly from country to country. Some regions have special meals for Christmas
Eve, such as Sicily, where 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom
and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes
turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread
and cider. Special desserts are also prepared, such as Christmas pudding, mince
pies, fruit cake, Panettone and Yule log cake. Traditional Christmas meal in Central Europe
is fried carp or other fish.
Cards
Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting
exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding
Christmas Day. The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like that of the first commercial
Christmas card, produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843. The custom of sending them has become popular
among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend
towards exchanging E-cards.
Christmas cards are purchased in considerable quantities and
feature artwork, commercially designed and relevant to the season. The content
of the design might relate directly to the Christmas narrative, with depictions
of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christian symbols such as the Star of Bethlehem,
or a white dove, which can represent both the Holy Spirit and Peace on Earth.
Other Christmas cards are more secular and can depict Christmas traditions,
mythical figures such as Santa Claus, objects directly associated with
Christmas such as candles, holly, and baubles, or a variety of images
associated with the season, such as Christmastide activities, snow scenes, and
the wildlife of the northern winter. There are even humorous cards and genres
depicting nostalgic scenes of the past such as crinolined shoppers in idealized
19th-century streetscapes.
Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer, or Biblical verse;
while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive
"Season's greetings".
Commemorative stamps
A number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at
Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail Christmas
cards, and they are popular with philatelists. These stamps are regular postage
stamps, unlike Christmas seals, and are valid for postage year-round. They
usually go on sale sometime between early October and early December and are
printed in considerable quantities.
Gift giving
Christmas gifts under
a Christmas tree
The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the
modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for
retailers and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange
gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with Saint Nicholas, and the
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the
Magi. The practice of gift giving in the
Roman celebration of Saturnalia may have influenced Christian customs, but on
the other hand the Christian "core dogma of the Incarnation, however,
solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural
principle of that recurrent yet unique event", because it was the Biblical
Magi, "together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God
through man's renewed participation in the divine life."
Gift-bearing figures
A number of figures are associated with Christmas and the
seasonal giving of gifts. Among these are Father Christmas, also known as Santa
Claus (derived from the Dutch for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the
Weihnachtsmann; Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas; the Christkind; Kris Kringle;
Joulupukki; tomte/nisse; Babbo Natale; Saint Basil; and Ded Moroz. The
Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted as a gnome instead
of Santa Claus.
The best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa
Claus, of diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch
Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century
Greek bishop of Myra, a city in the Roman province of Lycia, whose ruins are 3
kilometres (1.9 mi) from modern Demre in southwest Turkey. Among other saintly attributes, he was noted
for the care of children, generosity, and the giving of gifts. His feast day,
December 6, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts.
Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop's attire,
accompanied by helpers, inquiring about the behaviour of children during the
past year before deciding whether they deserved a gift or not. By the 13th
century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the Netherlands, and the practice of
gift-giving in his name spread to other parts of central and southern Europe.
At the Reformation in 16th–17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the
gift bringer to the Christ Child or Christkindl, corrupted in English to Kris
Kringle, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.
The modern popular image of Santa Claus, however, was
created in the United States, and in particular in New York. The transformation
was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors including Washington
Irving and the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840–1902). Following
the American Revolutionary War, some of the inhabitants of New York City sought
out symbols of the city's non-English past. New York had originally been
established as the Dutch colonial town of New Amsterdam and the Dutch
Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.
Saint Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, is
considered by many to be the original Santa Claus
Current tradition in several Latin American countries (such
as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives
them to the Baby Jesus, who is the one who actually delivers them to the
children's homes, a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and
the iconography of Santa Claus imported from the United States.
In South Tyrol (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern
Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the Christkind
(Ježíšek in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the
presents. Greek children get their presents from Saint Basil on New Year's Eve,
the eve of that saint's liturgical feast. The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with
the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Santa Claus / Father
Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a bishop's dress and still brings small gifts
(usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by Knecht
Ruprecht. Although many parents around the world routinely teach their children
about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some have come to reject this
practice, considering it deceptive.
Multiple gift-giver figures exist in Poland, varying between
regions and individual families. St Nicholas (Święty Mikołaj) dominates Central
and North-East areas, the Starman (Gwiazdor) is most common in Greater Poland,
Baby Jesus (Dzieciątko) is unique to Upper Silesia, with the Little Star
(Gwiazdka) and the Little Angel (Aniołek) being common in the South and the
South-East. Grandfather Frost (Dziadek Mróz) is less commonly accepted in some
areas of Eastern Poland. It is worth
noting that across all of Poland, St Nicholas is the gift giver on the Saint
Nicholas Day on December 6.
Date according to
Julian calendar
Some jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, including
those of Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and
Jerusalem, mark feasts using the older Julian calendar. As of 2019, there is a
difference of 13 days between the Julian calendar and the modern Gregorian
calendar, which is used internationally for most secular purposes. As a result,
December 25 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 7 on the
calendar used by most governments and people in everyday life. Therefore, the
aforementioned Orthodox Christians mark December 25 (and thus Christmas) on the
day that is internationally considered to be January 7.
However, other Orthodox Christians, such as those belonging
to the jurisdictions of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Constantinople, Antioch,
Alexandria, Albania, Cyprus, Finland, and the Orthodox Church in America, among
others, began using the Revised Julian calendar in the early 20th century,
which at present corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, these Orthodox Christians mark
December 25 (and thus Christmas) on the same day that is internationally
considered to be December 25, and which is also the date of Christmas among
Western Christians.
A further complication is added by the fact that the
Armenian Apostolic Church continues the original ancient Eastern Christian
practice of celebrating the birth of Christ not as a separate holiday, but on
the same day as the celebration of his baptism (Theophany), which is on January
6. This is a public holiday in Armenia, and it is held on the same day that is
internationally considered to be January 6, because the Armenian Church in
Armenia uses the Gregorian calendar.
However, there is also a small Armenian Patriarchate of
Jerusalem, which maintains the traditional Armenian custom of celebrating the
birth of Christ on the same day as Theophany (January 6), but uses the Julian
calendar for the determination of that date. As a result, this church
celebrates "Christmas" (more properly called Theophany) on the day
that is considered January 19 on the Gregorian calendar in use by the majority
of the world.
Economy
Christmas is typically a peak selling season for retailers
in many nations around the world. Sales increase dramatically as people
purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies to celebrate. In the United States,
the "Christmas shopping season" starts as early as October. In Canada, merchants begin advertising
campaigns just before Halloween (October 31), and step up their marketing
following Remembrance Day on November 11. In the UK and Ireland, the Christmas
shopping season starts from mid-November, around the time when high street
Christmas lights are turned on. In the
United States, it has been calculated that a quarter of all personal spending
takes place during the Christmas/holiday shopping season. Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal
that expenditure in department stores nationwide rose from $20.8 billion in
November 2004 to $31.9 billion in December 2004, an increase of 54 percent. In
other sectors, the pre-Christmas increase in spending was even greater, there
being a November–December buying surge of 100 percent in bookstores and 170
percent in jewelry stores. In the same year employment in American retail
stores rose from 1.6 million to 1.8 million in the two months leading up to Christmas.
Industries completely dependent on
Christmas include Christmas cards, of which 1.9 billion are sent in the United
States each year, and live Christmas Trees, of which 20.8 million were cut in
the U.S. in 2002.[197] For 2019, the average US adult was projected to spend
$920 on gifts alone. In the UK in 2010,
up to £8 billion was expected to be spent online at Christmas, approximately a
quarter of total retail festive sales.
Each year (most notably 2000) money supply in US banks is
increased for Christmas shopping
In most Western nations, Christmas Day is the least active
day of the year for business and commerce; almost all retail, commercial and
institutional businesses are closed, and almost all industries cease activity
(more than any other day of the year), whether laws require such or not. In
England and Wales, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 prevents all large
shops from trading on Christmas Day. Scotland is currently planning similar
legislation. Film studios release many high-budget movies during the holiday
season, including Christmas films, fantasy movies or high-tone dramas with high
production values to hopes of maximizing the chance of nominations for the
Academy Awards.
One economist's analysis calculates that, despite increased
overall spending, Christmas is a deadweight loss under orthodox microeconomic
theory, because of the effect of gift-giving. This loss is calculated as the
difference between what the gift giver spent on the item and what the gift
receiver would have paid for the item. It is estimated that in 2001, Christmas
resulted in a $4 billion deadweight loss in the U.S. alone. Because of complicating factors, this analysis
is sometimes used to discuss possible flaws in current microeconomic theory.
Other deadweight losses include the effects of Christmas on the environment and
the fact that material gifts are often perceived as white elephants, imposing
cost for upkeep and storage and contributing to clutter.
Controversies
A 1931 edition of the Soviet magazine Bezbozhnik, published
by the League of Militant Atheists, depicting an Orthodox Christian priest
being forbidden to take home a tree for the celebration of Christmastide, which
was banned under the Marxist–Leninist doctrine of state atheism.
Christmas has at times been the subject of controversy and
attacks from various sources. Historically it was prohibited by Puritans when
they briefly held power in England (1647–1660) and in Colonial America where
the Puritans outlawed the celebration of Christmas in 1659. The Parliament of Scotland, which was
dominated by Presbyterians, passed a series of acts outlawing the observance of
Christmas between 1637 and 1690; Christmas Day did not become a public holiday
in Scotland until 1958. Christmas celebrations have also been prohibited by
atheist states such as the Soviet Union and more recently majority Muslim
states such as Somalia, Tajikistan and Brunei.
Some Christians and organizations such as Pat Robertson's
American Center for Law and Justice cite alleged attacks on Christmas (dubbing
them a "war on Christmas"). Such groups claim that any specific mention of
the term "Christmas" or its religious aspects is being increasingly
censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers, retailers,
government (prominently schools), and other public and private organizations.
One controversy is the occurrence of Christmas trees being renamed Holiday trees.
In the U.S. there has been a tendency to
replace the greeting Merry Christmas with Happy
Holidays, which is considered inclusive at the time of the
Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Humanlight? In the U.S. and
Canada, where the use of the term "Holidays" is most prevalent,
opponents have denounced its usage and avoidance of using the term
"Christmas" as being politically correct. In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lynch
v. Donnelly that a Christmas display (which included a Nativity scene) owned
and displayed by the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, did not violate the First
Amendment. American Muslim scholar Abdul
Malik Mujahid has said that Muslims must treat Christmas with respect, even if
they disagree with it.
The government of the People's Republic of China officially
espouses state atheism, and has conducted antireligious campaigns to this end. In December 2018, officials raided Christian
churches just prior to Christmastide and coerced them to close; Christmas trees
and Santa Clauses were also forcibly removed.
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