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Charles Dickens Character Scrooge being visited by the ghost of
Christmas present.
.... December 25th
For many centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas
was the actual date on which Jesus was born. However, in the early
eighteenth century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations.
Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to
correspond with the winter solstice, which in ancient times was
marked on December 25.
German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed
on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies
Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization"
that debased the true church.
In 1889, Louis Duchesne suggested that the date of Christmas was
calculated as nine months after the Annunciation (March 25), the
traditional date of the Incarnation.
In the early days of the first century christmas was not really
calibrated like it is today. It was more or less recognized by
the early Christians, but there was no feast, singing, or gift
giving.
The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne
was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. King Edmund the Martyr
was anointed on Christmas in 855 and King William I of England
was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.
By the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so prominent that
chroniclers routinely noted where and how various important people
celebrated Christmas. King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas
feast in 1377 at which twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep
were eaten. The Yule boar was a common feature of medieval Christmas
feasts.
Following the Protestant Reformation, groups such as the Puritans
strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas, considering it
a Catholic invention and the "trappings of popery".
Following the Parliamentarian victory over Charles I during the
English Civil War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas in
1647. Protests followed as pro-Christmas rioting broke out in
several cities and for weeks Canterbury was controlled by the
rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist
slogans. The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the
ban, but many clergymen still disapproved of Christmas celebration.
In Colonial America, the Puritans of New England shared radical
Protestant disapproval of Christmas. Celebration was outlawed
in Boston from 1659 to 1681. The ban by the Pilgrims was revoked
in 1681 by English governor Sir Edmund Andros, however it wasn't
until the mid 1800's that celebrating Christmas became fashionable
in the Boston region.
Christmas fell out of favor in the United States again after the
American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom
.George Washington attacked Hessian mercenaries on Christmas during
the Battle of Trenton in 1777.
By the 1820s, sectarian tension had eased in Britain and writers,
including William Winstanly, began to worry that Christmas was
dying out. These writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of
heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday.
In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol, that
helped revive the 'spirit' of Christmas and seasonal merriment.
Its instant popularity played a major role in portraying Christmas
as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion.
In America, interest in Christmas had been revived in the 1820s
by several short stories by Washington Irving
1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas
(popularly known by its first line: Twas the Night Before Christmas).
In 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States Federal
holiday, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant.
The Christmas tree was first introduced to the holiday in the
early 1800s. It was a popular decoration that started with the
British Royal family. Queen Victoria was familiar with the custom
as a child, and in 1832 the young princess wrote about her delight
at having a Christmas tree, hung with lights, ornaments, and presents
placed round it.
Christmas as we know it today did not come about until the middle
1800s. Customs such as gift giving, caroling, feasting, Christmas
cards, Christmas Trees, lights, and the iconic Christmas figure
Santa Claus.
While Saint Nicholas was originally portrayed wearing bishop's
robes, today Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly,
white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs,
white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots. This
image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th
century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political
cartoonist Thomas Nast. This image has been maintained and reinforced
through song, radio, television, and films.
In the 21st century Christmas is an economic juggernaut that has
may different meanings to many different people all around the
world. It is still primarily a Christian holiday, but many other
groups of people including Jews, and Muslims can experience the
magic that is Christmas in there own way.
This rabbit is all dressed up for a photo contest in Japan. 2011
is the year of the rabbit on the Chinese zodiac calendar.
Occupying the 4th position in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit symbolizes
such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity.
Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others.
They also prefer to avoid conflict. In confrontational situations,
Rabbits approach calmly and with consideration for the other party.
Rabbits believe strongly in friends and family and lacking such
bonds can lead to emotional issues.
