Christmas
Рождество
Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrated worldwide. It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s a sacred religious holiday on the first place and a cultural phenomenon on the second. The word Christmas is derived from Old English and means Christ’s Mass. The date of celebration may vary from country to country. The Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7, while the Catholic Church celebrates it on December 25.
The traditions of celebration can also be different. For example, in Canada and the United States children write letters to Santa Claus before Christmas describing what they would like to get as a present. People richly decorate their houses and the Christmas tree, send cards to relatives and friends, prepare festive meals for the Christmas dinner. Presents are usually placed under the tree. In Britain children find their presents in special stockings, which are hang over the fireplace.
Christmas Day is a formal holiday in many countries. It is regarded not only as a public holiday, but also as a major festival. Along with such holiday as Easter, Christmas is one of the periods of highest annual church attendance. People hold religious processions or parades. In many Catholic countries joyous carols can be heard everywhere on the days preceding Christmas.
The practice of decorating houses on Christmas has a long history. Nativity scenes have been seen back in the 10th century in Rome. Starting from the 15th century this tradition became widely spread in London. The heart-shaped leaves of ivy and evergreen holly were used a lot in decorations. They were meant to protect the houses from pagans and witches and to denote the coming of Jesus to earth.
Today, the traditional colours of Christmas are red, green and gold. While red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, green has the meaning of eternal life. That’s why the evergreen tree is used for decorations. The colour of gold symbolizes royalty and associates with one of the three gifts of the Magi. Apart from evergreen plants, traditional decorations for Christmas include lights and street banners, bells and candles, stockings and candy canes, wreaths and angels.
An important part of Christmas is a traditional family meal. The food served for this meal greatly differs from country to country. For example, in Sicily families prepare 12 kinds of fish for Christmas dinner. Traditional British meal includes roast turkey or goose, cider, meat, gravy, mince pies and pudding for dessert. Traditional main course in Eastern Europe is either fish or lamb. In such countries as Germany and France people prefer pork or goose. Italians like cooking special tarts and cakes. The Maltese prepare a chocolate and chestnut beverage.
Christmas is associated with a number of figures, such as Santa Claus, Ded Moroz, Babbo Natale, Sinterklaas, Joulupukki, etc. Perhaps, the best known of all is a Santa Claus. He is a jolly, white-bearded man, dressed in red, who is believed to bring desired presents for kids. Although Saint Nicholas was a bishop from Turkey, the modern image of Santa Claus originated in New York.