Happy Christmas 2022

 

Happy Christmas 2022

Christmas is a time to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians consider to be the Son of God. The Mass of Christ is where the word "Christmas" originated (or Jesus). Christians recall that Jesus died and later rose from the dead during a Mass ceremony, also known as Communion or Eucharist. The only service that could be held after sunset (and before daybreak the next day) was the "Christ-Mass," so people attended it at Midnight! In this way, Christ-Mass becomes Christmas. No matter if they are Christians or not, people now celebrate Christmas all over the world. It's a time when friends and family gather together and celebrate their blessings. People enjoy Christmas because it is a time for giving and receiving gifts, especially youngsters!

Exactly when Jesus was born is a mystery. Why do we observe it on December 25th while the Bible gives no specific date? To what day it should be observed, the early Christians disagreed on a number of occasions. The birth of Jesus was also most likely not in the year 1, but rather a little earlier, potentially in the year 4 BCE/BC (there isn't a 0 - the years go from 1 BC/BCE to 1!). This is because it occurred between 2 BCE/BC and 7 BCE/BC. It was in 336, under the rule of the Roman emperor Constantine, that Christmas was first observed on December 25. (He was the first Christian Roman Emperor). However, at this point, it was not a recognised Roman state celebration.

Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, although there are a variety of customs and explanations behind this.

According to a very early Christian narrative, the Annunciation—now celebrated on March 25—was the day Mary was informed she would give birth to Jesus, a particularly special child. The 25th December is nine months from the 25th March.

Some of the early Christians believed that the world had been created on March 25, and they also believed that Jesus died on that day as an adult. They also believed that Jesus was born and died on the same day of the year. The day was selected since it was close to the March/Vernal Equinox (when the date and night are of equal length in March).

The Jewish celebration of Passover falls on Nisan 14, which is the date of Jesus' death. Jewish calendar dates fluctuate with those on the Gregorian calendar since it is lunar (based on the moon rather than set dates). Jesus was born on Nisan 10, according to Saint Ephrem the Syrian (306–373)! As a result, the 25th of March was designated as a "fixed" day on the Gregorian calendar to denote these "movable" dates on the Jewish calendar.