Christmas dishes

Christmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a traditional holiday observed in much of the world on 25 December, or on 7 January in most Eastern Orthodox Churches. It is celebrated by most Christians to mark the birth of Jesus, which is believed to have occurred in Bethlehem in the Roman Province of Judea between 6 BC and AD 6. Christ's birth, or nativity, was said by his followers to fulfill the prophecies of Judaism that a messiah would come, from the house of David, to redeem the world from sin. Interestingly, early Christians plac ...

Including:

• Christmas - The Nativity
• Christmas - Theories on the origins of Christmas
• Christmas - When was the original Christmas?
• Christmas - Dates of celebration
• Christmas - Regional customs and celebrations
• Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations
• Christmas - Secular customs
• Christmas - Santa Claus and other bringers of gifts
• Christmas - Declaration of Christmas Peace
• Christmas - Christmas cards
• Christmas - Decorations
• Christmas - Social aspects and entertainment
• Christmas - Christmas Carol media
• Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media
• Christmas - Economics of Christmas
• Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia - Christmas

A plethora of customs with secular, religious, or national aspects surround Christmas, varying from country to country. Most of the familiar traditional practices and symbols of Christmas originated in Germany, including the now omnipresent Christmas tree, the Christmas ham, the Yule Log, holly, mistletoe, and the giving of presents to friends and relatives. These practices and symbols were adapted or appropriated by Christian missionaries from the earlier Germanic pagan midwinter holiday of Yule. This celebration of the winter solstice was ...

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Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - Theories on the origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Regional customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Santa Claus and other bringers of gifts, Christmas - Declaration of Christmas Peace, Christmas - Christmas cards, Christmas - Decorations, Christmas - Social aspects and entertainment, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Regional customs and celebrations

From the dawn of mankind, the days following the winter solstice on December 21st have always been of particular significance in the worship of sun gods. Some cultures believed that the sun god was born on December 21st, the shortest day of the year, and that the days grew longer as their god grew older. Other cultures believed that their sun god died on this day, only to return for another cycle. In Celtic Mythology, the sun god was crucified(!) on the winter solstice, and three days later, as the days grew longer again, he ro ...

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Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - The Origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - The Origins of Christmas

Christmas is now celebrated on December 25 in Roman Catholic, Protestant, and some Eastern Orthodox churches, such as the Greek, Bulgarian and Romanian Orthodox Church. The majority of Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on January 7. This date results from their having accepted neither the reforms of the Gregorian calendar nor the Revised Julian calendar, with their ecclesiastic December 25 thus falling on the secular date of January 7 from 1900 to 2099. This calendrical difference has led to confusion on the part of those unfamil ...

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Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - The Origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Dates of celebration

Christmas is typically the largest annual stimulus for the economies of celebrating nations. Sales increase dramatically in almost all retail areas and shops introduce new products as people purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies. In the US, the Christmas shopping season now begins on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. More businesses and stores close on Christmas Day than any other day of the year in most countries - in most communities, virtually nothing is open or operating. In the United Kingdom, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act ...

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Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - The Origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Economics of Christmas

A plethora of customs with secular, religious, or national aspects surround Christmas, varying from country to country. Most of the familiar traditional practices and symbols of Christmas originated in Germanic countries, including the now omnipresent Christmas tree, the Christmas ham, the Yule Log, holly, mistletoe, and the giving of presents to friends and relatives. These practices and symbols were adapted or appropriated by Christian missionaries from the earlier Germanic pagan midwinter holiday of Yule. This celebration of the winter so ...

See also:

Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - Theories on the origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Regional customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Santa Claus and other bringers of gifts, Christmas - Declaration of Christmas Peace, Christmas - Christmas cards, Christmas - Decorations, Christmas - Social aspects and entertainment, Christmas - Christmas carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Regional customs and celebrations

The story of Christ's birth has been handed down for centuries, based mainly on the Christian gospels of Matthew and Luke. The gospels of Mark and John do not address the childhood of Jesus, and those of Matthew and Luke highlight different events. According to Luke, Mary learns from an angel that the Holy Spirit has caused her to be with child. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband Joseph leave their home in Nazareth to travel about 150 kilometres (90 miles) to Joseph's ancestral home, Bethlehem, to enroll in the census ordered by ...

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Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - The Origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - The Nativity

Many fictional Christmas stories capture the spirit of Christmas in a modern-day fairy tale, often with heart-touching stories of a Christmas miracle. Several have become part of the Christmas tradition in their countries of origin. Among the most popular are Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker and Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol. The Nutcracker tells of a nutcracker that comes to life in a young German girl's dream. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is the tale of curmudgeonly miser Ebenezer Scr ...

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Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - The Origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media

A plethora of customs with either secular, religious, or national aspects surround Christmas, varying from country to country. Most of the familiar traditional practices and symbols of Christmas originated in Germany, including the now omnipresent Christmas tree, the Christmas ham, the Yule Log, holly, mistletoe, and the giving of presents to friends and relatives. These practices and symbols were adapted or appropriated by Christian missionaries from the earlier Germanic pagan midwinter holiday of Yule. This celebration of the winter solsti ...

See also:

Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - The Origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Customs and celebrations

Many different dates have been suggested for the celebration of Christmas. The theories for the reason Christmas is celebrated on December 25 are many and varied; none are universally accepted. From early antiquity, the days following the winter solstice on December 21 were of particular significance to cultures who worshipped sun gods. These cultures believed that their sun god was born on December 21st, the shortest day of the year, and that the days grew longer as their god aged. Other cultures believed th ...

See also:

Christmas, Christmas - The Nativity, Christmas - Theories on the origins of Christmas, Christmas - When was the original Christmas?, Christmas - Dates of celebration, Christmas - Regional customs and celebrations, Christmas - Religious customs and celebrations, Christmas - Secular customs, Christmas - Santa Claus and other bringers of gifts, Christmas - Declaration of Christmas Peace, Christmas - Christmas cards, Christmas - Decorations, Christmas - Social aspects and entertainment, Christmas - Christmas Carol media, Christmas - Christmas in the arts and media, Christmas - Economics of Christmas, Christmas - Notes

Read more here: » Christmas: Encyclopedia II - Christmas - Theories on the origins of Christmas