Catholic Christmas
Description:
The first information about the celebration of Christmas by Christians dates back to the 4th century. The question of the actual birth date of Jesus Christ is controversial and controversial among church authors. Perhaps, the choice of December 25 is associated with the pagan solar holiday “The Birth of the Sun Invincible”, which, with the adoption of Christianity in Rome, was filled with new content.
According to one of the modern hypotheses, the choice of the date of Christmas occurred due to the simultaneous celebration of the Incarnation (conception of Christ) and Easter by early Christians; accordingly, as a result of the addition of 9 months to this date (March 25), Christmas fell on the winter solstice.
The feast of the Nativity of Christ has five days of pre-celebration (from 20 to 24 December) and six days of feast. On the eve, or on the eve of the holiday (December 24), a particularly strict fast, called Christmas Eve, is observed, since on this day sochi - wheat or barley grains cooked with honey are eaten. According to tradition, the fast of Christmas Eve ends with the appearance of the first evening star in the sky. On the eve of the holiday, the Old Testament prophecies and events related to the Nativity of the Savior are recalled. Christmas services are celebrated three times: at midnight, at dawn and during the day, which symbolizes the Nativity of Christ in the bosom of God the Father, in the womb of the Mother of God and in the soul of every Christian.
In the XIII century, during the time of St. Francis of Assisi, there was a custom to exhibit in temples for the worship of the manger, in which the figure of the Child Jesus is placed. Over time, nurseries began to be erected not only in the temple, but also in houses before Christmas. Home santones - models in glazed boxes depict a grotto, in the manger lies the baby Jesus, near the Mother of God, Joseph, an angel who came to worship shepherds, as well as animals - a bull, a donkey. Entire scenes from folk life are also depicted: peasants in folk costumes are placed next to the holy family, etc.
Church and folk customs are harmoniously intertwined in the celebration of Christmas. In Catholic countries, the custom of caroling is well known - walking around the houses of children and young people with songs and good wishes. In response, the carolers receive gifts: sausage, fried chestnuts, fruits, eggs, cakes, sweets, etc. Miserable owners are ridiculed and threatened with trouble. The processions involve various masks dressed in animal skins, this action is accompanied by noisy fun. This custom was repeatedly condemned by the church authorities as pagan, and gradually began to go with carols only to relatives, neighbors and close friends.
About the remnants of the pagan cult of the sun in Christmas trees is evidenced by the tradition of lighting the ritual fire in the home hearth - "Christmas log". The sheath solemnly, observing various ceremonies, was brought into the house, set on fire, simultaneously creating a prayer and carving a cross on it (an attempt to reconcile the pagan rite with the Christian religion). The field was sprinkled with grain, watered with honey, wine and oil, put pieces of food on it, addressed to him as a living creature, raised glasses of wine in his honor.
In the days of the celebration of Christmas, it is customary to refract the “Christmas bread” – the special unleavened garments consecrated in temples during Advent – and to eat it both before the festive meal and during greetings and congratulations on the holiday.
A characteristic element of the Christmas holiday is the custom to install a decorated spruce tree in houses. This pagan tradition originated among the Germanic peoples, in whose ritual spruce was a symbol of life and fertility. With the spread of Christianity among the peoples of Central and Northern Europe, the spruce decorated with colorful balls acquires a new symbolism: it began to be installed in houses on December 24, as a symbol of the paradise tree with abundant fruits.