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Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed generally on 25th December to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, What is Christmas ? Etymology The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's Mass". Celebration Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian.
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Date of celebration For centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born.
In the early 18th century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations.
Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the winter solstice, which the Romans called bruma and celebrated on December 25. Date of celebration Commemorating Jesus’ birth Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary as a fulfillment of the Old Testament's Messianic prophecy
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Decorations and symbols The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history.
From pre-Christian times, people in the Roman Empire brought branches from evergreen plants indoors in the winter.
Decorating with greenery was also part of Jewish tradition Music and carols Completely secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the late 18th century.
"Deck The Halls" dates from 1784, and the American, "Jingle Bells" was copyrighted in 1857.
In the 19th and 20th century, African American spirituals and songs about Christmas, based in their tradition of spirituals, became more widely known.
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Food A special Christmas family meal is traditionally an important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food that is served varies greatly from country to country.
Some regions, such as Sicily, have special meals for Christmas Eve, when 12 kinds of fish are served.
In England and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, meat, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread and cider.
Special desserts are also prepared, such as Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruit cake.
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Cards Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day.
The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like that of the first commercial Christmas card, produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843.
The custom of sending them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging E-cards! Stamps A number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at Christmas time.
Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail Christmas cards, and they are popular with philatelists.
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