Christmas is a very important date and one of the most awaited by people nowadays. Therefore, we decided to bring you some Christmas curiosities. See now.
Why Christmas is celebrated
December 25th is the birth of Jesus Christ. Date established in the year 350, when Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome. The day was made official to coincide with a pagan festival that honored the god Sol Invictus during the winter solstice period.
Hindus recognize Christ as the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the main divine entities of the religion. They celebrate December 25th as the Festival of Lights, as they believe that the birth of light overcame darkness.
A similar name has the Jewish celebration held in the same period. Originally known as Chanukah, the event commemorates the reopening of the Great Temple in Jerusalem, reconquered by the Jews after three years of war. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God.
Muslims, on the other hand, see Christ as a kind of prophet, but do not have a special date to celebrate his birth. Jehovah's Witnesses see birthdays as pagan festivals, and therefore, they prefer not to celebrate the date.
Some Afro-Brazilian religions, such as Umbanda, associate Christ with Oxalá, the greatest of all Orixás, and therefore celebrate Christmas with thanks to the entity.
Happy Night Song
Created in Austria in 1818. It all started with Father Joseph Mohr who went looking for a new instrument to replace the church organ. During his pilgrimages, the reverend had the idea of making people imagine what the night of Jesus' birth would have been like and writing down the details. After that, he sought out musician Franz Gruber to create the melody. The Brazilian version was composed in the 19th century by the Austrian friar Pedro Sinzig, who became a naturalized Brazilian in 1898.
The Christmas Tree
There are several versions of the emergence of the Christmas tree, but most records point to Germany as the country of origin. The objective was to show children what the sky was like on the night of Christ's birth.
The pine tree represents long life. In Greek mythology, the tradition of relating trees to deities was also common. The Greeks believed that plants symbolized the evolution and elevation of man. The oak was used to honor Zeus; the olive tree, Athena; the vine, Dionysus.
In ancient times, trees represented life and salvation. The main decorations used were stones and fruits, especially the yellow-skinned apple, which represented the golden fruits of Paradise. Christmas baubles replaced apples.
Christmas colors
Green, red and gold are the most used colors at Christmas. For Catholic tradition, the set refers to the gifts of the Magi: gold (golden), incense (red) and myrrh (green). Other accessories also carry symbols such as walking sticks, which represent the journey and Christ as the good shepherd. Christmas lamps, which are an evolution of the old candles that were used on trees, allude to birth as the triumph of light over darkness.
see more: Christmas – More Christmas curiosities
The Nativity Scene
Saint Francis of Assisi created the first nativity scene in 1223 in Greccio, Italy. He wanted to illustrate to the peasants what the night of Jesus' birth had been like. The tradition spread throughout the world and arrived in Brazil in the 17th century with Gaspar de Santo Agostinho. The religious man set up the first representation in the city of Olinda, Pernambuco. The word nativity scene comes from the Latin praesepe and means “stable”.
In the year 143, Pope Saint Telesphorus established the tradition of saying a mass to celebrate the birth of Christ, which later became known as Midnight Mass. There is no consensus on the origin of the name, but it is believed that the reason is because the ceremony took place until late at night in ancient times, that is, “until the first rooster crows”. Another legend says that a rooster supposedly crowed on the day of Jesus Christ's birth, announcing his birth.
Santa Claus
The figure was absorbed into the popular imagination and publications that refer to the old man later appeared. In 1863, the figure already had a large beard and red clothes. It was only in 1931, when the myth of the old man who delivered gifts was already popular. Then Coca-Cola hired Haddon to create that year's Christmas campaign, creating Santa Claus as we know it.
Brazil adopted the name Santa Claus through an adaptation of the French Père Noel and, of course, influenced by Coca-Cola. In Portugal, the good old man is known as Santa Claus, a translation more faithful to the French meaning.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund, there are more than 2 billion children in the world and an average of 2.5 children per family. To handle and deliver all the gifts, Santa Claus would have to travel 353,000 kilometers. And accelerate the sled by 20.5 billion meters per second at each stop.
As you can see, Christmas is a date celebrated in many ways and associated with a number of stories and traditions around the world. They tell us a little about the incredible creative capacity of human beings to symbolize their beliefs and hopes.
