In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas “Sequence” or “Prose” was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a sequence of rhymed stanzas. In the 12th century the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional Christmas carol. Many Christians attend church services to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Up to the 1950s in the UK, many Christmas customs were restricted to the upper classes and better-off families. The mass of the population had not adopted many of the Christmas rituals that later became general. Full celebration of a family Christmas with all the trimmings only became widespread with increased prosperity from the 1950s.
Although many parents around the world routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some have come to reject this practice, considering it deceptive. The modern popular image of Santa Claus, however, was created in the United States, and in particular in New York. The transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors including Washington Irving and the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840–1902). Following the American Revolutionary War, some of the inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city’s non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch colonial town of New Amsterdam and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.
Based on the New Testament account by the apostle Luke of Jesus’s birth, most Christians believe that Jesus was born at night. To celebrate, many believers attend a midnight mass or church service. Christmas is a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. Most Christians celebrate the holiday on December 25, but it is celebrated on January 7 in the Orthodox Church due to the use of a different calendar. Bring a peaceful, rustic feel to your home this holiday season with flocked evergreens, decorative reindeer and elegant candles everywhere. It’s our mission to help you bring your Christmas to life this holiday season, by offering the highest quality lifelike Christmas trees available today.
The songs now known specifically as carols were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as “harvest tide” as well as Christmas. Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like “Personent hodie”, “Good King Wenceslas”, and “The Holly and the Ivy” can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages. “Adeste Fideles” appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century.
“The Bolsheviks replaced crosses with hammers and sickles,” said Vyacheslav S. Polosin, head of the Russian legislature’s committee on religion. Throughout the Christian world the 25th of December is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus Christ. There was a time when the churches were not united regarding the date of the joyous event. Many Christians kept their Christmas in April, others in May, and still others at the close of September, till finally December 25 was agreed upon as the most appropriate date.
Shoppers can discover 1.8 million square feet of joy at Grapevine Mills or stroll alongHistoric Main Streetand marvel at the Christmas décor while checking off their holiday shopping list with all the charming gifts local stores have to offer. Attend one of the many classic Christmas events, including theHistoric Palace Theatre, home to live performances and beloved classic Christmas Movies, presented by Park Place Lexus Land Rover Jaguar Grapevine, all season long. From home workout equipment to fashionable activewear and accessories, we rounded up everything you and your loved ones need to break a sweat this holiday season. One of the Southeast’s largest and most-anticipated holiday traditions, Speedway Christmas features four million lights strewn across a remarkable four-mile course, with hundreds of creative displays and lights synchronized to Christmas-themed music.
This practice recalls the ancient Christian liturgical notion that the celebration of Christmas, as well as that of Easter and of Pentecost, should last the entire week. The weeklong observance, however, was successively reduced to Christmas day and a single additional holiday on December 26. Christians and non-Christians participate in some of the most popular Christmas traditions, many of which have no origins in Christianity. These customs include decorating evergreen trees—or, in India, mango or bamboo trees; feasting ; and exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
In religious terms, the Christmas season is sometimes considered to extend from Christmas Eve to the feast of the Epiphany or Twelfth Day on January 6. This period is sometimes called Christmastide, though this word can also be used in a more general way to refer to the period from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. Popular activities include the decoration of a Christmas tree and the exchange of gifts. Create a snowy paradise with a flurry of decorations including falling snowflakes, icy evergreen forests, picturesque holiday cottages, and more.