by eturo
Marahil karamihan sa atin ay nagtatanong sa iba kung saan, kelan, ano, sino, bakit at paano nagkaroon ng tinatawag nating CHRISTMAS. Ang iba sa atin, nagbabasa ng mga articles sa mga books at mga sites sa Internet para makakuha ng tamag kasagutan sa tanong na ito. Sa mga pagdami-daming resources and references na ito, di na natin mawari kung sino at ano sa kanila ang may puweba dahil na rin sa mga pagkakaiba ng ideas at theories sa pinagmulan nito. Marahil kung itatanong natin kay Kuya Kim ng Matang Lawin ang tanong na ito, baka magdadalawang-isip din siyan i-surf ang Net bilang source.
So, bago ako unahan ni Kuya Kim sa pagsagot sa tanong na ito, i will give a detailed and short but informative article about this matter mula sa isang source sa Internet.
What is Christmas?
Christmas is the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ,
who is considered the Son of God, and the savior of all people. With
the birth of Christ, Christianity essentially begins; thus, Christmas
also celebrates the beginning of Christianity.
Though Christmas
is normally celebrated on the 25th of December, strong evidence suggests
that Jesus may have in fact been born in the spring. Though many
Christians date Christ’s birth as the end of the "Before Christ" or BC
era, most believe Christ’s birth can actually be dated to 4 BC. This is
a bit ironic, since the Christian era is thought to begin with the
birth of Christ, but actually begins later.
Some of the images
inexorably tied with Christmas are things like shepherds in the snow,
and the fierce cold of a winter night when Jesus was born. This is an
unlikely scenario, though it is quite possible that the Jews
participating in the census and taxation were extremely crowded in
Bethlehem.
Sextus Julius Africanus, a third century Christian
missionary, is believed to have first espoused the theory of Christ’s
birth as December 25th. This worked well when the Romans later largely
converted to Christianity because Christmas could be tied to pagan
winter rituals, making it more palatable. Historical records suggest
some forms of Christmas celebrations dating back to the early 4th
century CE.
Some, however, argued that Christmas should not be celebrated as a
feast date, because of the divine nature of Christ. This position is
still held by some minority Christian groups like the Jehovah’s
Witnesses.
Though most see Jolly Old England as the source for many modern
Christmas traditions, England actually banned celebration of Christmas
from 1647-1660 in an effort to free the holiday of what was viewed as
its pagan trappings and the excess and corruption of the Roman Catholic
Church. This, however, was not a popular decision. England reinstated
Christmas as a celebratory holiday, though tensions still ran high
between the Anglican and the Roman Catholic Church.
Charles Dickens
must be mentioned as inspiring many of the traditions we now regularly
practice as part of Christmas celebrations. His phenomenal classic The Christmas Carol
published in 1843 changed Christmas to a moderate, family oriented
holiday. This differed from past celebrations which often verged on the
anti-Christian, and which involved pursuing hedonism with graceless
abandon.
Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” firmly established the Christmas/ Santa Claus
connection. Actually many Christmas traditions are based in Germanic
pagan rituals predating Christianity. Many consider Thor to be a
frontrunner as an early Santa Claus figure, and the Christmas tree was
once a sacrificial tree to the gods, hung brightly with dead animals.
Today, some argue, Christmas has been inexorably corrupted by the
commercialism with which it has come to be associated. For the poor, it
may well be a time when, to quote Dickens, “want is keenly felt.”
Dickens uses this as an argument for practicing charity and “keeping
Christmas in our hearts” on every day of the year.
However, it can be stated that for the many joyous family
celebrations where poverty is not a factor, there are still many where
poverty is felt at Christmas, and where families despair that there is
not even money to give their children basic necessities as Christmas
gifts. Such a thought is sobering when one ponders the Christian
message as one of personal sacrifice, kindness to others, and loving our
neighbors as ourselves.
Still, many Christians feel that even a Christmas with the overt
trappings of commercialization has a special feeling that can only be
attributed to faith. It can be a time to renew one’s faith, or merely
come closer to the birth of a religion which sustains many. In touching
on Christ’s message, even small children may begin to understand the
sacred nature of Christmas to Christians.
Articles from: www.wisegeek.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There you are guys. Bahala na kayo kung sa tingin niyo ay tama ba ito or mali ang sinasabi nang article na ito. Ang para sa akin lang, mabigyan ng konting kasagutan kung anuman ang bumabagabag sa inyo sa tanong natin sa taas. Ang mahalaga ngayon, mabati ko kayo lahat ng MERRY CHRISTMAS.
