CHRISTMAS DAY
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on the twenty fifth of December. The Christian calendar starts in the year in which Jesus was born. The letters A.D. with a year mean "anno Domini" or "in the year of Our Lord".
Christmas Day is a very happy day for many boys and girls. Before the term ends in some schools, the children act a nativity or "birth" play, showing how Jesus was born in a stable.
Many of the celebrations at Christmas are old customs. Some fathers dress up in a red cloak and put on a long white beard. They pretend to be Father Christmas or Santa Claus, and put presents by the beds of their children. The words Santa Claus are a way of saying Saint Nicholas, a good man who helped poor people and gave presents to them more than 300 years after Jesus was born.
To most Christians in Europe and America, Christmas Day finishes the year, although there are still a few days left after it. Shop windows are decorated with Christmas trees some months before December, and notices are put up saying "68 shopping days to Christmas" or "21 shopping days to Christmas". Cotton wool is stuck on to the shop windows to look like snow, and holly and mistletoe are hung up.
Parents buy presents for their children. Then they have to hide them in the house to stop the children from finding out what "Father Christmas" is going to bring them.
On the twenty-fourth of December, all children are very excited. Usually they are sent to bed early so that their parents can get the presents ready. The younger children think that Father Christmas will come down the chimney or fireplace, so they hang up a sock for him to put presents in. The greedy ones even hang up a pillow-case or a sack to try to get more presents. Later that night, Father or Mother will put presents in the sock, and leave others at the side of the bed.
On Christmas morning, the children wake up very early. Some even turn on the light at two o' clock, and most of them are awake by six o' clock although it is not light in England for another hour or two at this time of the year.
Children look for their presents, and the young ones play while the dinner is prepared. At about one o' clock in the afternoon, the Christmas dinner is brought in. The turkey of chicken is quickly eaten. Children search in their Christmas pudding for new coins which are hidden in it. The rest of the day in full of games and eating until the happiest of all Christian holidays come to an end.
With Christmas nearing, you might be wondering about the history of Christmas bells. You might already be acquainted with some of the tradition and legends behind some other Christmas traditions such as the Christmas tree, but the exact history behind Christmas bells might have peaked your curiosity.
Bells are typically rung to announce a major life event or occasion. They are rung on both joyous and sad occasions including both weddings and funerals. Bells are rung at Christmas to announce and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Our modern day ringing of bells can be traced back to the Pagan religion, a major world religion that preceded Christianity. It was not uncommon for Pagans to ring bells to keep evil spirits away. Ringing bells was part of many Pagan winter celebrations. Millenia ago, many Pagan customs were adapted to fit into Christian celebrations. Christmas bells were also probably one of the least expensive musical instruments you could find.
Christmas bells take different forms in different cultures. In Haiti, they have wooden bells that actually don’t ring in lieu of the silver bells that we are all used to.
Nowadays, Christmas bells are a common part of our Christmas celebrations. We use bells to decorate. The front door of most homes is usually adorned with Christmas bells to make a pleasant noise as guests enter our homes during the Christmas season. Christmas bells are also widely popularized in many Christmas songs such as Jingle Bells and Silver Bells. Christmas bells make a festive embellishment to the outside of your Christmas presents, so consider affixing a small Christmas bells onto your wrapped Christmas presents this holiday season.
Today, Christmas bells are such an integral part of our holiday celebration that it is hard to imagine the Christmas season without the appealing sound of bells ringing.
