CHRISTMAS Why? when was Christ born?

By
Laurence Small
-

About the article

This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.

See the article in its original context from December 1977.

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IT WAS NOT until the end of the second century that christians began to celebrate Christmas. The great festival of the Saviour's birth has been celebrated through the centuries on varying because the exact date of Jesus' birth is unknown. Christmas Day was celebrated on December 25 for the first time in the year 440 A.D. after the then Pope declared that date on which the Nativity of Christ should be celebrated. There was a time when the Birth of our Lord was observed on January 6. Today as we know it, the Feast of the Epiphany or Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles is observed on the calendar of the Christian Church.

Christian festivals today have always had some pagan origin.

December 25 comes only a few days after the winter solace (about December 22) the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This season had a long period of celebration in many parts of the world because it symbolised the beginning of the new year in nature.

THE NEW LIFE Christmas, like other festivals, thus replaced a pagan holiday with a christian one.

The same symbolic fundamental has been maintained as the Birth of Christ symbolises the Birth of THE NEW and fuller LIFE in the hearts of men and women. Christmas has been the most popular festival in christian countries since the Middle Ages.

CHRISTMAS BANNED It might be of interest to note that so much merrymaking was associated with the celebrating of Christmas that the Puritans opposed its observance. So strong was their protest that in 1644 the observance was banned in England.

It is, therefore, not untraditional to see in our day a lot of merrymaking drinking eating (sometimes overeating) dancing, frolic and fun at Christmas.

For us in this day and age, the festival comes towards the end of the year when most people feel the urge "to have a go" after 11 months of hard work and the regular hustle and bustle.

At Christmas, the hustling and bustling reach greater proportions in cresendo in a different way, as people all over the world in various cities go all out to participate in the merriment which is entwined in the celebration of Christmas.

Have a Merry Christmas, and a Blessed one.