What is Christmas? What is Christmas for children?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

For billions of people on planet Earth, Christmas is a meaningful and bright, truly great holiday. It is traditionally celebrated throughout the Christian world in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus in the city of Bethlehem. According to the new style - December 25 (for Catholics), according to the old - January 7 (for Orthodox), but the essence is the same: a holiday dedicated to Christ - that's what Christmas is! This is the opportunity for the salvation of all mankind, which came to us with the birth of little Jesus.

Significance

What is Christmas for Catholics? This is the most revered holiday. The Catholic Church considers it even higher than Easter, highlights the physical birth of Christ, which made it possible to atone for universal sins. For Orthodox Christians, the holiday is the second most important after the Resurrection. Spiritual birth comes first - resurrection and ascensionTeachers to heaven.

Christian Story

What is Christmas? The description, the origin of the holiday are well known to us from the Gospel. Mary lived with her parents in Nazareth (Galilee). She was born when her parents, Joachim and Anna, were already in years, became a desired and late child. When Mary was 3 years old, she was taken to the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, where she was brought up in piety. When the time came to get married, they found a God-fearing and righteous husband for her - the carpenter Joseph. Mary and Joseph got engaged.

Appearance of the Archangel

One day Mary goes to the spring for water. She is an angel who proclaims the future birth of a baby from the Holy Spirit. There will be that male baby, and he is destined to die for the sins of the human race, taking upon himself the redemption and purification. The Virgin is amazed, but accepts the will of God. Soon, her position can no longer be hidden, and people begin to condemn Mary, since she was still just engaged. Even Joseph intends to leave her. But the angel that he dreamed of at night tells of the immaculate conception from the Holy Spirit, and Joseph submits. By the command of the Lord, he will have to stay with his wife with the baby. The righteous man declares Mary his wife.

In Bethlehem

Mary, being already on demolitions, together with her husband Joseph, goes to Bethlehem. They failed to find shelter upon arrival in the city, but they see a cave outside and take refuge there. Maria feels that the time of childbirth is coming. Here, in the shepherd's cave, a baby is bornJesus, and the fact of birth is announced by the bright star of Bethlehem. Its light illuminates the whole earth, and far in the east, the Magi, the Chaldean wise men, understand that the prophecies of the sacred scriptures have come true: the King Savior is born!

Gifts of the Wise Men

To see the Messiah, the magi are going on a long journey. And the shepherds, grazing cattle in neighboring pastures, are the first to worship the Savior, hearing the singing of angels who announce the birth. Upon arrival in Judea, the Magi find the cave where the Holy Family is hiding by a brightly shining star. Approaching Christ, they bring gifts: frankincense and myrrh, as well as gold. And then they leave to glorify Jesus, each to their own lands.

Massacre of the Innocents

King Herod, who heard about the birth of the King of the world in Bethlehem, orders his subordinates to destroy all male babies under two years old. But the Holy Family flees from the city to Egypt to save Jesus from reprisal. Here is a summary of the Christian story of what Christmas is.

In Russia

We began to celebrate this bright holiday in the 10th century, since the spread of Christianity in the lands subordinate to Prince Vladimir, who is believed to have baptized Russia. In a strange way, Christmas was combined with a pagan holiday in honor of the spirits of ancestors - Christmas time. Therefore, in the Russian context of the celebration, there are also Christmastide rites. To understand what Christmas is in Russia, you need to know these, more ancient, Slavic traditions.

Christmas Eve

This is the name of the day thatprecedes Christmas, the last day of Lent (December 24 - for Catholics, January 6 - for Orthodox). The word "sochivo" literally translates as "vegetable oil". This was the name of the porridge seasoned with vegetable oil, which was supposed to be eaten on this day. In the morning on Christmas Eve, they put things in order, cleanliness in all rooms, scraped the floor and rubbed it with juniper branches. Then - a hot bath for the purity of the body and soul.

Kolyada

In the evening they gathered in large companies to sing carols. They dressed up in strange clothes, painted their faces. On the sled they put Kolyada, as a rule, a doll dressed in a white shirt. They sang ritual songs.

What is Christmas for kids?

Children made a star and walked around the village. They sang under the windows or went into houses. These were songs, mostly glorifying the holiday. They also called the owners and for this they received gifts from them - money, pastries, sweets and sweets. Thus, from an early age, children knew what Christmas was, and were accustomed to the traditions and beliefs of Orthodoxy.

Ceremonial dishes

There was a tradition (relevant even in our time) of preparing special dishes accompanying the great holiday, playing a symbolic role. Kutya meant in the sacred sense the continuity of being, the continuity of generations, fertility and prosperity. Vzvar is a drink prepared in honor of the birth of the baby Jesus. This combination of kutya and vzvara was usually served on the table at Christmas. Kutya was cooked, as a rule, early in the morning from cereal grains, thenlanguished in the oven and seasoned with honey, butter. The broth was prepared from dried fruits and berries on the water. And such dishes were placed under the icons for hay in honor of Jesus, who was born in a manger. They also baked various figurines of animals - sheep, cows, chickens - as holiday symbols, and then distributed them to relatives and friends.

Star of Bethlehem

What is Christmas and how did the further process of celebration take place? In the evening, everyone was waiting for the Star of Bethlehem, symbolizing the birth of the Savior, to enter the sky. Only after this event it was possible to take food. At the same time, both the table and the benches were supposed to be covered with hay. This symbolized the cave where Christ was once born.

On Christmas Eve itself, one was not supposed to work. This evening, young girls used to guess.

Christmas Day

From Christmas to Epiphany (January 19) were the days called Christmas time. On the first day, early in the morning, "sowing" of huts was carried out. The shepherd, entering the room, scattered a handful of oats. It symbolized prosperity, he alth and fertility.

About Christmas for children

Christmas is always a fairy tale for kids, don't forget about it. If the child is small, he can also participate in the holiday with pleasure. Buy him some coloring books about what Christmas is like for kids. Help me learn a verse or a carol to tell it to the guests who have come. You can make your own Christmas nativity scene by cutting outand coloring small action figures with your baby.

If the child is older, you can teach him to sing Christmas carols, and even go with the children to carol to the neighbors. Of course, the child should receive a variety of rewards for this - sweets, small money, sweets. And in many countries it is customary to give gifts to children at Christmas. Let's keep up such a good tradition!