The World Wide History of Christmas
Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year, bar none. It is celebrated world-wide with a variety of traditions and folklore. But when did the history of Christmas begin? It was long before the mass merchants and retailers were capitalizing on Christmas. Every culture has its own history of Christmas that signifies the beginning of the holiday in various countries. Here in the United States we have our own rich history of Christmas, which originated much later than many of the older countries of the world. However, the very first Christmas was celebrated in a town called Bethlehem, more than 2000 years ago, and this is the history of Christmas that most people are familiar with.
How the History of Christmas Began
Christmas begins with the Catholic Church recognizing and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Eventually the holiday of Christmas was celebrated by other Christian religions as well, and other stories and folklore came into play with the history of Christmas and they created the traditions that go along with it. As each country and culture celebrated Christmas, they also brought with them many different traditions and rituals that were unique to their own cultures. All of these aspects of the history of Christmas have come together in a sort of melting pot that makes up our Christmas holiday season of today.
The History of Christmas in the United States
The United States was one of the last places to adopt the Christmas holidays. This country has done so much in a short period of time to create a rich history of the holiday within its boundaries. American Sunday schools began to hold Christmas parties in the first half of the nineteenth century. Then along came the rituals of Christmas trees, gift giving and Santa Clause were very much a part of the Christmas culture by the late 1800’s. In 1836, Alabama was the first state in the country to make Christmas a legal holiday. Washington D.C. followed suit in 1870, and by 1893 every state and territory had done the same. December 25th will forever be known as Christmas Day.
Some now complain that Christmas has become such a highly retail and commercialized holiday, that it has stripped some of the original meaning of the history of Christmas away. Christians still realize this day as the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Churches see a rise in attendance during the Christmas holiday season. Many families place crèches and nativity scenes in their home to commemorate the first Christmas. For believers in the Christian faith, the history of Christmas signifies one of the holiest times of the year, when a Messiah was born to bring salvation to the world.