Christmas
December 25
The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians.
Many of these traditions began with the Mesopotamian celebration of New Years. The Mesopotamians believed in many gods, and as their chief god - Marduk . Each year as winter arrived it was believed that Marduk would do battle with the monsters of chaos. To assist Marduk in his struggle the Mesopotamians held a festival for the New Year. This was Zagmuk, the New Years festival that lasted for 12 days.
The Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear his faithfulness to the god. The traditions called for the king to die at the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side.
To spare their king, the Mesopotamians used the idea of a mock king. A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was given all the respect and privileges of a real king. At the end of the celebration the mock king was stripped of the royal clothes and slain, sparing the life of the real king.
The Romans celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival was called Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended January 1st. With cries of Jo Saturnalia! the celebration would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, visiting friends and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae .
Jo Saturnalia! was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan Saturnalia.
But as Christianity spread they were alarmed by the continuing celebration of pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the Church forbid this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail . Eventually it was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a celebration fit for the Christian Son of God.
Some legends claim that the Christian Christmas celebration was invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism was one of Christianitys main rivals at that time. The Church eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from the Saturanilia festival and bringing them to the celebration of Christmas.
川普政府誓言解决药价过高的困扰
Ten Minutes’ Break 课间十分钟
脸书用户大清理!13亿虚假账号全中枪
内蒙古杭锦后旗奋斗中学2017-2018学年高一下学期期中考试英语试卷
前马来西亚总理辞去政党领导人职务
国内英语资讯:UNFPA to continue work with China on population, development: UN official
国内英语资讯:Myanmar-China Friendship Association eyes enhanced Myanmar-China ties
The congestion caused by ride-hailing 叫车软件造成的交通拥堵难题
赛琳娜新歌MV发布,说的就是比伯!
国内英语资讯:Economic Watch: Chinas financial opening up attracts global investors
抗议者50年后重启马丁路德金反贫穷的斗争
多元化!漫威系列要出第一个穆斯林女性英雄!
什么场合该选择什么字体?你都知道吗
漫威推出首批中国超级英雄,了解一下?
广州公立医院6岁以下儿童看病涨价三成
惊人发现! 每天小剂量伟哥可能减少结直肠癌风险!
NASA将向火星发射直升机,拍摄火星鸟瞰图!
防晒霜到底怎么选?看完这篇科普再也不迷茫了
国内英语资讯:Chinese state councilor, Iranian foreign minister hold talks
研究显示 肥胖能让味觉变得迟钝
超实用:如何在夏天保持凉爽
投其所好:互动电影根据观众反应定结局
论猫奴的自我修养:正确吸猫指南,教你博得主子欢心
研究发现:童年不幸者更富创造力
美国男孩在被宣布脑死亡后竟苏醒
为保护珊瑚礁,夏威夷颁布法令禁用防晒霜
2018年6月英语四级作文范文:双休日
体坛英语资讯:Paraguays Dominguez re-elected as CONMEBOL president
漫威要拍《黑豹》衍生片!主角竟是他妹妹?
怎么用英语感叹“呵呵哒”?
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |