One of the greatest holidays of the Christian world is the day of the birth of the Son of God, the baby Jesus. What is the difference between an Orthodox tradition and a Catholic one? Where did the custom to decorate the Christmas tree come from? How is the celebration of Christmas in different countries? All this will be discussed in this article.
Christmas story
The story of the celebration of Christmas begins with the birth of little Jesus in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
The successor of Julius Caesar, Emperor Augustus, commanded a general census of the population in his state, which then included Palestine. Jews in those days had a custom to keep records of homes and births, each of which belonged to a certain city. Therefore, the Virgin Mary, together with her husband, the elder Joseph, were forced to leave the city of Galilee Nazareth. They had to go to Bethlehem, the city of the family of David, to which both of them belonged, in order to add their names to the list of subjects of Caesar.
In connection with the census order, all the hotels in the city were filled. Pregnant Mary, along with Joseph, managed to find an overnight stay in a limestone cave, where shepherds usually drove cattle. In this place, on a cold winter night, little Jesus was born. For lack of a cradle, the Blessed Virgin swaddled her son and put him in a nursery - a feeding trough for cattle.
The first to know about the birth of the Son of God were the shepherds who guarded the herd nearby. An angel appeared to them, who solemnly announced the birth of the Savior of the World. Excited shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and found a cave in which Joseph and Mary slept with a baby.
At the same time, from the east, magi (wise men), long awaiting his birth, were in a hurry to meet with the Savior. A bright star that suddenly lit in the sky showed them the way. Bowing to the newborn Son of God, the magi presented him with symbolic gifts. The long-awaited birth of the Savior rejoiced the whole world.
Catholic and Orthodox Christmas: traditions of celebration
History has not preserved information about the exact date of birth of Jesus Christ. In ancient times, the first Christians considered the date of the celebration of Christmas on January 6 (19). They believed that the Son of God, the atonement for human sins, was to be born on the same day as the first sinner on earth - Adam.
Later, in the 4th century, by decree of the Roman emperor Constantine, Christmas was ordered to be celebrated on December 25th. This confirmed the assumption that the Son of God was conceived on the day of Jewish Passover on March 25th. In addition, on this day, the Romans once celebrated the pagan holiday of the Sun, which Jesus personified now.
The difference in the views of the Orthodox and Catholic churches on the date of the celebration of Christmas arose as a result of the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in everyday life at the end of the 16th century . Many Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches continued to consider December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ according to the old Julian calendar, respectively, and now they celebrated it on January 7 according to the new style. The Catholic and Protestant churches chose a different path, declaring Christmas Day December 25 according to the new calendar. Thus, the discrepancy in the traditions of Catholics and Orthodox, which still exists, has been fixed.
Orthodox Christmas Customs : Christmas Fast
Orthodox begin to observe Christmas, or Filippovsky, fasting on November 28, forty days before the start of the celebration of Christmas. The second title of the post is associated with the memory day of the Apostle Philip. It falls precisely on the “zagovanie” - the eve of fasting, when it is customary to eat up all stocks of dairy and meat products so as not to be tempted afterwards.
Regarding restrictions, this post is not as severe as, for example, the Great. Its meaning is that the soul can be cleansed by prayer and repentance, and the body - by moderation in food. He becomes especially strict on Christmas Eve.
Orthodox Christmas Customs: Christmas Eve
It is customary to name Christmas Eve the day preceding Orthodox Christmas. Traditions of the celebration suggest that on this day, fasting eat juices - wheat or barley grains cooked with honey.
In the morning on this day, the Orthodox prepared for the upcoming holiday: they cleaned the houses, washed the floors, then they themselves steamed in a hot bath. In the evening, the children began to walk around the village, wearing a star of Bethlehem made of paper on a torch. Standing under the windows or entering the threshold, they sang ritual songs - "carols" - wishing the owners of the house prosperity and well. For this, children were rewarded with sweets, pastries, and small money.
The hostesses prepared special ritual food that evening. Kutia, wheat porridge with honey or linseed oil, symbolized the commemoration of the dead. A plate with it was placed on the hay under the icons as a sign of the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger. Uzvar (boil) - a compote on the water from dried berries and fruits - it was customary to cook in honor of the birth of a child. The festive menu was hearty and varied. Be sure to cook a lot of baking, pies, pancakes. As the post was ending, meat dishes took their place on the table: ham, ham, sausages. On a hot baked goose or even a pig.
They were having a meal after the appearance of the "Bethlehem" star. The table was first covered with straw, and then with a tablecloth. The first to put a candle and a plate of kutya on it. They pulled out a straw from under the tablecloth, wondering: if it’s long, this year the bread will spoil well, if it’s short, it will be poor.
Traditionally, working on Christmas Eve was impossible.
Orthodox Christmas customs: Christmas time
Christmas celebrations in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus have absorbed many traditions of the pre-Christian pagan beliefs of the Slavs. A vivid illustration of this is the Christmas time - festivities. According to custom, they began on the first day of Christmas and continued until Baptism (January 19).
On Christmas morning, before dawn, a rite of "sowing" of the hut was held The man was supposed to be the first to enter the house (in the villages it was a shepherd with a pile of oats) and scatter grain in all directions from the threshold, wishing the owners well-being.
Everywhere, mumbled youth began to walk around the houses - in fur coats turned inside out, with painted faces. They played various performances, scenes, sang funny songs, receiving a symbolic award for this. It was believed that these days after sunset, evil spirits begin to ramp up, trying to do all kinds of dirty tricks to people. Therefore, Orthodox mummers and go home, showing that the place is already taken and there is no evil way here.
Also, on holy days, young girls usually wondered “narrow-minded”; in each locality there were many beliefs and signs associated with this.
The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree
Celebrating New Year and Christmas these days is almost unthinkable without a Christmas tree decorated with toys and lights. According to scientists, the first Christmas trees appeared in German homes back in the VIII century. Initially, there was a law prohibiting putting more than one Christmas tree in a house. Thanks to him, we have the first written certificate of the Christmas tree.
In those days, there was a tradition of decorating spruce with shiny little things, figures from colored paper, coins and even waffles. By the 17th century, in Germany and Scandinavia, the decoration of the Christmas tree turned into an invariable rite, symbolizing the celebration of Christmas.
In Russia, this custom arose thanks to Peter the Great, who ordered his subjects to decorate houses on holy days with spruce and pine branches. And in the 1830s, the first whole Christmas trees appeared in the houses of St. Petersburg Germans. Gradually, this tradition was also taken up by the native inhabitants of the country with the inherent Russian wide scope. Fir trees began to be installed everywhere, including in squares and city streets. In the minds of people, they have become strongly associated with the Christmas holiday.
Christmas and New Year in Russia
In 1916, the celebration of Christmas in Russia was officially banned. There was a war with Germany, and the Holy Synod considered the Christmas tree a "hostile undertaking."
With the formation of the Soviet Union, people were again allowed to plant and decorate Christmas trees. However, the religious significance of Christmas has shifted to the background, and its rites and attributes gradually absorbed the New Year, which turned into a secular family holiday. The seven-pointed star of Bethlehem at the top of the spruce was replaced by a five-pointed Soviet star. The day off on Christmas Day was canceled.
After the collapse of the USSR, no major changes occurred. The most significant winter holiday in the post-Soviet space is still the New Year. Christmas began to be widely celebrated relatively recently, mainly by Orthodox believers living in these countries. Nevertheless, on Christmas night, churches hold solemn services, which are directly broadcast on television, the holiday was also returned the status of a day off.
Christmas holiday in the USA
In the United States of America, the tradition of celebrating Christmas began to take root quite late - from the XVIII century. Puritans, Protestants and Baptists, who made up the largest and most influential part of the New World settlers, resisted its celebration for a long time, even introducing fines and penalties for them at the legislative level.
The first American Christmas tree was installed in front of the White House only in 1891. And four years later, December 25 was recognized as a national holiday and declared a day off.
Catholic Christmas Customs: Home Decoration
In the United States, by Christmas, it is customary to festively dress not only Christmas trees, but also at home. Along the windows and under the roofs hang an illumination sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow. Garlands also decorate trees and bushes in the garden.
In front of the front doors, home owners usually exhibit luminous figures of animals or snowmen. And on the door itself is a Christmas wreath from fir branches and cones interwoven with ribbons, complemented by beads, bells and flowers. These wreaths also adorn the interior of the house. Evergreen needles - the epitome of triumph over death - symbolizes happiness and prosperity.
Catholic Christmas Celebrations: Family Evening
It is accepted that for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ a large family as a whole would gather in the parents' house. Before the gala dinner begins, the head of the family usually says a prayer. Then everyone eats a piece of consecrated bread and drinks a sip of red wine.
After that, you can start your meal. The traditional dishes that are prepared in honor of the celebration of Christmas are unique in each country and region. So, in the USA, bean and cabbage soup, home-made sausages, fish, and potato pie are always served on the table. The British and Scots by this day will certainly stuff turkey, prepare a pie with meat. In Germany, traditionally cook goose and mulled wine.
Catholic Christmas customs: gifts and hymns
After a generous and satisfying gala dinner, everyone usually begins to present gifts to each other. And the kids are preparing "Christmas socks", which are hung by the fireplace: in the morning, Santa Claus will certainly leave a surprise for them there. Often children leave treats for Santa Claus and his deer under the Christmas tree so that they are not hungry either at Christmas.
The celebration of the Nativity of Christ in small American towns has also preserved another pleasant tradition. On Christmas morning people go to visit each other and sing old songs dedicated to this holiday. Children dressed up as angels perform Christmas carols, glorify God and the birth of the baby Jesus Christ.