Christmas,
annual
Christian
holiday
commemorating
the
birth
of
Jesus
Christ.
Most
members
of
the
Roman
Catholic
Church
and
followers
of
Protestantism
celebrate
Christmas
on
December
25,
and
many
celebrate
on
the
evening
of
December
24
as
well.
Members
of
the
Eastern
Orthodox
Church
usually
delay
their
most
important
seasonal
ceremonies
until
January
6,
when
they
celebrate
Epiphany,
a
commemoration
of
the
baptism
of
Jesus.
Epiphany
also
traditionally
commemorates
the
arrival
of
the
Three
Wise
Men
of
the
East
in
Bethlehem
(near
Jerusalem,
Israel),
where
they
adored
the
infant
Jesus
and
presented
him
with
gifts
of
gold,
frankincense,
and
myrrh.
The
official
Christmas
season,
popularly
known
as
either
Christmastide
or
the
Twelve
Days
of
Christmas,
extends
from
the
anniversary
of
Christ's
birth
on
December
25
to
the
feast
of
Epiphany
on
January
6.
Christmas
is
based
on
the
story
of
Jesus'
birth
as
described
in
the
Gospel
according
to
Matthew
(see
Matthew
1:18-2:12)
and
the
Gospel
according
to
Luke
(see
Luke
1:26-56).
Roman
Catholics
first
celebrated
Christmas,
then
known
as
the
Feast
of
the
Nativity,
as
early
as
336
ad.
The
word
Christmas
entered
the
English
language
sometime
around
1050
as
the
Old
English
phrase
Christes
maesse,
meaning
“festival
of
Christ.”
Scholars
believe
the
frequently
used
shortened
form
of
Christmas-Xmas-may
have
come
into
use
in
the
13th
century.
The
X
stands
for
the
Greek
letter
chi,
an
abbreviation
of
Khristos
(Christ),
and
also
represents
the
cross
on
which
Jesus
was
crucified. |
