The first Christians did not consider Christmas to be a daybirth, and the day of death of a person, therefore Christmas as a holiday appeared much later. The main circumstance that contributed to the emergence of the holiday of Christmas was that no one knew the exact date of birth of Jesus Christ. And for the heretics, who made a significant contribution to the emergence of the holiday, the most important event in the life of Jesus was his baptism in the Jordan River, when the Holy Spirit descended upon him, after which the Savior became inaccessible to sin, like all mere mortals. Christians had to somehow resist the heretical holiday, so their version of the holiday of Baptism began to be called Epiphany. And according to the Orthodox Church, Christ first appeared to people in the image of God, and did not become him on this day. So in the ancient Orthodox Church, two holidays were united: Baptism and the Nativity of Christ. It was necessary to clarify the date of the Nativity of Christ also because of the pagans who worshiped the cult of the sun and for whom the day of the winter solstice was considered a holiday of the birth of nature, since its spring awakening began. And although Emperor Constantine I had already proclaimed Christianity the official religion (this happened in 325 AD), pagans made up about 90% of the entire population. The main way to convert pagans to Christianity was not the stick, but the carrot, that is, filling their holidays with new meaning, and therefore in the Catholic Church Christmas is still celebrated on December 25, while earlier this day was a holiday of the sun. The pagans liked the version, according to which the sun enters the world, and the world is filled with divine light through the appearance of Christ.
Features of Russian Christmas
Major church holidays in Russiaare celebrated on no less a grand scale than the Soviet ones, therefore Christmas and Easter are two holidays that compete with each other in the degree of solemnity. And every year Christians make a spiritual journey to the manger in which the baby Jesus lies. The way, as many years ago, is indicated by the Star of Bethlehem, followed by the shepherds and the Magi. The week from Christmas to Epiphany is called the Christmas week - and immediately before the holidays, believers observe a strict fast. On Christmas Eve, on Christmas Eve, before the rise of the evening star, when the song "The Magi Travel with the Star" is played, they do not drink or eat anything, it is a sin even to just sit down at the table. After the Evening Star appears in the sky, the Orthodox sit down at the table, which must include kutia. Kutia is the main dish of this evening, it should be cooked before sunrise, that is, the night before and necessarily from barley. If the kutia is a success, then the year will be a good one, so says an ancient belief that each of us can check. In addition to kutia, there should be 12 Lenten dishes on the table. These can be mushrooms, vinaigrettes, fish dishes and cabbage rolls, bean borscht, pies with Lenten fillings of poppy seeds, apples, peas or cabbage. All the treats are placed in clay dishes, and a bunch of hay is thrown under the table, which is a symbol of the barn where Jesus appeared. If there are children in your family, then according to all the rules, they are supposed to play under the table, and earlier children were given an important task - to imitate the sounds of animals. So they sat under the table, quacking and crowing, so that all the living creatures would not get sick all year long, but would multiply. This day was also a holiday for domestic animals, who were traditionally treated to a little of each dish, as a reward for having sheltered Jesus; Christians believed that this was the only night of the year when animals acquired the gift of speech. Cutlery had to be crossed, and before eating, it was necessary to pray. The eight-pointed star, with which people walked around the courtyards after the evening meal, singing church hymns and carols, symbolized the Evening Star, which showed the way to the manger with Jesus.
Christmas Abroad
Western Europe and America on Christmas Eveliterally lose their heads - this is their main holiday. Europeans consider this holiday to be narrow and it should be celebrated in the family circle, so even foreign businessmen who have settled in Russia are ready to let their employees go on vacation a little earlier in order to make it to the family Christmas table. The main difference between Catholics and Orthodox Christians is that Catholics eat food and sit down to the table before, and not after, Christmas Mass. On the evening before Christmas or on Christmas Eve, Catholics eat baked carp, but in general, poultry dishes can almost always be seen on the Christmas table: baked turkeys, ducks or geese. In England, no festive Christmas table is complete without turkey with gooseberry sauce. But in Hungary, Austria and Yugoslavia, the Christmas menu is usually Lenten, as is the case with Catholics in Lithuania - in these countries, you cannot eat poultry on Christmas Eve, so that happiness does not fly away. As soon as the Christmas dinner is over, folk festivities begin in Europe, which we call carols, and according to the Europeans - Christmas hymns, many of which have gained worldwide fame. In Europe, an obligatory Christmas tradition is the tradition of lighting a fire in the hearth and making an improvised crib, placing a doll of Jesus in it, and animal figures around it. Puppet and theatrical performances with the participation of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, the Magi and Joseph, which are often found just on the street - another feature of Catholic Christmas. There are even competitions for the best production and the best nativity scene. The Munich Museum houses the most extensive collection of cribs. And, the main difference between Catholic Christmas and Orthodox Christmas is family. If they are accustomed to visiting friends and relatives on New Year's Eve, then we have the opposite - the New Year's Eve is celebrated with family, and Christmas holidays are celebrated with friends. But by and large, the essence of both holidays is the same and there are many more similarities in traditions than minor differences. We recommend reading:
