Christian holiday marked on 25th December every year is celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated across all Christian countries but there are differences in the way each nation celebrates this date. Christmas creates a cultural festivity that entails a lot of preparations. It is a public holiday and so people get a Christmas break to celebrate it.
Preparations for Christmas start early for most people so that celebrations begin on the eve of Christmas. Preparations for Christmas involve a lot of activities. People usually buy decorations, delicacies, and gifts mostly for children in the family and friends. Some families indulge themselves in extravagant shopping of outfits that coordinate with the theme color of Christmas. The common preparations include decorations of the place with Christmas trees, lightings. Before decorations begin, the house must be squeaky clean. The Christmas tree brings the Christmas spirit around the houses. Presents are placed under the Christmas tree in wrapped gift boxes and are not supposed to be opened until Christmas day. The church is also decorated for this special event. Thorough cleaning of the churches is also done to usher the devotees in Christmas. People usually spend a lot on Christmas and so saving money for these plans should be the earliest preparation among all these. Families also plan to travel to stay together during this period of celebration. Traditionally, turkey is the most common meal across the world on this day. Cards are also written to friends and family to wish them a happy holiday and to show love.
Children sing Christmas carols and also perform various skits marking the celebration of the auspicious day. One of the famous Christmas carols sung by all is “Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle all the way”. On this day, people tell each other stories and anecdotes related to Christmas. It is believed that Jesus Christ, the son of God, came to the Earth on this day to end people’s sufferings and miseries. His visit is symbolic of goodwill and happiness and it is depicted through the visit of the wise men and the shepherds. Christmas is, indeed, a magical festival that is all about sharing joy and happiness. For this reason, it is also my most favorite festival.
Apart from the religious beliefs, the festival is known to be the occasion of sharing gifts with family as well as friends. The cute kids wait for the whole year to receive gifts from Santa. The craze of receiving gifts goes to the extent of getting up at midnight and asking Santa what they are going to get from him. They share their wishes with their parents and their parents try to accomplish them on behalf of Santa.
Christmas reminds us of the importance of giving and sharing with friends and family. Christmas also reminds us of Jesus Christ’s birth being the genesis of all great things in the world. It is generally an opportunity to think about nature and the reason for our existence. Christmas is such a festival which people from all religions and faith celebrate worldwide despite it being a Christian festival. It is the essence of this festival which creates peace, harmony and solidarity among people.
Rehena Sunuwar
Grade: 8