Christmas as a True Christian Celebration

We all know that Christianity was founded based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as written or presented in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. The central Christian belief is that Jesus is the son of God and that his sacrificial or selfless death and his resurrection will lead to the salvation of mankind and the redemption from their sins. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, or savior of the people, who would fulfill the prophecies as stated in the Old Testament.

Christianity has branched out into different forms, groups, and denominations, with its three primary divisions being Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and the Orthodox Church. However, the beliefs and practices of all adherents center around their faith in Jesus Christ. Most denominations consider Jesus as the model of a virtuous man. As such, one common ground is the yearly commemoration of Jesus’ birth, which we all refer to as Christmas. In fact, in many areas of the world, Christmas is considered as the most festive and the most religiously significant time of the year.

The Christmas season is celebrated all throughout the Christian population, but it is also celebrated by a lot of non-Christians as a cultural festival. And because gift-giving, putting up Christmas decorations, feasts and parties, and many other aspects of the holiday encourage heightened economic activity among Christians and non-Christians alike, Christmas has become a major event for businesses or for retailers. In other words, Christmas has evolved to become more of a commercial event, rather than an exclusive Christian holiday commemorating the nativity of Jesus.

In the truest Christian sense, the story of the birth the Child Jesus is based on accounts written in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, both found in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. According to these biblical accounts, Jesus Christ was born to Mary, with the assistance of her husband Joseph, in Bethlehem. Popular tradition says that the birth took place in a deserted stable and the baby Jesus was placed in a manger because inns no longer had a room for them. Shepherds tending to their flocks in fields around Bethlehem learned of the birth of the Messiah through the angels and were the first to see the newborn Christ.

Different groups have established different ways of celebrating Christmas and the period leading to it.

The Western Church, for instance, celebrates Advent, which is the liturgical period before Christmas. This period begins four Sundays before December 25 or Christmas Day. Advent is observed by Christians as a period of fasting, prayer, and penitence. Historically, Advent’s main sanctuary color is purple, which is the color associated with penitence and fasting, as well as the color of royalty as used to welcome the Advent of the King.  The Catholic Church still uses purple, which is also the color that represents Christ’s suffering and is the main color used during Lent and Holy Week. The use of purples, therefore, points to a significant connection between the birth of Christ and his death. The Catholic Church believes that the nativity and the incarnation of Jesus cannot be separated from Jesus’ crucifixion.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, on the other hand, practices the “Nativity Fast” in preparation of Christ’s birth. Orthodox Christians enter  the Nativity or Christmas Fast 40 days before the feast of the Lord’s birth in order to purify the soul and body and therefore, to be able to enter  and partake of the spiritual reality of the coming of Christ. This fasting period, however, does not constitute the intense liturgical period characteristic of Lent, instead this is more of an “ascetical” nature. Within this 40-day preparation period, the theme of the Nativity gets introduced little by little in the church services and liturgical commemorations.

Other Christian denominations also celebrate Christmas in their own respective ways. For some, children perform plays that re-tell the events of the Nativity, or they sing carols and jingles that are relevant to the season. Other Christians display re-creations of the Nativity, known as the Nativity scene, in their homes with the use of figurines portraying the main characters. There are also live performances of the Nativity scene using actors and live animals to portray the event realistically.