全书网本文核心词：圣诞节英文介绍。
圣诞节英文介绍作文
【圣诞节的起源】
christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of jesus. the date of the celebration is traditional, and is not considered to be his actual date of birth. christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of jesus#39; birth with various secular customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals.
in most places around the world, christmas day is celebrated on december 25. christmas eve is the preceding day, december 24. in the united kingdom and many countries of the commonwealth, boxing day is the following day, december 26. in catholic countries, saint stephen#39;s day or the feast of st. stephen is december 26. the armenian apostolic church observes christmas on january 6. eastern orthodox churches that still use the julian calendar celebrate christmas on the julian version of 25 december, which is january 7 on the more widely used gregorian calendar, because the two calendars are now 13 days apart. (armenians who use the julian calendar celebrate christmas on the julian version of jan. 6, which is jan. 19 on the gregorian calendar.)
the word “christmas” is a contraction of two words “christ#39;s mass” and is derived from the middle english christemasse and old english cristes maelig;sse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. in early greek versions of the new testament, the letter Chi; (chi), is the first letter of christ (Chi;rho;iota;sigma;tau;#972;sigmaf;). since the mid-16th century Chi;, or the similar roman letter x, was used as an abbreviation for christ. thus, xmas is an abbreviation for christmas.
after the conversion of anglo-saxons in england from their indigenous anglo-saxon polytheism (a form of germanic paganism) in the very early 7th century, christmas was called geol, which was the name of the native germanic pre-christian solstice festival that fell on that date. from geol, the current english word yule is derived. many customs associated with modern christmas were derived from germanic paganism.
the prominence of christmas day increased gradually after charlemagne was crowned on christmas day in 800. around the 12th century, the remnants of the former saturnalian traditions of the romans were transferred to the twelve days of christmas (26 december – 6 january). christmas during the middle ages was a public festival, incorporating ivy, holly, and other evergreens, as well as gift-giving.
modern traditions have come to include the display of nativity scenes, holly and christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of father christmas or santa claus on christmas eve or christmas morning. popular christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill and peace.
【When Christmas is Celebrated】
Many people think Christmas is on December the 25th and that#39;s all there is to Christmas. However, for many people around the world, in different countries and in different Christian traditions, Christmas lasts for a lot longer than that – and it#39;s even celebrated at different times!
When Christmas is Celebrated
Although December 25th is the date when most people celebrate Christmas, there are some other dates as well!
Some churches (mainly Orthodox churches) use a different calendars for their religious celebrations. Orthodox Churches in Russia, Serbia, Jerusalem, Ukraine, Ethiopia and other countries use the old #39;Julian#39; calendar and people in those churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
Most people in the Greek Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on December 25th. But some still use the Julian calendar and so celebrate Christmas on 7th January! Some Greek Catholics also celebrate on January 7th.
In Armenia, the Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th. It also celebrates #39;Epiphany#39; on this day.
Advent – The Time Before Christmas
Before Christmas, many Christians use the time of Advent to prepare themselves and get ready to celebrate the joy of Christmas, when Christians celebrate of the birth of Jesus, who they believe is the Son of God.
Advent is normally a period of four Sundays and weeks before Christmas. In many Orthodox and Eastern Catholics Churches Advent lasts for 40 days, starting on November 15th.
In Orthodox Churches which celebrate Christmas on 7th January, Advent start on 28th November!
During Advent many people fast (don#39;t eat certain foods). The types of food people give up depends on their church tradition and where in the world they live.
After Christmas – The 12 Days of Christmas and Epiphany
After Advent, traditionally, Christmas celebrations (and often a feast!) started on Christmas Day and lasted for 12 Days – so they were known as The 12 Days of Christmas! The celebrations finished on the evening of 5th January, which is better known as Twelfth Night.
Throughout history, the 12 Days of Christmas were a time of feasting and fun.
Following Twelfth Night, on 6th January, is Epiphany, when people remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited Jesus and/or the Baptism of Jesus.
Epiphany/Twelfth Night is also the time when it was traditional to take your Christmas decorations down – although some people leave them up until Candlemas.
Candlemas – The End of Christmas
You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas Decorations down – but it doesn#39;t! After both Christmas and the season of Epiphany, the end of the Christmas celebrations come on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas.
Candlemas, also known as the #39;Presentation of Jesus at the Temple#39; or the #39;Feast of the Purification of the Virgin (or Mary)#39; is the when some Christians remember the time when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to give thanks to God for giving them a son.
It#39;s a very important day in some Orthodox and Catholic churches.
The name Candlemas comes from #39;Candle Mass#39; because in many Candlemas services, the candles are blessed to be used in churches during the coming year or are given out to people for them to use in their homes and private prayers.
In many Catholic churches, it#39;s a time when people remember and renew promises they#39;ve made to the church and celebrate some of the prophesies which were given about Jesus.
In many Eastern/Orthodox churches, an all night vigil is held on the night before the candle blessing ceremony. In the morning, the candles are blessed and are given out to people.