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Dec.
2003 |
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Christmas
around the world |
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Cherished
traditions have long, colorful past |
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This December, while you’re enjoying twinkling lights
on trees around the neighborhood, or singing “The
First Noel” at midnight Mass, or even watching your
haloed daughter flex her angel wings in the elementary
school’s annual Christmas pageant, you’re
also participating in cherished traditions with a long
and colorful past.
We celebrate Christ’s birth with a mix of beloved
customs involving music, lights, food and many symbols
that seem, if not exactly modern, then somehow American.
But just as individual threads are woven into one beautiful
tapestry, so the customs of countries around the world
and throughout history have become entwined to form our
celebration today. By recognizing those customs and their
meanings, we can deepen our joy this Christmas season.
According to Christmas historian and author Jesuit Fr.
Francis Weiser, although there is no historical record
of the date of Jesus’ birth, in about the year 320,
the church settled on Dec. 25 as the feast of the Nativity,
most probably to replace a popular pagan celebration of
the winter solstice. When early missionaries spread Christianity
throughout Europe, they also introduced the feast of Christmas.
Full
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