What is the meaning of Christmas? Born to Christian parents many years ago, I was taught to believe that Christmas meant the celebration of the birth of Christ. How times have changed.
We live in a world of myriad religions and nationalities, each to be respected. But I will focus on Christianity and the meaning of the holiday.
In anticipation of writing this article, I decided to interview some of today's young people. I stopped at Lincoln Mall and spoke to 10 young people, ages 5 to 20. My question was if they wanted to talk about Christmas and most agreed.
I continued by asking what Christmas meant to them. Their answer: gifts, gifts, gifts.
What are you looking for in gifts? Their answer: electronics, video games, iPod, the Wii system, telephones, cameras, etc.
I wondered what happened to the dolls, the board games and the simple toys of long ago. Was I shocked, though? No. Despite today's economy, the gifts were being purchased. Society has totally commercialized the holiday season. Here are some of the words connected with the holiday:
Christmas - When Christ was born, the leaders of the Roman church called this a festival to commemorate Jesus' birth. They called it dies natalis domini. But it wasn't until late in the 16th or 17th centuries that the word "Christmas" came into being. Sometimes we see x-mas, which many people despise but this joins the Greek chi - the beginning of Christ - and the first letters of the Greek word for Christ.
Santa Claus - There are many versions of this name. I chose the Dutch version Sinterklas, the name of St. Nicholas, a popular saint who gave gold dowries for three girls to get married.
Christmas tree - A very outstanding symbol of Christmas and established after a famous picture was published in London's News in 1848.
Wreaths - Evergreens have been used for years as a symbol of victory. The ancient Greeks honored their winning athletes with a wreath of evergreen. The Romans hung the wreaths as a symbol of celebration later, the green leaves of the holly were said to symbolize life and the red berries the blood of Christ.
Advent - From Latin "adventos" meaning coming or arrival. This is a period of spiritual preparation for Christmas. In Western Christianity, advent begins on the Sunday closest to Nov. 30 and lasts until Dec. 24.
Mistletoe - This came from Europe. The Celtic Druids considered evergreen mistletoe plants so sacred that even the enemies would lay down their arms if caught under a tree. This began as a token of peace but eventually became a token of romance.
Christmas translated
There are many ways to send holiday greetings. In French, its Joyeux Noel. In Spanish, it's Feliz Navidad. In Italy, they say Buone Feste Natalizie, in Germany it's Fröhliche Weihnachten. In Greece they say Kala Christouyenna and in Polish it's Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia.
Merry Christmas to all!
The opinions are solely those of the writer.
