Проект по английскому языку "Веселое Рождество"
проект на тему

The project

«CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AND ITS TRADITIONS»

The project is done by

the pupils of the 7th form

of the Boxitogorsk gymnasium

Tichomirova Nastya

 Ivanova Tanya

The teacher

Chistyakova M. Yu.

The plan

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………p.3

Chapter I. CHRISTMAS: ORIGIN OF THE HOLIDAY …………………p.4-14

 1.1. Etymology of Christmas …………………………………………......p.4

1.2. The history of Christmas ……………………………………………...p.5-7

1.3. The most important symbols of Christmas ……………………………p.8-9

1.4. The Folk Heroes of Christmas …………………………………………p.10-12

1.5. Modern customs and traditions of celebrating Christmas………………p.13-14

Chapter II.

Christmas holiday at school…………………………………………………p.15-19

CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………..p.20

LITERATURE ……………………………………………………………...p.21

SUPPLEMENT ……………………………………………………………..p.22-29

INTRODUCTION

       The theme of our research work is “CHRISTMAS: ORIGIN OF THE HOLIDAY AND ITS TRADITIONS”. We have chosen this theme as Christmas is the most popular holiday in many countries of the world. It is of religious origin and has a long history. Many social customs connected with the celebration of Christmas go back to pagan times. The purpose of the research is to find out the etymology, explore the origin of Christmas and its traditions. The main part of our research work is subdivided into two sections. The first section is devoted to the origin of Christmas, the second one- the exploration of its traditions. It contains a very interesting material concerning the most important symbols and folk heroes of Christmas as Christmas has a religious background; our narratiarmon is based on the biblical accounts, myths, legends.

We used reference literature such as: The Oxford Dictionary of Christian church, Oxford University Press, the Catholic Encyclopedia, the all Nations English Dictionary to get scientific data. We used a lot of newspaper articles and fiction literature to get detailed information concerning myths, legends to make my research work more interesting.

         Besides, we used quotations from some literary works such “A Christmas Tree” by Charles Dickens. To describe the atmosphere of the holiday we used the poem “Merry Christmas” from St. Nicholas Magazine, January, 1897.

The work was fruitful because it helps us get to know not only the history of Christianity, but British and American literature as well.

        To make the conclusions we justified the facts from different sources looking back deep into centuries. We found a lot of enigmas. To solve them we needed a lot of additional information, that’s why we used a lot of literature.

Chapter I.  CHRISTMAS: ORIGIN OF THE HOLIDAY AND ITS TRADITIONS

1.1. Etymology of Christmas

       Christmas takes its name from the old English Christes, or Christ Mass. In fact the compound Christmas consists of two words. Christ which means “Jesus” Christ. The title, “Christ” is form the Greek word “Christos” which means “Messiah”. The second part of the word is a shortened form for Messiah. In fact two words, Christ and Messiah imply the same notion. Analyzing this information we came to the conclusion that the name Christ didn’t mean the title, but the name of Jesus Christ. The word “Messiah” needs additional information. According to The ALL Nations English Dictionary it means “the anointed one”. ”Jesus Christ was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power to preach good news (the Gospel to the poor,’’ (Luke 4.18).   From this dictionary we can also find out that “Jesus Christ is the true Messiah that is the promised Savior of the world.

        The phrase “Christes Maesse” or “Christmas” was first recorded in 1038. Dutch has a similar word, Kerstmis, often shortened to Kerst. The German name Weinachten means simply “hallowed night”. After the conversion of Anglo-Saxon Britain in the early 7th century, Christmas was referred to as geol, name of the pre- Christian solstice festival from which current English word “Yule” is derived .In early Greek versions of the new Testament, the letter X (chi), is the first letter of Christ. Since the mid-sixteenth century X, or the similar Roman letter X, was used as an abbreviation for Christ.

1.2. The history of Christmas

       Christmas is the most popular holiday in many countries of the world. In most places Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25. It is preceded by Christmas Eve on December 24, and in some countries is followed by Boxing Day on December 26. An Armenian Apostolic Church observes Christmas on January 6, while certain old rite or old style Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7, the date on the Gregorian calendar which corresponds to25 December on the Julian Calendar.

       Many people look on Christmas as the time to celebrate the birth of Christ. It has its own history. In fact the early followers of Christ believed that infants entered this world with the original sin of Adam condemning their souls. The world was considered to be a harsh, cruel place. There was no reason to celebrate one’s birth. The death day was the passage to eternal paradise and it was a more significant event. That’s why with the rise of Christianity, the tradition of celebrating birthdays ceased.

But in the fourth century the church began to alter its attitude towards birthday celebrations. In fact no one commenced serious discussions to settle the date of Christ’s birth, no one knows the exact date and the year of the birth of Christ. The Bible does not give us any clue, and no record was handed down. Christmas may have been celebrated from as early as 98 AD, but it was only in 350 AD that Julius I declared Christmas to be the 25th  of December. According to a Roman almanac, the Christian festival of Christmas was celebrated in Rome by AD 336.  In Britain this day was a festival long before the conversion to Christianity. The English historian the Venerable Bede relates that “the ancient peoples of Angle began the year on the 25th of  December, and the very night was called in their tongue modranecht, that is “mother’s night”.  

Besides, there is such a version that the 25th of March was the pagan festival of spring. The church adopted this date as that of Mary’s visit by the angel Gabriel, and added nine months to it to arrive at 25 December. Thus, the choice of the 25th of December was rather controversial. Besides, The Catholic Encyclopedia also asserts that Christmas is especially controversial in the 4th century. First of all, the choice of the 25th of December was connected with various customs, many of which have been influenced by early winter solstice.

The Romans feasted at the Saturnalia; worshipers of the Persian sun god Mithraism celebrated December 25 as the birthday of the invincible sun. The date of Christmas was probably fixed arbitrarily for the same day because it coincided with and offered competition to these pagan Festivities. People were interested as the brightest star the sun attracted even a primate man. In those days the sun meant so much   people that when it began to go lower each day till December 23 people worried for they thought the sun was dying out. They watched the sun and ate less keeping the food for the next year. On December 23, the sun stayed longer in the sky and gradually the days became longer and the nights shorter. When this happened the primitive man was very happy. He even felt he wanted to celebrate it. Now he could eat more- he was not afraid for his future any longer. It was wonderful.

Gradually man began to understand the material of the sun. December 25 was approximately the date of the solstice. In fact, solstice is the time of the year when the sun is farthest from the equator, June 22 and December 22. In modern times, solstice falls on December 21 or 22. The birth of the Christ Child is associated with winter solstice because it was meant to bring light into a world of darkness. For Christians this day marked the coming of the sun of God to the Earth in human form. The story of Christmas was based on the biblical accounts given in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.

       In winter solstice was also the most practical time for the feast to be held: cattle which couldn’t be fed through the winter were slaughtered in late autumn, and as a result winter would be the only time when European peasants were most likely to have a stock of fresh meat, which needed to be either salted, or eaten. Equally the beer which had been brewed in autumn would be just ready to drink by the time of winter festivals.

       Over the centuries many have tried to revert to a more solemn celebration of Christ’s birth: Oliver Cromwell cancelled Christmas after the events of the English Civil War, disquieted by the behavior of common people at what was supposed to be a religious festival.

To sum up we should assert that church adopted the date of Christmas according to the interests of European peasants.

1.3. The most important symbols of Christmas

       The Christmas Tree is often explained as Christianization of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen plants and adoption of pagan tree worship. The tradition dates back to the Roman Saturnalia. The legend that associates the fir tree with the Christian celebration comes from Germany, and goes back to the 8th century.

       The people of Germany believed that the first person to have decorated a Christmas tree was Martin Luther (1483-1546). One day as he was walking through a forest he looked up at the sky which was full of stars. He was touched by the beautiful sight. He took home a small fir tree which he decorated with lighted candles, as a reminder to his followers of the heavens.

Nowadays many argue that Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16th century. The modern Christian tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th. The English language phrase “Christmas tree” was first recorded in 1835 and represents an important borrowing from the German language.

       From Germany the custom was introduced to England, first by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the Queen Victoria’ reign.

Prince Albert was born in Germany where the decorated tree was already an established part of the Christmas tradition. In 1840 he introduced a beautiful tree into the royal family’s Christmas, and many other people soon followed him.

        *Charles Dickens (1812- 1870), one of the world’s greatest novelists, who lived in the time of starting the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree in Great Britain, confirms German origin of a Christmas Tree. He called a Christmas Tree “that pretty German toy”: “I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects”.

       Charles Dickens stresses that the main role of a Christmas tree is creating the atmosphere of happiness: “Now, the tree is decorated with bright merriment, and song, and dance, and cheerfulness. And they are welcome. Innocent and welcome be they ever held, beneath the branches of the Christmas Tree, which cast no gloomy shadow! But, as it sinks into the ground, I hear a whisper going through the leaves.” This, in commemoration of the law of love and kindness, mercy and compassion. This, in remembrance of Me!”

       Besides, his words “in remembrance of Me” prove that the tradition of decorating a Christmas Tree became a part of everybody’s life. Nowadays people can’t imagine the holiday without this important symbol. Evergreen or artificial fir trees decorate their houses. Every Christmas British people get a huge fir tree from Norway which stands in Trafalgar Square, in the center of London, shinning down on all the people who gather on Christmas Eve.

1.4. Folk Heroes of Christmas

       Folk Heroes of Christmas are: Santa Claus and Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Of all folk heroes, Santa Claus is probably the most familiar and the most misunderstood. The name is strictly an Americanism. The American Santa Claus is the latest step in a legend that began in the fourth century in Asia Minor. The prototype of the Christmas gift- bringer was the bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, who was universally loved for his generosity and who today remains a principal saint of the Eastern Church.

       Pressed in a bishop’s garb and sporting a long while beard, he is supposed to have left good children presents on his feast day, December 6. Reformation zealots banished this honey character from the Church calendar, and he was widely replaced by the Christmas Man, a secular Yuletide supplier known in England as Father Christmas. There is also another legend connected with this folk hero. According to it, Saint Nicholas brought a dowry for three girls, who were too poor to find husbands. Whilst they were sleeping he put the gift in their stockings, which were hung by the fire to dry.

      The cult of Saint Nicholas spread across much of Europe. More surprising, Santa Claus didn’t always arrive at Christmas. In Europe he showed up on December 6.

       In Western culture Santa Claus is also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas or St. Nicholas, Kris Krihge, Saint Basil and Father Frost.

       The idea of St. Nicholas spread about America with the Dutch colonists, and it was the American press, that transformed Father Christmas into his current image. Clement Moore’s poem “The night Before Christmas” published in 1822, introduced Father Christmas flying reindeer, and the way he distributed presents down chimney stacks to the world.

      According to another source the popular image of Santa Claus was created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), who drew a new image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast’ Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in 1920.Father Christmas, who predates the Santa Claus character, was first recorded in the 15th century, but was associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness. In Victorian Britain, his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French Pere Noel evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana, is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the Epiphany. It is said that La Befam set out to bring the baby Jesus’ gifts, but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gift to all children.

       Most interesting of all, Santa Claus didn’t always look the way he does now. The Dutch made him out to look like Fred Astaire, thin, tall, and dignified later, in the early 1800s, Washington Irvin imagined Santa as a bulky man who smoked a pipe and wore baggy pants. In drawings in Harper’s Weekly in 1858 he didn’t even have a beard.

       Santa Claus as we know him today was the offspring of theologian and a cartoonist. The theologian, Dr. Clement C. Moore, was the author in 1822 of the immensely popular poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, also known as  “The Night Before Christmas”, which presented the recent Dutch important as a toy- toting pipe smoker, the driver of a reindeer- drawn sleigh, and a fancier of chimneys. It’s not clear which of these elements were Moore’s own and which he borrowed from the stories of Dutch friends. The cartoonist was Thomas Nast of Harper’ Weekly. His illustrations of Santa for that paper, done in the two decades after the Civil War, established the image of the robust character we know today.

       Rudolf, the Nosed Reindeer, is considered to be the second popular folk hero Rudolf Christmas. In fact he has two names: Rollo, the Red- Nosed Reindeer and Reginald, the Red- Reindeer.

       The story of Rudolf, the reindeer whose shiny nose lighted Santa Claus’s way “one foggy Christmas Eve”, is as a well- known to American children as the story of Santa himself. Its popularity is the result partly the fact that it is, in sociologist James Barnett’s description, “the only original addition to the folklore of Santa Claus in the century”, and party to the fact that, as a variation on the ugly ducking motif, it addresses children’s innate confusion about social roles. The “lesson” of the Rudolph tale is a necessary and comforting one: Whoever you are, you are special.

       The story was created in 1939 by a Montgomery Ward adman named Robert May, known throughout the firm for his light verse. Seeking something that their store Santas could hand out to children, company managers asked May for a poem. With the editorial advice of his four- year- old daughter, he came up with Rudolph and his nose. That first year, 2.4 million copies, illustrated by May’s friend Denver Gilllen, were distributed in Montgomery Ward stores. World War II stopped Rudolph’s rounds, but they picked up again in 1946, and a year later the poem appeared in book form. In 1949 the red- nosed charmer’s career really took off, when singing cowboy star Gene Autry recorded Johnny Marks’s musical version and propelled it to the top of the Hit Parade. Soon Rudolph was appearing on television and was on hit way to becoming an institution.

1.5. Modern customs and traditions of celebrating Christmas

        Every country has its own tradition of celebrating Christmas. Some of the Christmas customs are or were the same in different countries of the world. Celebrations properly start on 24 December (January, 6), Christmas Eve, there have been several weeks of preparations beforehand. In Great Britain this time of conscious anticipation is called Advent. In many homes and churches a Advent wreath is Hung, made of Fir and adorned with four candles. One candle is lit on the first Advent Sunday, two on the next, and so forth until all four burn for Christmas Eve. This is a time of decorating, baking, and exchanging cards. It is also a time for seasonal music and plays based on the Biblical account of the nativity. Christmas day is the biggest day of the holiday. On Christmas morning (often very early!), children open the presents that were in their sacks. So many families go to church. It became a tradition to celebrate Christmas Day with plently of eating and drinking.

        December 26, this is called Boxing Day, is also a holiday. On Boxing Day most people go out to see friends, watch sports events, go to the theatre to see a pantomime, or increasingly nowadays, go shopping most of the large stores start their winter sales on Boxing Day. But the Christmas holiday is still not over. In fact, many offices and factories close for the whole Christmas period from 24 December to January 2. On New Year’s Eve there are a lot of parties and at midnight everyone joins hands to sing Auld Lang Syne. Then after New Year’s Day to sleep it off. That’s Christmas over for another year.

        We should mention that the most popular Christmas customs and traditions are Nativity, Rose Parade, Christmas Pantomime, Gift Receipt. Christmas is often criticized for Gift Receipt. Thanks to it Christmas has become “the most commercialized festal of the year” People take it in different ways. In “Vane Sisters” this tradition is characterized as “a weak solution of mixed auras or simply  the routine shift of a humdrum guardian”. It means that some people assume its musical nature. We also suppose, this tradition was closely connected with the main aim of sending Jesus Christ to the earth- to help people.

Christmas superstitions.

• If the wind is blowing on Christmas Day, you are in for a good year.
• If you want to have good health throughout the next year, eat an apple on Christmas Eve.
• If you want to be happy eat Christmas pudding on Christmas Day.
• If you wear new shoes on Christmas Day, it will oring you bad luck.
• If you refuse a mince pie at Christmas dinner, you will have bad luck for the coming day.
• If you cut a mince pie, you will  «cut your luck» too.
•  If  a baby is born on Christmas Day, it will have a special  fortune.
• If you eat a raw egg before eating anything else on Christmas morning, you will be able to carry heavy weights.
• If it snows on Christmas Day, Easter will be green.
• You will have as many happy months in the coming year, as the number of houses you eat mince pies in during Christmastime.
• Good luck will come to the home where a fire is kept burning throughout the Christmas season.
• On Christmas Eve all animals can speak.  However, it is bad luck to test this superstition.

Chapter II.

Christmas holiday at school

P1: Dear friends, today’s English party is devoted to Christmas. Perhaps no other holiday has developed a set of customs and symbols as rich and varied as that of Christmas.

Song

THE SNOW STARS.

How quietly the snow
Is falling on the ground,
It’s falling on the country-side
And softly on the town.
And children’s eyes are bright
With wonder and delight,
For tiny stars of snow are falling
From the sky tonight.

P2: Christmas Day, December 25th is probably the most beloved, the most exiting and the most important holyday of all in Britain. Christmas is a festival when both children and adults are filled with anticipation and excitement.

P3: Preparations start long before the holiday, but on Christmas Eve everything is rush and bustle. Offices and public buildings close at one o’clock, but the shops stay open late. Cities and towns are decorated with colored lights and Christmas trees, the largest of them being placed on Trafalgar Square.

“O Christmas tree”

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
Not only green in summer’s heat;
But also winter’s snow and sleet.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.

P2: On Christmas Eve trains and buses are crowded with people travelling from all parts of the country to be at home for Christmas. Families prepare for this holiday weeks before: cleaning rooms, buying special foods and gifts, choosing a fur-tree and then decorating it with colored lights.

P3:

It’s Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Yes, it’s merry, merry Christmas,
It’s time for handing stockings,
It’s time for riding sleights,
It’s time for jolly greeting,
Snow and holly, overeating,
Oh, I love you merry Christmas,
You’re the best of holidays.

P4: There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their bed on Christmas Eve.

P1: And who brings presents for us?

Children. Santa Claus!

Song.

You better watch out, you better not cry,
You better not pout, I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.
He sees you when you’re sleeping,
He knows when you’re awake.
He knows if you’ve been bar or good,
So be good for goodness sake!
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Roofi -toot-toots and rumma -tum - tums
Santa Claus is coming to town.
The kids are girls in boyland.

Santa Claus: I’m glad to see you again. And as a rule I have presents for you. But only those who know poems about Christmas and me can get them.

(Дети читают заранее выученные стихи, а Санта раздает подарки.)

P4: Do you know that the first Christmas card was created and sent in 1843? And now it is a tradition to send Christmas cards to you nearest and dearest. And we want you to try and draw a card for you friends.

(Несколько учащихся, пожелавших принять участие в конкурсе, выходят и рисуют открытки. Бумага, фломастеры готовятся организаторами заранее. Время 5-7 минут.).

P3: While the children are busy drawing and writing their cards we want to show you a film about the history of Christmas.

(Показывают презентацию, приготовленную участниками школьной видеостудией.) (Презентацию можно взять у автора).

P4: Are you ready? Would you show us your cards? (Дети демонстрируют нарисованные открытки)

Santa Claus. Great! Well done!

(Учащиеся выбирают наилучшую приветственную открытку).

P5: And what Christmas without Christmas dinner. Turkey, goose, Christmas pudding, nuts and oranges…every year the traditional Christmas dishes appear on the dinner table of Britain.

P1: And did you know that Christmas pudding was first made as a kind of soup with raisins and wine in it.

P3: The earliest puddings were nothing like the ones people enjoy today. They were long and round and shaped like a thick sausage.

P5: Today, a Christmas pudding is a brown pudding with raisins, nuts and cherries. It is served with custard and brandy butter. Traditionally silver coins were hidden in it.

P4: We have baked one pudding for you and want to treat you to. (Один из участников вечера разносит угощение гостям). Do you like it? Then you can try and bake it at home. We’ll give you the recipe.

Recipe

• 1 cup butter (margarine)
• 2 cups of bread crumbs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 700g flour
• 1 cup seedless raisins
• 1 cup dried currants
• cup lemon
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cloves
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 4 well beaten
•  eggs
• 1 tablespoon of baking
• soda
• 1 spoon warm water
• 1 wine glass of brandy

P4: Bake and enjoy yourself.

P1, P5: It’s interesting to know what our guests know about Christmas. We have prepared some questions and want you to answer them.

1. What were trees decorated with for many centuries? (Apples, cakes, sweets) 
2. When was the “Jungle Bells” composed? (1857, by James Pierpont) 
3. When and where was the first Christmas stump released? (1898, Canada) 
4. When was the first Queen’s Christmas speech televised? (1957) 
5. Who invented the electric Christmas lights similar to the ones we use today? (Ralph Morris, an American telephonist, 1895)

P5: Thanks a lot. You know the history of Christmas quite well. And we think it was interesting for you to stay with us. At the end of our party we want to sing “Jingle Bells”. Join us.

Участники и присутствующие на вечере поют песню.

CONCLUSION

      In conclusion, it is worth noticing that in spite of the popularity of different Christmas customs and traditions, only few people think of the origin of the holiday and its traditions. The holiday itself has lost its religious significance for some people. But it doesn’t matter if Christmas is a religious or public holiday for the population, it is still the most widely celebrated festival. Thanks to its numerous traditions that came from ancient times, it is undoubtedly the most colourful holiday of the year and for many people it is a time for eating, drinking. They celebrate it in the same way as ancient Christians many   years ago.  Christmas customs and traditions are immortal. Learning origin of Christmas  makes us think about the link between different generations and importance of the past for us, people, who live in the 21st century.

LITERATURE

1. THE AII NATIONS ENGLISH DICTIONARY. ALL NATIONS LITERATURE P.O. Box 26300. 1990. p. 102,104

2.Английский язык. Приложение к газете «1 сентября» №47/1996 p. 3, 4

3Aнглийский язык. Приложение к газете «1 сентября» №20/2000 p. 18

4. THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, LONDON 1997 p. 280

5.Английский язык. Приложение к газете «1 сентября» № 47/1996 р. 5, 12

6.Английский для детей №21/1994 p. 1-8

7.Энциклопедия, p. 903

8 Английский язык. Приложение к газете «1 сентября» №7/1998. Статья “Birthdays” p. 14

9. Тернаева Л.П. Культура и общение. Издательство «Союз» Санкт- Петербург 2001, р.47  

SUPPLEMENT

MERRY CHRISTMAS

M for the Music, merry and clear;

E for the Eve, the crown of the year;

R for the Romping of bring girls and boys;

R for the Reindeer that bring them the toys;

Y for the Yule softly aglow.

C for the Gold of the sky and the snow;

H for the Hearth where they hang up the hose;

R for the Reel which the old folks propose;

I for the Icicles seen through the pane;

S for the Sleight bells, with tinkling refrain;

T for the Tree with gifts all abloom;

M for the Mistletoe hung in the room;

A for the Anthems we all love to hear;

S for St. Nicholas- joy of the year!

From St. Nicholas Magazine, January 1897

The Nativity

       The Nativity is a central way in which Christians celebrate Christmas. First of all it helps in expressing a religious significance of the holiday.

       Besides it stresses the humble origin of Joseph, the carpenter, and Mary, who must travel to Bethlehem to pay taxes. They go on foot and with a Donkey, and Mary is heavily pregnant. On arrival there is no room in Hostels or inns for them. The only shelter is a manger, a stall of hay and, Straw near oxen and asses. There, in the stillness of night and under a starry sky, the birth takes place, shepherds nearly are alerted by angelic singing, and further field wise men from the East have a magnificent star to guide them as they seek the king predicted by Scripture and astrological scholars. Traditional versions of the Christmas story often took their starting point  from the Garden of Eden itself, and the battle between good and evil which culminated with Lucifer’s banishment from heavens and earth to his realm and role as Satan. He is foiled in his later attempt to find to corrupt the Christ baby - by the goodness and strength of Archangel Michael, by the honesty and clear thinking of the shepherds, by the purity and innocence that birth represents.

      The very first Christmas Nativity scene was life-size, with real people and animals standing   figure in the Christian story. It was set up by St. Francis of Assisi, in his tiny chapel in Italy over 700 years ago (1). In some Christian churches children performed plays retelling the events of the Nativity, or sang carols that referred to the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of the Nativity scene, in their homes, using figurines to portray the key characters of the

event. Live Nativity scenes are also performed, using actors, animals to portray the events with more realism (2).

       Nativity scenes traditionally include the Three Wise Men, Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar, although their names and number are not referred to in the Biblical narrative. They are  said to have followed a star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, found Jesus and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh(3).

A Christmas Miscellany

       The sending of Christmas cards is very much a part of the festival in Great Britain. Something like 650 million were posted here many years ago.

       The cards vary and one can divide them into categories. Out of eighty cards, twenty-one were religious, nineteen had a picture of flowers, holly or pine cones, fourteen were “good cause” cards, nine were views, six had pictures of birds, four had other animals, and seven  were “miscellaneous». According to the time-honored tradition, all English children hang a stoking at the foot of their beds on Christmas Eve. During the night Father Christmas comes in his reindeer-drawn sleigh, creeps stealthily down the chimney and fills the stocking with presents But in the twentieth century Father Christmas was moving with the times. For example, when he visited the Pestalozzi international village for refugee children in Sussex, he arrived by helicopter. The children shouted their greetings in a dozen languages as Santa’s “sleigh”  made a perfect landing on the village green, and rushed forward to receive their gaily wrapped presents. There was one for each child, and also a splendid   Christmas tree for the village library.

       It was Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, who introduced the Christmas tree to Britain, ever since it has been an essential ingredient of the Christmas season. No family which takes a properly enthusiastic view of the festival could possibly contemplate Christmas without a Christmas tree. It just would not be the same!

      With somewhere between ten and twenty million families in Britain, it is not suprising that the seasonal trade in Christmas trees should be brisk. The largest  supplier is the Forestry Commission which reckons to sell about half a million trees each year. But there are so many others-large and small landowners, nurserymen, and so on-that it is impossible to estimate the total number sold. Sales of artificial trees. Very attractive they are too, and there is always the advantage that they can be folded up and put  away till next year.

       There is something else which no English Christmas party could possibly do without-Christmas crackers. Crackers originated in France in the nineteenth century, but in those days they were just a way of wrapping sweets. People took a sheet of colored paper, rolled up the sweets in it and gave it a twist near each end so that they could not fall out. The result was a paper cylinder with two constricted necks. By pulling on each end you tore the paper, and out fell the sweets.

       When this simple invitation arrived in Britain someone had the bright idea of putting a minute quantity of gunpowder into each cracker, arranged in such a way that when the cracker was pulled the gunpowder would go pop. The amount is controlled by law, in the interests of safety Nowadays, crackers don’t have sweets in them. They are tiny crackers which are mainly used to hang on the Christmas tree usually contain a plastic charm or similar inexpensive item. Going up in price, you get whistles wire puzzles.

Gift Receipt

        When you buy something as a gift for your nearest and dearest, you may ask for a Gift Receipt. Very often during holiday time (Christmas, Easter), you will be offered such a Gift Receipt without asking for it. In case your relatives or friends don’t like the gift, they can go to the store with the Gift Receipt, and return it for money. As a rule, the price of the gift is not indicated on the Gift Receipt. On this receipt you can only find the name of the store and code or number of the purchased item.

Rose Parade

       This colorful event takes place every year during Christmas time in the  small town of Pasadena that is situated not far from Los Angeles, California. During Christmas time, Colorado Boulevard in Old Town Pasadena is a picture-perfect portrait of the season: shops are adorned with wreaths and thinking white lights, shoppers make their way past metal bleachers in place along the main route of the upcoming Rose Parade.

       Since the first parade in 1890, the preparations that accompany the Tournament of Roses have been as much a part of December in  Pasadena as any holiday tradition. A lot of years ago, small crowds of onlookers wearing straw hats bustled dresses lined dusty streets. Nowadays, there is still no better way to ring in the New Year than with the sweet smell of roses. With its floral floats, marching bands and equestrian units, the Rose Parade draws one million spectators, and it is broadcast live to millions more worldwide. Pasadena and neighboring cities offer an up-close look at the Rose Parade in the days leading up to the event. As a rule, before the Parade people can watch float teams applying natural materials, including seeds, dried flowers and more fresh rose blooms, to spectacular floats. Usually the are 4 float-decorating pavilions. The Rose Parade usually lasts for a week and includes;

1. Band fest where Rose Parade bands perform field shows:

2. Equates-it is a show of Rose Parade horses:

3. Rose Parade itself, which is a colorful show of magnificent floral floats, marching bands, high-stepping equestrians;

4. Post-Parade Showcase of floats in which more than 50 floats are on display.

The Christmas Pantomime

 A pantomime is a traditional English entertainment at Christmas. It is meant for children, but adults enjoy it just as much. It is a very old form of entertainment, and can be traced back to 16th century Italian comedies. Harlequin is a character from these old comedies.

       There have been a lot of changes over the years. Singing and dancing and all kinds of jokes have been added; but the stories which are told are still fairy tales, with a hero, a heroine, and a villain. Because they are fairy tales we don’t have to ask who wins in the end! The hero always wins the beautiful princess, the fairy queen it triumphant and the demon king is defeated.

      In every pantomime there are always three main characters. These are the “principal girl”, “principal boy”, “and the dame”. The principal boy is the hero and he is always played by a girl. The principal girl is the heroine, who always marries the principal boy in the end. The dame is a comic figure, usually the mother of the principal boy or girl, and is always played by a man.

       Pantomimes are changing all the time. Every year, someone has a new idea to make them more exiting or more up-to-date. There are pantomimes on ice, with all the actors skating; pantomimes with a well-known pop singer as the principal boy or girl; or pantomimes with a famous comedian from the English theatre as the dame. But the old stories remain, side by side with the new ideas.

Yule Log

       The traditional English Christmas included the burning of a massive Yule log that had been ceremoniously dragged in by many hands and placed on the hearth on Christmas Eve. The mundane reason for the custom was to keep chilly English houses warm, but there was a ritualistic aspect to it as well. “Yule” (in Anglo-Saxon, geol) was the winter solstice period in pagan England, and the burning of a huge log at this time was part of the ceremonies that honored the return of the sun. In a classic instance of sympathetic magic, the ancient Celtic and Teutonic peoples would light the log as both a register and an assurance of heavenly light. The cyclical nature of the custom was enshrined in the later folk belief that each year’s Yule log should be lighted from the relit remnant of the last year’s.

       Other folk beliefs attended the log ceremony. T.G. Crippen mentions, for example, the notion that girls with unwashed hands who touched the log would cause the fire to burn dully and the more common superstition that all who helped drag in the behemoth would be protected from witchcraft for a year. There was also the strange practice of drawing a chalk man on the log before it was put to the flame-a recollection, perhaps, of human sacrifice.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

Australia

Christmas in this country falls during midsummer when the weather is at its hottest, and people are taking their summer holidays.

Christmas lunch is often eaten on the beach, complete with Christmas tree, and crackers, although the turkey is eaten cold with salads, rather than hot as people eat in England or America.

Finland

In Finland, a lot of people hang some food on the tree in front of the window. It may be pinecones spread with unsalted peanut and butter, corn kernels, unsalted nuts, apples studded with mixed seeds and etc. They refuse to sit down to Christmas dinner until the birds outside have been fed.

Italy

In Italy a lot of people tread the day before Christmas as a fast day, and eat and drink very little. The time for exchanging gifts in this country is 6 January. These gifts are delivered by “Ia Befana”, a white witch who flies down the chimney with them on her broomstick. The gifts are left in the children’s shoes, which they place before the fire.

Mexico

A centre- place for the children at the Christmas parties is the ‘pinata’. This is decorated container, which can be any share (birds, airplanes and dolls are popular), suspended outside above the garden. The children are blindfolded and given a long stick. They then try one by one to break open the piñata which is filled with sweets and fruits. Eventually someone managers to burst it and there is a scramble for all the  goodies. Sometimes there is a shock when the piñata has been filled with water instead of sweets, and everyone gets very wet.