What is the true meaning of Christmas?

- Andy Williams -

True enough, Christmas is a time for everyone, whether you align yourself with its traditional religious roots or view it in its modern way of celebrating it. There's nothing like a festive cheer and the good feeling of the year coming to end. While some may not share the same jolly sentiment, the Christmas spirit is sure to leave even those with the hardest of hearts a smile on their faces.

Today I want to share with you the true meaning of Christmas. This piece is not strictly confined to the current religious and social maxims but serves to give you meaning, purpose and direction this Christmas. There is no one true meaning of Christmas, but we can push out some inspiration for you to ascertain your own meaningful Christmas. So let's get into it!

Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. They knew this was no ordinary baby. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child.

Now this is the original & main reason of Christmas for Catholics & Christians around the world. If you're brought up in this faith, then you will be well versed with this event and all it entails. The birth of Jesus Christ to the world meant that salvation has come upon them, in the form of a human. Thus Christmas is of paramount importance to the Catholics & Christians for the reason stated above.

Historian Kenneth C. Davis, in an interview with CBS stated this; "In ancient Rome there was a feast called Saturnalia that celebrated the solstice. What is the solstice? It's the day that the sun starts coming back, the days start getting longer. And most of the traditions that we have that relate to Christmas relate to the solstice,† which was celebrated in ancient Rome on December 25. So when Christianity became the official religion in a sense, in Rome, they were able to fix this date. ... There's a little discrepancy about it but there's no question that the fact that it was celebrated in Rome as an important day with gift-giving, candle lighting, and singing and decorating houses really cemented Christmas as December 25."

Saturnalia originated as a farmerís festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honor of Saturn (satus†means sowing). Numerous archaeological sites from the Roman coastal province of Constantine, now in Algeria, demonstrate that the cult of Saturn survived there until the early third century AD. Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, liberation and time (and parties!), was celebrated at what is perhaps the most famous of the Roman festivals, the†Saturnalia, It was a time of feasting, role reversals, free speech, gift-giving, and revelry.

As we can see, the event of Christmas has historical & religious connotations which over time has created a new trend of putting up trees, Santa Claus and presents, lovely dinners and much more. These derivatives all maintain the same principle of fellowship, joy, celebration, kinship, kindness and love.

We hope that in whichever way you choose to celebrate Christmas, it would be a celebration worth remembering, cherishing and continuity. May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white!