What is the significance of Christmas Bells? Bells, especially Church Bells, have been associated with Christmas for a long time. In the Anglican and Catholic churches, the church day starts at sunset, so any service after that is the first service of the day. So a service on Christmas Eve after sunset is traditionally the first service of Christmas day! In …
Read More »Why does Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas on January 7?
The Orthodox Church uses the old Julian calendar which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. In the former Soviet Republic, the Bolsheviks adopted the Gregorian calendar at the end of 1917, which put them in line with the rest of the Western world. However, the Orthodox Church, opposed to the Bolsheviks trying to suppress religion, kept the Julian calendar. …
Read More »What is the History of Christmas Carols?
What is the History of Christmas Carols? Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December. The word Carol actually …
Read More »What is the meaning of Christmas?
Jesus “Christ” is known as the founder or central figure of “Christianity.” Christmas is a Christian holiday on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. Ancient Romans also commemorated Jesus’ birth by marking a division of the calendar still in use today. The years before Jesus’ birth are marked as B.C. (Before Christ), and the years after Jesus’ birth …
Read More »When did Christmas Greeting Cards tradition started?
The custom of sending Christmas cards started in the United Kingdom in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was a civil servant (Government worker) who was very interested in the new ‘Public Post Office’ and wondered how it could be used more by ordinary people.Sir Henry had the idea of Christmas Cards and with his friend John Horsley, who was …
Read More »Why candles are associated with Christmas?
There are many different reasons why candles are associated with Christmas, although no one knows when they first became connected!They were used during ancient winter solstice celebrations a way of remembering that spring would soon come.One of the earliest records of candles being used at Christmas is from the middle ages where a large candle was used to represent the …
Read More »Why is Christmas Day on the 25th December?
No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn’t happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and 7BC (there …
Read More »What is a Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is the first Day of Holy Week. It is when Christians remember how Jesus entered Jerusalem (Israel) riding on a donkey. It is called Palm Sunday because the people were so happy to see Jesus and knew that he was very important, so they took branches from the Palm and Olive Trees that lined the road. They waved …
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