Why is there Christmas and who celebrates?

Answer 1

It is the day chosen to celebrate Jesus' birthday, in which we all give gifts to each other just as god gave us the gift of jesus.

Here is a great story:

At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no vacancy for them.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid!' he said. 'I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.'

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others-the armies of heaven-praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.'

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, 'Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

Answer 2

The roots of Christmas are found, not in Scripture, but in ancient pagan festivals, such as the Roman Saturnalia, a celebration dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture. Likewise, according to their reckoning, devotees of the god Mithra celebrated December 25 as the "birthday of the invincible sun," says the New Catholic Encyclopedia. "Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome," about three centuries after the death of Christ.

During their celebrations, pagans exchanged gifts and feasted-practices that Christmas preserved. As is also true today, however, much Christmas giving was not in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 9:7, which reads: "Let each one do just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." True Christians give out of love, their giving is not tied to a date, and they expect no gifts in return. (Luke 14:12-14; Acts 20:35) Moreover, they deeply appreciate being set free from the Christmas frenzy and relieved of the heavy yoke of financial debt that many incur at that time of year.-Matthew 11:28-30; John 8:32.

But, some may argue, did not the astrologers present birthday gifts to Jesus? No. Their gift-giving was simply a way of paying their respects to a person of note, a common custom in Bible times. (1 Kings 10:1, 2, 10, 13; Matthew 2:2, 11) In fact, they did not even come on the night that Jesus was born. Jesus was, not a babe in a manger, but many months old and living in a house when they arrived

Answer 3

Christmas is the festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, founder of Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus is God, and so his earthly birth is of great significance.
Christmas is also widely practised by non-Christians as a secular day of gift giving.

Answer 4

In the middle ages the Catholic church introduced Christianity to Europe and to make sure that all participated they took the ancient Celtic celebrations and gave them Christian meaning. Christ Mass was an ancient celebration of the Winter Solace and became the birth of Jesus. Christ Mass was four services and a dinner. This was easier to do than to try to introduce new celebrations to the population. Today Christmas is mainly a Christian holiday.

Answer 5

People celebrate Christmas because it is a traditional festival around the world and they also recognize it as the celebration day of the birth of Christ. There is some misunderstanding on this as well. The historical figure of Jesus Christ was not actually born on December 25th, this is the day that has become recognized as the day of celebration.

Answer 6

Christmas is a time when families can come to together to celebrate the life of Jesus Christ and how he came to earth.

Around this time we hang decorations such as wreaths, stars and Christmas trees.

Answer 7

Chistmas is a Christian holiday which is celebrated on December 25.