For Unto Us a Child is Born
IN THE OBSCURE TOWN of Bethlehem in the desolate province of Judea in the great empire of Rome, a baby was born in about 4 B.C. to a young woman named Mary and her fiancé, Joseph. Although the infant's lineage is traced to Abraham and David in the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, there would have been little to suggest to the casual observer that this child was the promised Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet his life, death, and resurrection are the central events of Christian history.
We are told very little about the child's mother, other than that she was a young virgin who had conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. We know even less about Jesus' "adoptive" father, Joseph, except that he was a carpenter and a man of great integrity. When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant prior to their marriage, he decided quietly to break the engagement. In a dream he was told by an angel that the child was from God and that he should proceed with the marriage.
When Jesus was about two, an angel again appeared to Joseph to warn him of Herod's extermination of all male infants in Bethlehem. Joseph and his family escaped to Egypt. Following Herod's death, the angel instructed Joseph that it was safe to retrun, and the family settled in the Galilean town of Nazareth. The Gospels provide very little information about Jesus' childhood and young adulthood. Luke's Gospel tells us that a righteous man named Simeon and a prophetess named Anna recognized him as the Messiah. We also read in the same chapter that Jesus was "filled with wisdom beyond his years" (Luke 2:40) and that when he was 12 years old the religious teachers in Jerusalem "were amazed at his understanding and his answers" (Luke 2:47) when Jesus met with them during a Passover festival.
THE WISE MEN
In Matthew we read that after the birth of Christ "some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking. 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him'" (Matthew 2:1-2). These men were probably astronomers from Mesopotamia. The "star" they followed may have been a comet or a supernova. Regardless of the light's source, in the Gospel story it is regarded as a divinely inspired beacon whose significance was not lost on a perceptie band of Eastern scholars.
GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH
The gifts the wise men, or Magi, brought to Jesus were of such value in the ancient world that a poor family from Judea would have considered them treasures. Gold ,of course, continues to be a consistently valuable commodity. The practical use of myrrh and frankincense, however, is less familiar to modern consumers. Both are processed from aromatic plants and are used to make perfumes, incense, and other scented products. Frankincense was sometimes used for religious ceremonies and myrrh for funerals, so some have seen symbolic meanings in the gifts.
THE FLIGHT OF THE HOLY FAMILY INTO EGYPT
According to Matthew's Gospel, Herod the Great ordered the killing of all Jewish boys in and around Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to kill the Messiah he had heard about and feared (an event known as the "Masacre of the Innocents"). Jesus' family was forced to flee to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. They stayed there until Herod's death, when they moved north to settle in Nazareth.Santa Claus
When most people think of Christmas they think of Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle or simply Santa). He is the source of Christmas presents given to children on Christmas Day. Conventionally Santa Claus is portrayed as a kindly, round-bellied, merry, bespectacled man in a red suit trimmed with white fur, with a long white beard. On Christmas Eve, he rides in his flying sleigh lifted by reindeer from house to house to give presents to children. In most countries, it is said that he lives near the North Pole. He comes into houses down the chimney at midnight and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds or in front of the family Christmas tree. But, this image of Santa has no religious meaning to this Christian holiday.
Christmas Tree
A beautifully decorated evergreen tree, with colored lights ablaze is the most beloved and well known Christmas symbols.
The tradition of a holiday tree has been around since ancient times and has played an important part in winter celebrations for many centuries. Many pagan festivals used trees when honoring their gods and spirits. In Northern Europe the Vikings considered the evergreen a symbol and reminder that the darkness and cold of winter would end and the green of spring would return. The Druids of ancient England and France decorated oak trees with fruit and candles to honor their gods of harvests. At the festival Saturnalia the Romans decorated trees with trinkets and candles.
In 1841 the English Royalty help popularize the tree in England by decorating the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, decorated the first English Christmas Tree with candles, candies, fruits, and gingerbread.
Early Christmas trees were often decorated with apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and candles. The invention of electricity in the early 20th century and use of electrical Christmas lights helped spread the use of the Christmas tree.
Christmas Around the World:
Here are some links to get you started on your research and suggestions for crafts:
- How to celebrate Christmas
- Site with more links!
- Christmas crafts
- Origami ornament
- French Christmas vocab
- Recipe for chocolate logs
- Recipe for Gingerbread
- Christmas in Germany
- More Christmas in Germany
- Christmas in Spanish speaking countries
- Recipes for traditional Spanish foods for the holidays
- Christmas in France, Germany and Spain!