Christmas is one of the favorite holidays in the whole world, saturated with a special atmosphere of expectation of a miracle. At the same time, celebrating it, not everyone fully understands the true meaning of this bright holiday.
The holiday of Christmas in Russia is often perceived as one of the days in a series of New Year's celebrations, but in fact it has its own deep meaning.
Nativity
The Feast of Christmas is a church event, the full name of which is the Nativity of Christ. Thus, this day is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, born of his mother - the Virgin Mary. According to legend, the Virgin Mary at the time of conceiving a child was married to Joseph, and one day an angel appeared to him in a dream, who announced that as a result of the Immaculate Conception, Mary would become the mother of a son of God. Maria herself received similar news.
According to Christian texts, at the time when Jesus was supposed to be born, the ruler of Caesar Augustus ordered a census of the population, and everyone had to be in the city where he was born at the time of the census: therefore Mary and Joseph went to their native settlement - Bethlehem. As a result of the census, there were many people in the house where they were staying, and Mary retired to a sheep's nursery, where she gave birth to a son.
The news of this was also received by ordinary shepherds, who at that moment were guarding their flocks in a field nearby. According to legend, an unusually bright star appeared in the sky above them, which led them to the nursery, where Mary and the newborn were. Thus, it was these shepherds who were the first people who came to worship the son of God on earth.
Celebrating Christmas
In the Catholic and Lutheran traditions, it is customary to celebrate the holiday of the Nativity of Christ on December 25. The Russian Orthodox Church, which counts important religious dates according to the Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on January 7th. In most Christian denominations, Christmas is considered the second most important religious holiday after Easter. In honor of this event, solemn services are held in all churches and parishes. In many Christian sects, the onset of Christmas is preceded by strict fasting. For example, in the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Christmas fast lasts from November 28 to January 6.
In many countries where it is customary to celebrate the holiday of Christmas, one or more days in this regard are days off. In particular, in addition to Russia, these include most European countries, the USA, Canada, the countries of the former USSR and many others. At the same time, the citizens of Bulgaria, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Estonia have a rest in connection with Christmas for three whole days.
