Christmas day is the most important day for the Christian calendar. That is the day when Jesus Christ was born 2012 years ago. Either in the end of December or in the first week of January every Christian commemorates the day by having festivities and by participating in midnight prayers. Being an integral part of the holiday season even the non Christians participate in festivities by decorating their homes and visiting Christian friends. It is also an important day for children as that is the day they get presents from Santa Claus.
In most countries in the world December 25th is a holiday and people celebrate Christmas in that day while in some countries the date may differ. Having special meals, decorating houses with Christmas trees, sending greetings cards, giving gifts and participating in prayers are all parts of the celebrations. There are only a few countries where the Christmas day is not a holiday. They include a few Middle Eastern countries, China, Thailand, Japan and North Korea.
Since new clothes, gifts, greeting cards and food are associated with it Christmas season is of economic value for shops and manufacturers of goods. People spend lots of money during this season. Also, it is the busiest month for churches. Starting on the Christmas day the church goers flock to churches until the Easter Sunday. Churches themselves are decorated to welcome those who come there for the religious observances.
When it comes to decorations made for the occasion red and green are the colors used most often. Red denotes the blood of Jesus that was shed when he was crucified. Green indicates the eternal life. This is why the Christmas tree has to be an evergreen tree that doesn't lose its leaves during the winter. The decorations generally change according to the location and the availability of resources. The first commercial decorations have appeared in Germany in the 1860s.
Christmas carols are also are a part of the festivities. The earliest reference available on it is from the 4th century Rome. Carols that we know today have been sung early on other celebrations such as "harvest tide". Later they have been adopted by church. They are the oldest of the songs that are being recited continuously.
Even the meal for the day is maintained as a tradition. In Sicily there is a tradition of serving 12 varieties of fish being served on Christmas Eve. In England Turkey, or goose, vegetables, meat and gravy are served.
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