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ORIGINS AND TRADITIONS OF THE FEAST OF CHRISTMAS

To beginning, it is a " Christian feast": Jesus' birth that marked the western culture. December 25, all Christian of the Earth celebrate, more that the birthday of a birth, the arrival on earth of a messiah, as well as the Bible tells it. If the church chose to situate Christmas to the solstice of winter, it is to put an end to the numerous rituals and pagan feasts in the ancient civilizations.

 

I. The solstice of winter

As soon as the man began to cultivate the earth, he followed the trajectory of the sun attentively all along the year. The course of the seasons also determined the moment of the feasts. Since the night of the times, the rituals of acknowledgments and sacrifices were celebrated as soon as the sun reached the meaningful points of its orbit, that is to say to the solstices of summer and winter. Before the Roman time, one celebrated in Europe the rebirth so much waited of the nature and the new life expectancy. Fire and light, as symbols, played an important role.

All these religions previous to the Christianity gave the opportunity to celebrate the solstice of winter with for goal to give back courage and hope to the people frightened by the frozen soils, the absence of life and the obscurity. As during our present feasts of Christmas, one offered some gifts:  of the amulet, the honey, the cakes, gold was current gifts. One decorated the houses with the ivy, of the branches of holly and mistletoe and all work, to part the one of the stove and the banker, was forbidden.

II. Feast of Jesus' birth

In 137, the pope orders that Jesus' birth becomes a solemn feast. To the 4th century, to stop this pagan cult, the Christian church took a very astute measure. The feast of the Christ's birth was advanced from January 6 to December 25. Indeed the solstice of winter of December 25 was the most important feast of the year mithra?en:  one celebrated the rebirth of the "soil invinctus" (unbeaten god). The church didn't hesitate to declare the Christ "soil invinctus." The Christian proceeded in the same way during the evangelism of other peoples:  the feast of Christmas was transferred to the days of feasts important pagans, as the feast of Jul at the Germans. An element facilitated this gait:  it proved to be impossible to fix a precise date for the Christ's birth, because at the time universally valid calendar didn't exist. Most Christian were persuaded quickly that the date of the Christ's birth was December 25.

It was in 350 that the pope Julien chooses the date of December 25 as the one of Christmas. Little by little the feasts became symbol of lavishness what displeased to the puritans. In Scotland the Presbyterian forbade since 1583 the feasts of Christmas. The English puritans ended up making triumph their conceptions at the time of the civil war of 1642. One was obliged to work Christmas day as one day plain. But some continued to celebrate Christmas in family. The king ends up then raising this interdiction.

III. Christmas, feast in family

Already, one had taken the habit to this time to celebrate Christmas more discreetly and the customs became similar to those that we know today. Even in the Catholic countries as Italy and France, where the puritans didn't have a lot of influence, Christmas had become a feast of contemplation in family.

Christmas, of religious feast became, with the passing of the centuries, a domestic feast,:  privileged moment to assemble in family, the nearest and most distant, all disconcerted generations. This feast, by all its shapes of expression, creates common memories and maintains the feeling of adherence to a family. Each finds, to its manner, this way to construct this tie:  to share one meal, a vigil, to listen to histories, to meet around the nursery. In the XX century, new prominent evolution,:  with the child's growing place in the family,

IV. Feast for children

Christmas became a feast for the children:  magic night where the desires of the children are achieved, for the biggest happiness of the adults. Christmas, it is also a communal feast, passing the domestic setting,:  it is of tradition to exchange some cards, to wish itself/themselves him " Merry Christmas", to offer some gifts, and to cross more and more Santa Claus.

SYMBOLS AND GIFTS

    * The Santa Claus:  Santa Claus comes from USA and dethrone holy Nicolas since 1823. A curious character, small imp to the red nose that saw at the North pole and distribute by the chimneys the gifts.
    * The Christmas tree:  In France, the fir comes from Alsace and had its place first outside in the center of the villages, to make its entry then in the houses, decorated of love apples, of all sorts of decoration.
    * The nursery:  it is to the 13 century, under the impulse of Franois saint of foundation that the nursery became the symbol of the nativité.
    * The Yule log:  the set down fir log in the chimney in the evening of Christmas was the symbol of fire that warms and of the light that Jesus represents. The radiators having replaced the chimneys, the log became " the" dessert of Christmas par excellence.
    * The reindeer with the red nose:  Rudolph is created in 1939 and it is thanks to its luminous nose that the Santa Claus can move in the wintry storms. And the names of the other reindeers: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Camet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixen.

I. That inspired the Santa Claus?

One first supposed that it was bishop born Saint-Nicolas in Asia Mineure that dedicated its life to the social charity. Every year, December 6, the day of its death, it always reappears to distribute the gifts or supplies to the children, widows and to the poor as it made it while alive. One recovers in the Santa Claus representation everything that made the symbolic of the character of Holy Nicolas:  the long white beard, the miter that became a cap of fur, the big red coat. Often come from the North, it travels in a sleigh pulled by reins, Saint Nicolas traveled on the back of a donkey and structural all sorts of gifts.

For this reason, in some regions of France, the children deposit under the Christmas tree, a glass of wine for the Santa Claus and a carrot for its donkey. Every region gave him a different name:  the Santa Claus is called "Chalande" in Savoie. "Father January" in Burgundy and in the Nivernais. "Olentzaro" in the Basque country or "Barbassionné" in Normandy.

Saint Nicolas has been imported to the United States in the XVIIe century by the German or Dutch immigrants where it would have taken a the commercial size that we know currently, undergoes sartorial and cultural transformations to turn into a more convivial Santa Claus and would have come back then in Europe. For the Americans, Saint Nicolas is Sinter Klaas that became Santa Claus.

In 1880, a German painter Tomas Nast drew a picture of the famous Santa Claus, tale of fairy and beautiful picture that perpetuate until our days.

It is in 1931, that the Santa Claus finally took an all new pace in an advertising picture, distributed by the Coca-Cola company. Thanks to the artistic talent of Haddon Sundblom, the Santa Claus had a human stature, a bouncy stomach, a nice figurine, a jovial air and a debonair attitude henceforth. The long red dress has been replaced by a trousers and a tunic. It is marked more to the United States, because in France, the Santa Claus kept a long red dress. Thus, during close to 35 years, Coca-Cola distributed the Santa Claus portrait in the written press and, then, to the television everywhere in the world. The idea that the children make themselves today of the Santa Claus is impregnated strongly of this picture.

II. The Christmas tree

According to historic manuals, it was in 200 that one began to use branches of trees as decorations on the occasion of Christmas. In the beginning of the 17è century, the Germans used the pines and firs to celebrate Jesus' birth.

In 1829, a fir was planted for the first time in the royal court of England on the occasion of Christmas. And in 1841, prince Alberto, spouse of queen Victoria used branches of fir to decorate the royal castle to Christmas days.

III. The gifts of Christmas

To the 13rd and 14è century, the tradition that consists in exchanging some gifts at Christmas or gifts to New Year's Day began to spill. The gifts of Christmas are probably a symbolic representation of the present that the King Mages brought to Jesus. Already in the time of Caesar's reign, the civil servants made themselves offer some gifts by the populations in the beginning of every year and even the slaves received gifts of their masters. Before Jesus Christ, every home offered some sacrifices to the gods for the feast of the winter solstice, so that these protect the house of the bad minds and that they watch over the fertility of the fields.

THE FEAST OF CHRISTMAS IN CHINA

Once, these were the Catholic Chinese who rather spent Christmas and the Christmas Eve in the churches and in family. And with the progression of the opening on the outside, the feast of Christmas becomes one life style in big cities or inshore regions;  more and more numerous are those of the young generation célèbrant this feast. There is not a holiday Christmas day.

In Beijing, the capital,

Traditionally, a big Mass under the aegis of bishop Fu Tieshan is held in the evening of Christmas Eve in the Nantang church situated close to the Xuanwu door in the south of the Crossroads Xidan on the big Boulevard Chang'an.

This year, snow fallen during 6 consecutive days, record since 128 years, embellishes the landscape of the city, also the Feast of Christmas. The children play the construction of the bonshommes in snow. And since 1998, since the mid December, of department stores in the famous Wangfujing street and in Xidan in particular as well as the hotels and restaurants are decorated in feasts with many Christmas trees in luminous garlands. In boutiques of mark or luxury, sellers and flirtatious saleswomen in cap of the Santa Claus don't quit to beat the hands owing the entry to attract more customers.

Funny thing, an increasing number of white collars and students takes this day as " the 2è celebrates valentine". While taking advantage of the opportunity, some lovers can meet in evening is in bars of which of the westernized Rue de Sanlitun, either to the lounges of kara-Ok is in meetings that become sometimes a " collected of the smokers" as writer Qian Zhongshu said it that had made its studies in France.

But, 67.2% of the students choose to pass it " night of the peace" in the personal study halls as usual of their campus. And those of the cultural environment for most prefer to remain yet with friends in evening talkative persons in their simple rooms or apartments of extravagant decorations. 50% of interrogated them estimate in an embossed way that it is there about a " feast "colonized hypo; they live peacefully to the plain way anchored in the greatly national tradition...

In Shanghai, the biggest metropolis,

The Shanghai always adopt an attitude opened facing the outside cultural shock. Christmas is not there a traditional feast, but becomes an irresistible fashion.

According to statistics, about 70% of youngsters of 14-30 years take the house to pass the feast of Christmas with friends;  90% among them surrender in big Disco rooms of which JJ cabaret and At New York that can receive one thousand customers for the dance dressed until the dawn.

And 88.3% of the lovers have a romantic meal in a less big restaurant to the western kitchen while 10.8% remain home to see the television in the world to two.

Of the city-dwellers of more than 30 years want to spend the Christmas Eve in the Cathedral of Xu Jiahui where they hear the songs of the Choir while tasting delicious dishes.

In short, the young of this city want to live another style of life. The Feast of Christmas popularizes an international horizon there and feel the ambiance of another culture.

In Canton and Shenzhen, close to Hongkong,

The rainy time that persists at the moment doesn't disrupt the animation of the Feast of Christmas in these two cities southern near of Hongkong westernized. Feast rather shopkeeper, the illuminated night is there especially attractive. Stores and restaurants are full of visitors and gluttonous. 80% of the white collars meet by group of two or three in the bars or houses of tea under dark light but impregnated of a relaxed enough ambiance. Nearly all bars are decorated of multicolored balls and all sorts of firs and cards of Christmas to attract a clientele consumer. The free entry usually controlled by guards for opportunity becomes paying, tripled or even in price. A glass of coffee prepared to the fire of wood usually passes from 25 yuans to 100 yuans of the Christmas Eve on the following day.

In the cities to the Northwest of the country, notably those relatively under-developed or remote, the feast of Christmas is not enlivened or don't yet exist. One doesn't find any trace of it in the countries and remote regions.

In a word, except the big Mass in churches full of the faithful or curious, most Chinese are interested less in the feast of Christmas. But l ' "economy of Christmas" and the merchandising of this feast always grows in a stronger way;  a lot of stores and boutiques install ticket windows of Christmas to sell more of gifts, including toys-bear, chocolates to the new packing;  big hotels try to offer sometimes of the luxury meals with a price of 300% more than usually. Some travel agencies vie himself in him " tourism of Christmas"  ; even rooms of movies don't want to let escape more of entries during this period.