2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
There is no other person on Earth whose birthday would be celebrated by such a huge number of people speaking different languages, living in different parts of our "globe". It would seem that this holiday should unite people, make them kinder and more tolerant, and life brighter and more prosperous. Unfortunately, two thousand years have taught mankind little, and the holiday itself gives rise to many unnecessary questions to which no one can give a clear answer
Birthday three times
Perhaps, you cannot find another person whose birthday would be celebrated three times, with an interval in time, by people worshiping the same god, even three-faced (it is possible that the three-faced of God is the reason for this state of affairs).
Not only did the Almighty violate his own commandment, which he prescribed for people, namely, “do not commit adultery”, choosing the bosom of a married woman for his son, he also allowed people to divide into several “camps”, which for two thousand years in different ways interpret some points of faith in one god.
So the birthday of the Son of God is celebrated on three different days of the calendar. Catholics celebrate it on December 25, Orthodox on January 07, and Ancient Eastern churches (for example, Copts in Egypt) celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on January 06.
Joseph the Betrothed
In the history of the Christian religion, undeservedly little attention has been paid to the adoptive father of Jesus Christ, Joseph. But he, a descendant of King David, could have given his unfaithful wife to be torn apart by the crowd, which so loves to restore "justice" with cobblestones in their hands, without understanding all the intricacies of the event.
He helped save Jesus from certain death several more times. And, for sure, I would have tried to prevent that heinous and bloody reprisal against his son, which his own father calmly allowed. But, unfortunately, the Lord hurried in advance and took Joseph to heaven early, when Jesus was a teenager, so that the old man would not interfere with the fulfillment of God's ideas. It is very similar to our dashing nineties, when we easily got rid of competitors.
But the Christian religion, nevertheless, decided to honor the merits of Joseph and assigned him the status of a Saint.
Holiday attributes
Christmas has a number of attributes that make it stand out from other holidays.
Christmas tree
Chief among the attributes is, of course, the Christmas tree. So that the tree, cut down under the spine, does not shed tears, but gives only fun and bright hopes, it is very cool to grow such a Christmas tree in a summer cottage and decorate it every Christmas, noting how the Star of Bethlehem climbs higher and higher up its fluffy branches. When the first star of Christmas night lights up in the sky, its light will be reflected and multiplied as a star on the tree, warming souls and filling them with faith, love and hope.
Apples and oranges hanging on the branches, walnuts and peanuts, sweets and gingerbread will help turn the holiday into a sweet feast and lay the abundance of the next year of life.
Christmas star
During Soviet times, our trees were crowned with a five-pointed red star. Some used what were called tips. The top of the Christmas tree can be decorated with an eight-pointed star, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of God's son to the world and showed the way for the Magi to his cradle.
Such stars can not only be hoisted on the top, but also decorated with spruce branches.
Christmas wreath
If you did not manage to get to the dacha, you can decorate the Christmas table with a wreath woven from green branches of coniferous trees. Such a wreath can be hung on a door or a wall, decorating it with multi-colored ribbons, shiny balls and candies in bright wrappers, candles.
If you have branches of evergreen mistletoe, you can make a wreath from them. Indeed, until the moment when people chose to eat ate for the decoration of the holiday, Christmas was celebrated with wreaths made of branches of a plant named "mistletoe".
If there are no branches of conifers or mistletoe at hand, any green plant will do. After all, any greenery in the midst of a snow-white winter symbolizes the endurance of life.
The lighted candles, the ringing of bells and bells, and the aromas from the kitchen contribute to the creation of the Christmas mood.
