INTRODUCTION

Christmas as known amongst all commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ on 25th December. It is a sacred religious holiday as well as a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomena. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.

A depiction of the nativity with a Christmas tree backdrop

Commemorating Jesus' Birth

 Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary as a fulfillment of the Old Testament's Messianic Prophecy. The Bible contains two accounts describing the events surrounding Jesus' birth. These accounts differ from one another or rather tell two versions of the same story. These Biblical accounts are found in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18, and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26 and 2:40. According to these accounts Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem.

According to the accounts, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals. After the birth, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and put in a manger as there was no room available. Shepherds surrounding the village of Bethlehem were told about the birth of an angel, and were first to see the child.

MYTHS BEHIND THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

1. The most common heard myth about Christmas is regarding the date of birth of Jesus Christ. There is big question behind the date of celebration of Christmas because Holy Bible does not specify any date or month. The account in the Bible says that the shepherds were abiding in the field when it would be unusual for the shepherds to abide in the field at such a cold time and with unproductive fields. It also says that pregnant Mary travelled a distance of 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem but it would have been a rather difficult journey for her due to the cold weather.

 

2. Another myth that goes behind the story of the birth of Jesus Christ is that if the angels were really present at the time of his birth or not. The majority goes for the presence of the angels as it seems logical to them but the scriptures show no evidence of the same and also there is no evidence that the angels were visible to Mary and Joseph.

 

3. Another myth that is still going on is about Santa Clause. He was an imaginary character created for the traditional gift-giving ceremony. Santa Clause is believed to live on the north pole and on the night of Christmas he goes to every house distributing gifts among the children which are actually kept by their parents in front of the Christmas tree. It is also believed that the children put their wish list in a sock but if on the next day a piece of coal is found inside the sock then the child had done some misdeeds during the year which is why Santa Clause did not present any gifts for him/her.

Santa presenting gifts to a child

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS NOW

Christmas is an important festival of the Christians. It is celebrated by the Christians all over the world with great zeal and enthusiasm. In India too it is celebrated with gaiety. It is celebrated with the fervour and zeal as that of Dussehra and Diwali.

The preparation for the day starts many days earlier than the festival. Houses and churches are cleaned and whitewashed. They are decorated with flowers, banners, buntings and crosses made of wood or metal. The altars of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary are decorated with candles and flowers. A separate cradle is made for the infant Jesus in the courtyard of the church. All the Christians—young or old, rich or poor—celebrate this festival with equal fervour. Shops are also decorated beautifully with toys and pictures of different kind. They look attractive. Children are especially in enjoying mood.
On the Christmas day, after the mid-night mass or prayers are held at the churches. All the Christians gather at the church to participate in the prayer. After the mass, the Christians go home and feast. They wish and greet each other. They decorate their houses with coloured lights and plant a Christmas tree. A big branch of the tree is cut and planted in the corner of the house. Then the branch is decorated with little toys. Candles and electric bulbs are lighted on its twigs at night. The Christmas tree looks very bright and attractive. The Christians place different types of gifts at the foot of the tree for each other. Songs are sung at night. They offer prayers to God and thank Him for sending Christ on earth to remove all sins and sufferings of the mankind. They distribute gifts among the friends and relatives. Small children hang stockings near their bed. They believe that Santa Claus will bring gifts for them. People arrange parties and invite guests. They serve delicious food to their guests. They sing Christmas hymn’s and Christmas carols. Music programmes are also arranged. At the end of festivities people go to church and pray to God to shower them with all His blessings.
The Christmas is celebrated with fun and frolic everywhere. It is a national holiday in all the Christian countries. The festival gives us a message to live in peace and love. It teaches us the importance of love and sacrifice.

TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE THINGS IN CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION


    The list of tangible things is as follows:-
1. The clothing of the people is the top-most. There are no restrictions on the way of clothing on this festival. It is on the wish of the person as to what he/she wants to wear. Also it is more inclined towards the regional dresses. The people wear the dresses most suitable or comfortable for the region they live in. For example in the USA people wear western cloths, single-piece dresses etc. whereas in India people wear a saree or a pant and a shirt. It is completely subjective. The colours of Christmas are red, green and white so even though it is subjective.

2. The decorations are also not specifically told. It's done on the person's choice and according to the same. The decoration on Christmas tree can be done in various ways possible. In Germany, Christmas is celebrated widely and with great enthusiasm so the residents take more interest in decorations of their houses and town. Yet most decorations are done using ornaments, bells, lights and candles. On top of the Christmas tree the north pole star is placed which is common for all.

3.The material used for the decorations is not certain. In the absence of a real Christmas tree an artificial tree is also used by people. Cotton snow is also used.

The list of intangible things is as follows:-

 1. The gift giving ceremony is a traditional one. Santa is welcomed in the house with milk and cookies. After he leaves the gifts for the children on Christmas, the next morning unwrapping of gifts takes place.

2. A traditional feast is prepared on the Christmas night. It varies from region to region. In India, people prepare meat and biryani along with many sweets like plum cake, rum cake and even kheer. This feast is shared with family and friends on the night of 25th December.



3. The first thing on Christmas morning is going to the Church and thanking the lord. All Christians commence their day with praying in the Church. A feast is also prepared in the Church after which the people go and give greeting to their friends and family.

The Journey of Christmas from a Designer's View

There are a great lot of things and happenings during the Christmas festivities that can be related with the basic design principles in some way or the other. The Christmas tree is the biggest example of symmetry and rhythm. On a 2-D paper the symmetry can be seen clearly. The rhythmic flow of the branches is also visible.