Christmas

Origin of the term Christmas:

There are various theories about the origin of the term Christmas, it is not possible to say with certainty which theory of origin is 100% correct. The theories differ according to era and religious affiliation.

(Martin Luther 1512) ; Martin Luther thought that “we the little child weigh “ and formed from it Wyge night He explained the second part of the term Christmas with the Latin expression: "nec dierum numerum, ut nos, sed noctium computant" (not the number of days, as we do, but the nights they count).

(Frank 1538) ; early on there was the assumption that the term was of pre-Christian origin: "that this pagan name and stood not from Petro, but from the heathen in Christianity came, as did the Fasznacht, Weinnacht, etc." holly is derived from soft = holy, , Gothic = weihs, Old High German = wîh, Middle High German = wîch.

(J. Kelle 1858) ; According to J. Kelle, the term comes from the year 1170 AD from the sentence: "diu gnâde diu anegengete sih an dirre nahn: von diu heizet si diu wîhe nahn." now Christmas).

Christmas is one of the three main festivals of the Catholic church year on the occasion of Jesus Christ's birth, and is also known as " Holy Christian ' or the ' Christmas " designated. At the beginning, the Christmas season is introduced by the Advent season and its four Sundays in Advent. The main festival day is December 25th, but it is celebrated on different days depending on the country and religion. In Germany, for example, December 24th, the so-called Christmas Eve celebrated. That evening the feast takes place and the gifts are distributed among the families. In the USA, on the other hand, the gift giving is not celebrated until the morning of December 25th. In Russia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th since the Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar. December 25th and 26th are public holidays in Germany.

The Theology of Christmas:

In early Christianity they spoke of the "beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ", meaning the beginning of Jesus' work in public. Only some time later did the Church think about the origin of Jesus Christ, that is, about his birth, childhood and youth. These considerations were placed in the light of the Easter event and the questions answered from this point of view. In the specialist literature, there is talk of a "homologetic historiography" (homologeo = to promise, confess, assure). The focus is on the story of the birth of Jesus. His birth was directly foretold and announced, the childhood narratives subject to the pattern of fulfillment and promise. The stories of the birth of the Baptist are also related.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the time of King Herod, astrologers came to Jerusalem from the east and asked, Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star rise and came to pay homage to him. When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. He summoned all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah was to be born. They answered him: In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written in the prophets: Thou Bethlehem in the region of Judah, art by no means the least of the leading cities of Judea; for out of you will come a prince who will shepherd my people Israel.
Then Herod secretly summoned the astrologers and had them tell him exactly when the star had appeared.Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying: Go and find out carefully where the child is; and when you have found it, report it, so that I also may go and worship him.
After these words of the king they set out. And the star which they saw rising went before them to the place where the child was; there he stopped. When they saw the star, they were filled with very great joy. They went into the house and saw the child and Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then they brought out their treasures and offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts. But because the dream commanded them not to return to Herod, they went home to their country by another route.

Christmas is losing more and more of its original meaning, at least in consumer-oriented countries. There is talk of a “de-Christianization” of Christmas, the theological content is being lost more and more and being replaced by sentimentality and kitsch. It's usually just about giving away and consuming, this already begins in the pre-Advent season. The industry tries to boost sales with intrusive advertising and Christmas decorations in the various department stores. Christmas is the peak sales time of the year in many countries. Sales of jewellery, watches, toys, books, entertainment electronics and textiles are increasing enormously.