Christmas: history of origin. Traditions of celebrating the Nativity of Christ in the Orthodox Church What does the holiday of the Nativity of Christ mean?

For the whole world, the Nativity of Christ became a particularly important moment in history, since it caused a change in the chronology of events that occurred before and after the birth of the Savior. For such a great holiday as Christmas, history and traditions are of great importance. Along with the appearance of Christ, a new religion arose from the depths of Judaism, which became the basis of the worldview of many generations of people, because God himself sent Jesus to earth to atone for the sins of mankind and thereby save it.

The moment of the Savior’s birth is described not only in canonical, but also in apocryphal sources. But if some documents describe the history of the Nativity of Christ briefly, then it is covered in more detail in Matthew and Luke.

A Brief History of Christmas
When exactly was Jesus Christ born?
Why is the date of Christmas different for different religions?

A Brief History of Christmas

The history of the Nativity of Christ is usually briefly described for children like this:

Emperor Octavian Augustus ordered a census of the population of all the lands under his control. And for convenience, he indicated that all residents should return to their hometowns.

Joseph was from the family of David, so he and his wife Mary went to Bethlehem. There was very little time left before Mary gave birth, but only in the evening of the fifth day did they reach the place. Both were exhausted from the difficult journey, but they were unable to find a suitable place to stay for the night, because a lot of people arrived in Bethlehem for the census. All the inns were already overcrowded, and prices for overnight accommodation had risen so much that the poor carpenter could not afford it. As a result of a long search, the Holy Family found shelter in a cave near Bethlehem, into which shepherds herded cattle to protect themselves from the weather. Here, in the cave, the holy night came, on which the Savior was born. Maria swaddled him and, for lack of a cradle, was forced to put her son in a manger filled with hay for feeding animals. The story of the Christmas holiday for children also tells that the divine baby was warmed on both sides by an ox and a donkey.

The shepherds were the first to know about the great event of the birth of the son of God. The darkness of the night was suddenly dispersed by a wondrous light; a shining angel appeared to the shepherds, who announced to them the coming of the Messiah. The entire heavenly army lined up in front of the dumbfounded shepherds, performing a solemn and joyful song. When this performance ended, the shepherds saw that a bright light was breaking through from one of the caves. They entered this cave, where they found Joseph, Mary and a baby lying in a manger.

The story of the holiday that tells about Christmas briefly emphasizes that even though the shepherds were illiterate, they immediately believed that they had witnessed the birth of not just a simple child, but the Son of God, and the light of the Star of Bethlehem did not allow them to doubt it.

The wise men who lived far to the east also came to worship the Child. They were able to foresee this event, and when they saw a guiding star in the sky, they immediately set off on their journey. The biblical stories of Christmas say that the wise men had to go through several countries, but they appeared before the Messiah not empty-handed, but with gifts not just for the baby, but for the King: gold, myrrh and incense.

King Herod the Great of Judea also became aware of the prophets' prediction of the emergence of a new king, whom he perceived as a competitor to his heirs for the throne. It was rumored that he even resorted to a trick, turning to the wise men and asking them to indicate the place where the Messiah was born in order to go there and worship him. But the wise men became aware of Herod’s evil plan, so they kept the birthplace of Jesus a secret from the king. Further, the short history of Christmas is darkened, because Herod took a different path - he ordered the killing of all babies who were no more than two years old. As a result, over 14,000 children died, however, Jesus miraculously managed to survive - an angel appeared to Joseph, telling him that he needed to go to Egypt. The Holy Family went there, where they soon awaited the death of the formidable king.

Video about the story of the Nativity of Christ for children:

When exactly was Jesus Christ born?

The history of the Nativity of Christ is still controversial among scientists. The Roman Catholic Church insisted on the date of December 25, and this date was accepted by the Nicaea Ecumenical Council. The first mentions of a separately celebrated Christmas appeared in the 4th century.

For a long time, Christians could not decide on the date and status of the Christmas holiday. As you know, the first Christians were Jews, and for them birth was more associated with misfortune and pain. Therefore, they did not celebrate the birth of Christ in any way. Easter was considered a more important holiday, on which the moment of his resurrection also fell. When the Greeks joined Christianity, the tradition and history of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ came from them.

But where did Christmas get its exact date? Among the early Christians (end of the 2nd century - 4th century), the event of Christmas was associated with the day of Epiphany, that is, January 6. Clement of Alexandria wrote about this around 200. But in the middle of the 4th century, the first evidence appeared of the identification of Christmas as a separate holiday with the date December 25. There is a version that thereby the new religion tried to supplant the cult of the Invincible Sun, which was widespread in the Roman Empire and was celebrated on December 25 (at that time it was the winter solstice). This is the possible story of the creation of Christmas.

However, even the very existence of such a person as Jesus Christ raises doubts among historians. And even if he actually lived, most of the dates of his life are extremely vague. Most likely, he could have appeared in 5-7 years. BC e. In the year 221 from the birth of Christ, the date December 25 appeared in the calendar of the ancient historian Sextus Julius Africanus. Later, Dionysius the Small, who was an archivist under the pope, confirmed this date. Having studied the chronicles of 354, he suggested that Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar and dated him to the year 1 AD. e.

If we rely on the scriptures in the Gospel, then the Star of Bethlehem that lit up the sky was nothing more than Halley’s Comet flying near the Sun at that time. This event was supposed to take place in 12 BC. e. If we take into account the census conducted in Israel, then it turns out that Jesus was born in 7 AD. e. But dates of birth after 4 BC seem unlikely. BC, since both canonical and apocryphal texts agree that Jesus appeared during the reign of King Herod I the Great, who died in 4 BC. e.

Late dates of birth are also not suitable because the time of his execution is approximately determined. If Jesus had appeared in our era, he would have been executed at too young an age.

The letter from Luke mentions that at the birth of Christ the shepherds slept in the field, but this could only have happened in the summer or early autumn. True, if the year was warm, then in Palestine it was possible to graze flocks in February.

Why is the date of Christmas different for different religions?

Catholics and most Protestants celebrate Christmas on December 25 according to the current Gregorian calendar.

The Jerusalem, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian and Athos Orthodox churches, as well as a number of Eastern Catholic churches, also celebrate Christmas on December 25, but according to the “old” Julian style, which according to the current Gregorian calendar is shifted by 2 weeks to January 7.

Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople (with the exception of Athos), Bulgarian, Cyprus, Hellas, Romanian and a number of other Orthodox churches adhere to the date of December 25 according to the New Julian calendar. It will coincide until March 1, 2800 with the Gregorian calendar, that is, their Christmas coincides with the “Catholic” one.

For ancient Eastern Christians, Christmas coincides with Epiphany, forming a single holiday of Epiphany, celebrated on January 6.

Which version of the birth of Jesus Christ do you think is most likely? Do you believe in biblical texts and celebrate Christmas? Tell us about it in the comments.

January 7 marked new life of all humanity. Now the worship of pagan idols is a thing of the past. There were no more human sacrifices to please these gods. Today, the only “Sacrifice” offered by an Orthodox Christian to the Lord is a candle and sincere prayer.

The history of the holiday is covered in mysteries, since it is one of the oldest on earth. Meanwhile, there are facts that have been accurately established by modern science and are practically beyond doubt. Agree: it’s hard to imagine that this day was never celebrated at all. And, meanwhile, there were such times. To understand how it was, you need to plunge into the fascinating and mysterious world of history.
1. This holiday was established to honor the birth of Jesus Christ in the ancient city of Bethlehem. This happened in 5508 from the day of the creation of the world.
2. in the 4th century, the principles of celebrating Christmas were just being established. They were not 100% similar to modern ones. And in terms of singing, too.
3. in the 5th century the foundations of chants were just beginning to be laid. Patriarch Anatoly of Constantinople contributed to this. His work continued in the 7th - 8th centuries with Andrei and Soffonius of Jerusalem, as well as Cosma of Mayum, Patriarch Herman of Constantinople and others. It is precisely the chants of that time that are practiced everywhere by modern clergy.
4. This great holiday was held in high esteem by believers from the very moment of the birth of the Savior. Over time, it gained popularity and more and more believers joined the celebrations. Already in those days, the custom was born to celebrate this day in a special way. However, all this was persecuted and not recognized by the official authorities of that time for a very long time.
Christmas is January 7th.
5. the first who decided to congratulate Christ and all people were simple shepherds, to whom an angel appeared, informing them of the greatest joy: a savior has come to earth, and everyone who believes in him and adheres to his commandments will have a chance for salvation your soul and a blissful heavenly life for all ages. The shepherds presented gifts to the baby, and the wise men (magi) hurried after them. It was they who were entrusted with the honor of notifying people about the birth of the child of God.
The history of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ is outlined briefly for children. After all, children should know and need to be told everything correctly and clearly.
This is how the foundations of this holiday were laid, which we still celebrate today. And not only at the religious, but also at the official - state level (in more than 100 countries of the modern world.
Some more interesting historical facts!
Christmas holiday in different countries the world is not celebrated in exactly the same way. This was influenced by the customs of those local peoples who lived on those lands when it was just founded.
It is celebrated by both the Catholic and Protestant churches, and it is also honored by many related religious movements.
In Rus', Christmas began to be celebrated only in the 10th century. And her baptism itself was, for the most part, forced. The pagan beliefs of the local peoples were too strong.
Closer to our time, in the villages, Christmastide was celebrated “by the whole world,” moving from one hut to another. This custom has survived to this day. Merchants in those days rode in troikas, and noble nobles loved to organize balls.
Holy evening or Christmas - traditions and customs.
In fact, long before Christmas, the household chores began. And everyone had their own. So, the owner had to feed the meat, supply wine for maturation, prepare smoking, and so on. The hostess was busy with embroidery, cleaning, preparing new dishes, and preparing dishes. The children helped them with all this.
On January 2 (Ignat) the final cleaning was done, the houses were decorated with Didukh and spruce branches.
On the fourth of January (on Anastasia) the preparation of food for the festive table was finally completed.
On the sixth, from dawn, the hostess collected water for kutya, uzvar, and stoked the fireplace, on which the dishes were then prepared. Until the evening of the sixth, strict fasting continued. But the first star heralded his relative “End”.
And to emphasize the idleness of this moment, they began to eat the much-awaited festive meal. But, without fail, she was fast. The table was incredibly rich. And there must have been 12 dishes on it.
12 dishes for Christmas.
It was not at all necessary to eat every dish completely. And it wasn’t very realistic after the strict fast. But little by little is a completely different matter. We started the meal with kutia - the central, main dish of the Christmas table.
Among other things, it is also a funeral dish, so a bowl filled with it, and an uzvar next to it, was also placed for deceased relatives, who were believed (and are still believed to this day) to visit the living at this magical time.
Kutya was also brought to those people who were not relatives or lived in other houses to wish them well-being, prosperity, good health, happiness and joy, and also to wish them a Merry Christmas. These same wishes were conveyed to godfathers.
“Wearing the Supper” is what this rite is called. For her, adults give gifts to children from the bottom of their hearts.
Let's return to the festive home table. It was covered with fresh, fragrant hay, but food was placed in clean, beautiful dishes. Each dish has its own meaning. It is believed that dishes from all the fruits and vegetables available on the farm should be placed on the table, so that next year they will produce even more richly.
Why exactly 12 dishes need to be prepared for Christmas?
This is justified by the fact that there are the same number of months in a year. And yet, it was the 12 apostles who took direct part in the famous Last Supper with Christ.
1. kutia, as already mentioned, is the main dish of this table. This is a cereal porridge.
2. uzvar (var. Special compote, the main ingredient of which is dried fruits.
3. chilled fish.
4. cabbage.
5. boiled peas.
6. Lenten borscht.
7. fried fish.
8. Lenten dumplings.
9. Lenten pies.
10. Pancakes or pampushki (to go with borscht.
11. Millet or buckwheat porridge.
12. Stuffed cabbage rolls with vegetables and cereals.
After the family meal was over, supper could be held. At this time, young people could sing carols, adults, and with them children, old people, young people (everyone who wanted) began to gather for church. The girls began to tell fortunes. However, they were officially prohibited by the church!
How to cook Christmas kutya.

In ancient times, the whole family got to work to prepare this unique dish. Each of its members, young and old, sorted through the wheat for several evenings in a row in order to use only the best grains in the cooking process. Barley was used a little less often than wheat.
Modern kutia, as a rule, is prepared from rice, but recipes that use wheat and barley are gradually returning to us. The dish is served to the table, seasoned with poppy seeds and bee honey. Sometimes she was refueled and full. This is also honey, only diluted. It is not as sweet and much more liquid.

They began to gradually add poppy milk to kutya later. Actually, it's not milk, pure form, but pre-steamed and thoroughly crushed poppy seeds.
If there is no honey, you can simply add sugar to the dish. Also, the trend of modern cooking is raisins and nuts in kutia. Previously, only those who had them could add nuts.
There are a great many recipes for preparing this dish. Here is one of the most popular, used by our ancestors.
It uses wheat or barley grains, previously pounded in a wooden mortar. But, they should not be fragmented. the main task- remove the husk with which they are covered.
Next, these grains were poured into a pot, filled with water and placed in the oven. There they cooked until done.
It would be ideal if the water did not need to be drained after this, that is, it was completely boiled down.
The finished grain was poured with dried fruits: pears, apples, plums, and sometimes apricots. The grain is placed in bowls separately, uzvar is added there, and you can put a spoonful of honey. The grain can be poured even when it is full.
In the modern interpretation of kutya, nuts, raisins, and sugar are added to it instead of honey (but not necessarily.
January 7 - Merry Christmas.

On the first day of Christmas, the 7th, an early lunch was placed on the table. Meat dishes were allowed to be consumed in unlimited quantities.
However, everyone knew that it was impossible to abuse it, since the gastrointestinal tract must adapt to the new diet after such a long fast. Blood and meat sausage, porridge with roast, lard with boiled pork, and so on were allowed. At lunchtime there should have been at least one (at least) dairy dish on the table. It could have been noodles with milk.
They served church services, fasted, and then went to visit the guests. Sleeping at night is an unaffordable luxury, and this applies specifically to Christmas night. Why? It was believed that whoever falls asleep can sleep through all his happiness and good luck. But I couldn’t get much sleep, even with all my desire: carols under the windows, the ringing of church bells, noise and din, talk about the bright holiday of people returning from service (from church)!
On a bright Christmas it was necessary to have fun and rejoice, spend time with the family, and then at a party. And, what is extremely important, forgive any offenses, letting them go and not remembering them again. Only joy, because the son of God was born.
By the way, all the customs and traditions mentioned above have been preserved, in one form or another, to this day. And soon it will be time to remember them again. After all, the Christmas holidays are at stake.
Fortune telling on the night before Christmas.

Fortune telling was happening everywhere at this time. And even though the church officially forbade this, this practice did not lose its popularity. And I haven’t lost it to this day.
The most common were fortune telling with onions in the name of your betrothed, fortune telling with a gold ring, with a comb, with glasses, fortune telling with a cat, with a rooster, and so on. And each of them is a whole ritual with a lot of features. Let's give an example of one of them.
Fortune telling for the betrothed using bulbs. Before Christmas Eve, a week before, the girl selected several bulbs, on each of which she made a mark with the initials “Candidate”. She put them in water. And during fortune telling, at night, she whispered over the onion: “onion - onion, whisper to me, who is my groom?” Then the size of the shoots was measured. The longest one, with initials, pointed to the groom.
Christmas Christ's traditions and customs.
January is the month of holidays, following Christmas there will be baptism on January 19th. But continuing the theme of Christmas, I cannot help but mention interesting signs for Christmas.
Christmas signs.
The main signs that were believed then, and that continue to exist now:
Morning snow on January 7 - for wealth and good luck.
It is forbidden to sew at Christmas, so that all family members have excellent eyesight.
Blizzard on this day - early spring and lush foliage on the trees.
Starry sky - a large harvest of peas.
Kutya prepared by the main housewife in the house means good health to those who eat it. On the eve of Christmas, it is better not to take light and fire out of the hut. Not a single plate should be left empty on the table. And most importantly: as Christmas goes, so will the whole year! These, of course, are not the only signs. Several volumes are not enough to count them all. But here are the most interesting of them.

Christmas for children

Christmas is one of the main Christian holidays. IN catholic church it is celebrated on December 25, and in the Orthodox Church on January 7. On this day, temples are decorated, priests put on the best and most elegant vestments, and all the lamps in the temples are lit.

Before Christmas, a strict fast is required to prepare for this holiday. The day before Christmas is called Christmas Eve. Orthodox believers on this day do not eat anything until the evening, waiting for the first star to appear in the sky. This is connected with one of the episodes of the birth of little Christ.

When he was born in a cave near the city of Bethlehem, a bright star immediately shone in the sky. From it everyone learned about the appearance of the Savior in the world. The sages in the East, when they saw this appear in the sky new star, went to Bethlehem to worship the Savior. This is how it is told in church books.

At Christmas, candles on Christmas trees are lit in houses and everyone congratulates each other on the birth of Christ, who came to earth to rid the world of sins.

Previously, the Nativity of Christ was celebrated on January 6 along with Epiphany and Epiphany, and only in the 4th century it was moved to December 25 for Catholics and to January 7 for Orthodox Christians.

The Boy God was born in a manger

Among donkeys, lambs,

And I was illuminated by a star

Bethlehem courtyard and garden.

And the gray donkey thought,

Looking into the baby's eyes:

“He came with goodness and faith,

Compassion and affection!:

And the puppy is a couch potato

I peeked from the kennel,

How the Magi came from the East,

They brought their gifts.

Christmas star

Illuminated the whole Earth,

And even from behind a cloud

She released her beam.

And the magic illuminated -

Birth of Christ.

We've been celebrating Christmas ever since

We are always in January.

And people remember from that distant

Christmas time,

How the Magi from the East went to Christ

Carrying your gifts.

Christmas history holiday traditions. About the correct name of the holiday: Christmas or Christmas

The spelling and pronunciation of the word "Christmas" differs in ancient Russian and modern traditions. In the old pre-schism liturgical tradition and among the Old Believers today, the name “Rozhestvo” (without the letter “d”) is accepted. In old printed books the beginning of the holiday troparion reads like this:

Your joy is ours

At the same time, in modern Russian and the post-schism (Nikonian) church, the sound d was added and the name “Christmas” became commonly used. Here are the comments of Old Believer priests on this issue:

Priest John Sevastyanov, rector of the Old Believer church in Rostov-on-Don, explains:

Rozhestvo is a Church Slavonic tradition of writing this word. Among the Old Believers there is a certain tendency to preserve just such a transcription. Although it is optional. United, alternating, double consonants at the root of a word are the influence of the Western Slavic tradition.

Priest John Kurbatsky, rector of the Old Believer Church in Kaluga, comments:

The word “Christmas” is written under the title, like other sacred words (God, Lord, Mother of God, etc.). At divine services we pronounce it as it is written in books and as is customary in the ancient Russian tradition, without the “d”. At the same time, we pronounce “d” in many other cases: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...”, “Jesus is born in Bethlehem Judaism...”, “The Virgin gives birth to...”, etc.

It is interesting that “d” in Church Slavonic is sometimes pronounced where it is not pronounced in modern Russian. In the canon of the Annunciation we read the words put into the mouth of the Mother of God: “What kind of birth did the Son have?” In addition to “Christmas”, you can give examples of other words with the combination of letters “zhd” (affirmation, hope, before, condemnation). In liturgical books you can find them written in different ways: both with and without the letter “d”. We read as it is written in the book. So, we can safely congratulate people on the Nativity of Christ, and in prayer say “Rozhestvo” according to the ancient Russian tradition. The New Believers completely abandoned this archaic phonetic form, as well as changed the pronunciation of many other words (Forerunner instead of Forerunner, Nikolai instead of Nikola, etc.).”

Brief history of the Nativity of Christ. A Brief History of the Nativity of Christ

The history of the Church of Christ knows many discrepancies with the true teaching of the apostles; it was expressed in the distortion of general theology and, as a result, the very teaching about Christ was distorted. This was also the reason that the holiday was separated from the general celebration of the Incarnation, which combined three events, and Christmas was introduced separately.

The separation of the holiday occurred in the 4th century under Pope Julia. By setting the date of celebration on December 25, the Church created a counterbalance to the cult of the sun, which the pagans celebrated on this day. The celebration was so popular that even Christians took part in it, thereby sinning against the second commandment. Thus, the introduction of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ replaced the pagan tradition of celebrating the winter solstice and turned the hearts of people to the true God.

The day for the holiday was extremely symbolic and logical - after all, the symbol of the sun, like no other, befits the remembrance of the event of Christmas, since Christ is the Sun of Truth, the Light of the World, the Conqueror of Death - as the apostles call Him.

According to the great Christian minds of world significance, such as John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine, St. Cyril of Alexandria and others - the date of Christmas on December 25 really has high historical accuracy in calculating the day of the Nativity of Christ.

The introduction of chronology from the Nativity of Christ occurred in 525 and is associated with the significance it had for all humanity. Two eras - before the Nativity of the Messiah, before the possibility of eternal life and forgiveness of sins - and after. The monk Dionysius the Small, who calculated events to form the basis of the new calendar, made a mistake with the calculations - to be precise, it is now 4 years earlier than is commonly believed and the current calculation of time has this error. But the event, nevertheless, remained the main one in the history of mankind - that’s why chronology is calculated from the Nativity of Christ.

The history of the Nativity of Christ, even briefly for children, is of interest not only to them, but also to adults. This interest has not disappeared for 2000 years. Once you hear the name of Jesus Christ, you will not be able to forget it. The sooner children are told about the Son of God, why he was born, the easier it will be for them in the future to understand and feel how much God loves people.

Once you hear the name of Jesus Christ, you will not be able to forget it.

The story of the Nativity for children

For children, a brief history of the Nativity of Christ should be told in an adapted way so that they remember the meaning of the celebration and the significance of this day. What is special about the birth of Jesus Christ and why this baby became the most famous person in the whole world.

If you are parents of preschool children, you can tell a brief story of the Nativity of Christ in this format:

Once upon a time on Earth, a special boy was born. His mother, the Virgin Mary, named the baby Jesus. A bright star in the sky announced His birth to the whole world. The star was so unusual that three ancient scientists decided to go to the place over which it shone and find out what kind of event happened there. When they arrived there, they saw that in a small cave, next to his mother, a baby was lying in the manger on the hay, and they realized that the prediction about the birth of the Savior for all people had come true. This is how Jesus Christ was born.

The coming of Jesus into the world was accompanied by a bright celestial phenomenon - a moving star in the sky

Below is a short history of the Nativity of Christ for schoolchildren.

The history of the Nativity of Christ began a long time ago, 2000 years ago. This day is celebrated every year on January 7th. The night before Christmas is the most magical. It's called Christmas Eve. On this day, songs are sung glorifying the birth of the Mission.

The coming of Jesus into the world was accompanied by a bright celestial phenomenon - a moving star in the sky, which was visible from everywhere. It was called the Star of Bethlehem, after the name of the town near which Jesus was born. She helped the three wise men find the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

The Magi were ancient magicians and sorcerers; in those days, their opinion was the main thing for both ordinary people and kings. History has preserved the names of these wise men: Caspar, Melchior and Belshazzar. As expected, on his birthday, they brought gifts (gifts) to the baby Christ, thereby recognizing that little Jesus is a special person and has an important saving mission for all people. In those days, gold, frankincense and myrrh were considered the most valuable gifts.

The Magi were ancient magicians

The mother of Jesus Christ is called Mary. She was also an unusual person, because God chose Her to give birth to His Son, which is why Mary is called the Virgin. And the Virgin Mary was helped by a very kind and good man named Joseph. He was the earthly father of Jesus Christ and cared for the Virgin Mary and the son of God. Joseph knew that the Lord had given him great responsibility.

Jesus Christ's mother's name is Mary

When the time came for the baby to be born, Joseph and the Virgin Mary were on their way to the city of Bethlehem. It was already late and they had to stop in a cave for the night. Where, usually, shepherds hid with animals if they were caught in bad weather. Little Jesus was born in unusual conditions; instead of the usual playpen, little Christ was placed in a feeding trough where they put hay for animals. By the way, it is called a nursery, just like the group in kindergarten for the little ones.

Christmas: listen, watch, feel

The icon “Nativity of Christ” displays all these events. And although the situation is very different from the traditional conditions for the birth of children, this did not stop his parents from surrounding the baby with maternal care and paternal warmth. And the fact that Jesus was born in a cave suggests that it is not so important where you were born, it is important for what. Jesus Christ became the Savior of all people who want to be with God forever.

What is Christmas Eve and why is it called that?

What is Christmas Eve and how it should be celebrated - The name itself is believed to come from the word “sochivo” (the same as “kolivo” - boiled grains of rice or wheat). It is customary to eat “sochivo” or “kolivo” on the eve of the holiday only after the liturgy, which is combined with Vespers.

How did the holiday of the Nativity of Christ appear?

In 337, Pope Julius I approved the date of December 25 as the date of the Nativity of Christ. Since then all christian world celebrates the Nativity of Christ on December 25th. The exception is the Armenian Church, which celebrates Christmas and Epiphany as a single feast of Epiphany on January 6.

Orthodox Church.

According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ was born from the Virgin Mary during the reign of Emperor Augustus (Octavius) in the city of Bethlehem. Augustus ordered a nationwide census of his entire empire, which then included Palestine. The Jews had the custom of conducting national censuses by tribes, tribes and clans; each tribe and clan had their own specific cities and ancestral places, therefore the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph, descended from the line of David, had to go to Bethlehem (the city of David) to register and their names in the list of Caesar's subjects. In Bethlehem, due to the census, all the places in the hotels were occupied; Mary and Joseph were able to find accommodation for the night only in a limestone cave intended for a cattle stall. When they settled down there, the time came for Mary to give birth. Among the hay and straw in the cold winter night baby Jesus Christ was born. The Holy Virgin, who painlessly gave birth to the Infant of God, wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and placed Him in a manger—a feeding trough for livestock. But in the midst of midnight silence, when all humanity was engulfed in sleep, the news of the birth of the Savior of the world was heard by the shepherds guarding the flock. An Angel appeared to them and said: “Do not be afraid: I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people. Today the Savior of the world was born - Christ the Lord! And here is a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly a large heavenly army appeared with the Angel, praising God. When the Angels disappeared, the shepherds said to each other: let's go to Bethlehem and see what happened there. And, hastening, they found a cave where Mary, Joseph and the Child were lying in a manger. The shepherds told the holy family what had been announced to them about the Child.

At this time, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi (ancient sages) from the east came with gifts to the Infant God. They expected that the great King of the world would soon come to earth. The Magi, according to legend they were called Gaspar, Melchior and Belshazzar, headed to Jerusalem to ask where to look for the Savior of the world. Hearing about this, King Herod, who ruled Judea at that time, became agitated and called them to him. He found out from the Magi the time of the appearance of the star - the possible age of the future king, whom he feared as a rival to his reign. Herod hypocritically asked the wise men to inform him of the place of birth of the baby, “so that I too could go and worship Him.”

Following the guiding star, the Magi reached Bethlehem, where they bowed to the newborn Savior and brought gifts from the East: gold, incense and myrrh. These gifts had a deep meaning: they brought gold as a tribute to the king, incense as a tribute to God, and myrrh as a person who was about to die (in those distant times, myrrh was anointed with the dead). Then, having received a revelation from God not to return to Jerusalem, they went back to their own country by another route.

The angry Herod, discovering that the wise men did not listen to him, sent soldiers to Bethlehem with orders to put to death all male infants under two years of age. The Gospel tells that Joseph, having received a warning about danger in a dream, fled with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child to Egypt, where the Holy Family remained until the death of Herod.

In remembrance of the birth (nativity) of Jesus Christ, the church established a holiday - the Nativity of Christ. The beginning of its celebration dates back to the time of the apostles. The Apostolic Decrees say: “Keep, brethren, the feast days, and, firstly, the day of the Nativity of Christ, which shall be celebrated by you on the 25th day of the tenth month” (from March).

In the first three centuries of the new era, during the persecution of Christians, in some churches the feast of the Nativity of Christ was combined with the feast of Epiphany on January 19 (January 6, old style) under the common name of Epiphany. The reason for this was probably the belief that Christ was baptized on the day of his birth.

The date of Christmas - December 25 - has been accepted by the Church since the 4th century. Until the 70s of the 1st century, the overwhelming majority of Christians were Jews, and among them the question of the date of birth of the Savior was not raised, because it was generally not customary for Jews to know exact birthdays. The first attempts to establish the date of the Nativity of Christ and celebrate this day as one of the main Christian holidays date back to the 2nd-3rd centuries.

In 337, Pope Julius I approved the date of December 25 as the date of the Nativity of Christ. Since then, the entire Christian world celebrates Christmas on December 25 (the exception is the Armenian Church, which celebrates Christmas and Epiphany as a single feast of Epiphany). The Russian Orthodox Church also celebrates the Nativity of Christ on December 25, but according to the old style - according to the Julian calendar (since the Russian Orthodox Church did not accept the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII), that is, on January 7 - according to the new Gregorian style.

The Feast of the Nativity of Christ precedes the Nativity Fast, so that the soul of Christians is cleansed by prayer and repentance, and the body by abstinence from food. Lent begins on November 28 (November 15 according to the Julian calendar) and lasts until January 7 (December 25 according to the old style). The last day of the Nativity Fast is Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, when the fast becomes especially strict and Vespers (evening worship) of the Nativity of Christ is served. For Christmas Eve, churches are decorated in a festive way - with spruce branches, garlands of flowers and lights.

Since the festive vespers have already been served, the all-night vigil begins with the joyful cry of the prophet Isaiah: “God is with us!” Matins is performed according to the rite of the great holidays. On it, for the first time, one of the most beautiful canons in Orthodox worship is sung in full: “Christ is born, glorify! Christ is in heaven, hide (meet)! Christ is on earth, ascend! Sing to the Lord, all the earth!”

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ concludes with the Divine Liturgy - a service at which the sacrament of Communion is performed.

The next day the celebration of the Council takes place Holy Mother of God. By combining Christmas hymns with songs glorifying the Mother of God, the church points to Mary as the person who made the Incarnation possible. The Feast of the Synaxis of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Christian tradition is the most ancient holiday in honor of the Virgin Mary, the beginning of Her church veneration.

The period from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany is called Holy Days, or Christmastide. In fact, this is a continuation of the Christmas holiday.

For Christmas, many families have a custom of decorating a Christmas tree and giving each other gifts. Christmas tree branches are decorated with various sweets and glowing lights.

On the holiday, after the service, they broke their fast with all kinds of meat and fish snacks, jellied and baked goose with apples. Roasted poultry was a decoration on the Christmas table. Chicken was served cold, goose or duck was served hot. Cold poultry was garnished with pickles, tomatoes and herbs, hot poultry was garnished with fried potatoes. At Christmas, pies, gingerbreads, and carols (small-shaped products made from rye unleavened dough with various fillings) were baked in every house, which were also treated to those who came to sing carols - to sing folk songs about the Nativity of Christ.

Historical roots of the holiday of the Nativity of Christ. Religious tradition and modern monuments. Features of Orthodox worship and established folk traditions, customs.

The Nativity of Christ - beloved by the people religious holiday, which is reflected in folk customs, beautiful worship, turns to God and speaks of the nearness of salvation. The Orthodox Church calls on everyone to be imbued with the fulfillment of the great plan of the Incarnation. Historically, the discovery of this holiday is closely connected with the period of the formation of Christianity. Deep spiritual religious texts and music were created by prominent religious figures and Christian devotees. The spiritual experience of our people is captured in traditions that are still alive today.

Christmas is one of the most wonderful and beloved church holidays among the people. In order to overcome the barrier that arose after the Fall between people and the Lord, and separated humanity from the joys of eternal bliss, Jesus Christ was sent to earth, who appeared in the guise of a man. He gave hope to every sinner and showed the way to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ kindles a flame of faith and bright love in the hearts of believers, giving hope for eternal life and a meeting with the Creator.

history of the holiday

According to legend, when the hour of the Savior’s birth came, the Jews were under Roman rule. Emperor Augustus (Octavius) issued a decree on conducting a national census, for which every Jew had to return to the city where his family originated. The Most Holy Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, but were originally from Bethlehem, since they came from the branch of David.

One day an angel came in a dream to the pure and immaculate Virgin Mary and said: “You will be destined to give birth to the son of God from the Holy Spirit and his name will be Jesus Christ.” They went to Nazareth, but it turned out that pregnant Mary and Joseph had nowhere to stay. The place was found just outside the city, in a cattle cave. Here, without pain and suffering, Mary was born as the Infant of God. When the newborn Savior was swaddled and placed in a manger, the cave was filled with heavenly radiance. A star, called the Bethlehem star, lit up brightly in the sky. She became a sign of the birth of the Son of God for the Magi.

Advice. Go to confession in Church! When you repent, all your sins will be forgiven.

An angel of God announced to the shepherds guarding the flocks near Bethlehem about a great event, and they were the first to worship Christ and tell everyone about his birth.

Prophecies about the birth of the Messiah were recorded in the texts of the Bible. Therefore, the Magi followed the Star of Bethlehem with rich gifts that were presented to the Savior. These offerings are deeply symbolic and personify: gold - the power of the King, incense - a tribute to the Divine nature. In other words, the legend says that God led simple shepherds to faith through the heart, and through the mind - learned scribes and pagan magicians.

A tragic event is associated with the appearance of the Magi: the massacre of infants. The Jewish King Herod feared the appearance of a prophet because he was afraid of losing his throne. He ordered the scribes on the way back to tell where Mary and the baby were. However, Joseph had a vision in a dream that he needed to return home by a different route, bypassing Jerusalem. In anger, Herod ordered to kill all the newborn babies who lived in Bethlehem. The angel managed to lead the Holy Family to Egypt before this massacre occurred, which took the lives of several thousand innocent children.

Subsequently, over the cave in which Jesus Christ was born, Empress Helena built the Basilica of the Nativity. This temple is currently considered one of the main shrines of the Christian world.

When is Christmas celebrated?

The Nativity of Christ belongs to the great twelve church holidays, on which the whole world of God, visible and invisible, rejoices.

Early Christianity did not have the holiday of Christmas on its calendar. It developed under the conditions of Old Testament Judaism, within which it was believed that the birth of a person should be mourned. The tradition of celebration gained the right to exist only after the establishment of Christianity. Moreover, at first the Church celebrated the Epiphany, which symbolized both the birth and baptism of the Savior. Later they calculated the exact date of His birth, based on the evidence of the Gospel, and established it as December 25. IN Orthodox tradition it was adopted in 379.

In the 20th century, Russia switched to the Gregorian calendar following the countries of Europe. However, the Orthodox Church did not accept the innovation and is still guided by the Julian calendar. This led to the fact that the date of the holiday Orthodox Christmas moved to January 7th. It is preceded by the Nativity Fast, which ends on Christmas Eve (evening of January 6).

Church service in honor of the Nativity of Christ

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ is structured similarly to the Easter service. Starts at 23-00 and lasts until early morning. The service is conducted in Church Slavonic, which most fully reflects the theological depth of Byzantine religious texts in the translation of Cyril and Methodius. On the eve of Christmas, the Royal (Great) Hours are read and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which is combined with the Vespers Service.

Litiya is the introductory part of the service; during it, the prophecies of the Old Testament are read that Bethlehem will be the place where the prophet will be born, predictions about the coming of Christ and his appearance. The all-night service in honor of the Nativity of Christ opens with the joyful singing of the hymn “God is with us.” The choirs sing the kontakion of the holiday and the troparion. In addition to the joyful stichera, prayers are offered for embittered souls, perishing in sorrow, in need of mercy and divine help.

They read the festive litanies and bless the wine, bread, and grains of wheat, and then distribute them to the parishioners; the priest uses the oil to anoint the flock.

At midnight, Christmas Matins begins with the singing of the Six Psalms with the words “Glory to God in the highest...”. Thus, the Church shows that although our soul is a field of struggle between light and darkness, Christ has already come - the true Light who will defeat evil. It reveals the theme of the incarnation of God. Reading the Gospel texts from Matthew testifies to the Nativity of Christ. They glorify Him in hymns and stichera.

This is followed by the Christmas Liturgy, which begins with glorifying psalms and hymns of praise. Instead of the Trisagion, they sing the baptismal hymn from the Epistle to the Galatians. The apostolic reading is taken from the same epistle.

Everyone is recommended to go to confession and receive communion on this holiday.

On January 8, the celebration of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary takes place. At this solemn service, worshipers bring as a gift to Christ their sincere, ardent love for the Virgin Mary, who gave joy to the world. For without Her good will there could not be Immaculate Conception and the appearance of the Savior.

Celebrating the Nativity of Christ in folk traditions

It is customary to do good deeds and help those in need. In pre-Petrine Russia there was a custom of pardoning repentant criminals and distributing alms on Christmas Day. Rich families secretly donated funds to shelters and hospitals for the poor to save their souls.

The tradition of setting up and decorating a Christmas tree for Christmas came to us from Europe much later. Spruce is an evergreen tree, symbolizing eternal life, the eternity of being with God, personifying the tree of life. And the toys and gifts with which it is customary to decorate it are a symbol of the holy gifts.

Nativity Fast and festive table

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ is preceded by the Nativity Fast, during which certain preparatory days are especially revered. On St. Andrew's Day (which falls on December 13) and December 19 - St. Nicholas's Day, verses are sung announcing the coming birth of the Lord, and prayers are offered to the saints and the Lord. Fasting is called to deliver the soul from evil and anger, to tame lusts, to purify thoughts and turn them to the heavenly world, so that the soul may receive the grace of the Lord.

During fasting, believers observe the following regime:

– on Mondays, Fridays and Wednesdays only dry food is allowed;

– on Thursdays and Tuesdays it is allowed to eat hot foods with the addition of vegetable oil;

With the appearance of the first star in the sky on Christmas Eve, January 6, the whole family gathers at the Lenten table. There are twelve dishes on the table (according to the number of apostles). After reading the prayer, they eat kutya - a dish of boiled wheat (or rice) and uzvar (dried fruit compote).

Then they start eating. Godchildren “wear it” to their godparents, but more often they spend Christmas Eve with their family. IN Soviet time traditions were partially lost, but to this day many (even unchurched) families celebrate Christmas.

On the morning of January 7, Orthodox Christians set a fast table: they prepare flour and meat dishes, baked goose or duck, turkey, fish, and invite guests to eat with them. It is customary to give gifts to family and friends and spend this day in an atmosphere of love and joy.

The Nativity of Christ has been celebrated for many centuries. The teachings of Christ defeated ancient philosophizing and destroyed heresies. This holiday testifies that God’s providence is for every person. For the sake of humanity, the Lord sent the Son into the world and doomed Him to suffer for the salvation of all Christians. This is a call to correct the sinful nature of each of us through sincere repentance, confession and prayer.

Christmas is a great holiday, a solemn day for all Christians. On this day, God himself, the Savior of the world, incarnated into man. It is surprising that in the Holy Scriptures there is not a single indication that the day of the birth of the Messiah is a church holiday or some special day. In those days, birthdays were not celebrated at all. And the ancient Church did not celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ was celebrated on the day of Epiphany.

Surely everyone knows the story about the Magi who came to worship the King of the Jews after seeing a star in the East. But the Magi themselves were not Jews. What did they believe? Why did the Birth of the Savior become a great holiday for them? Why did they prepare special gifts, which included oil for embalming the dead - myrrh?

How is fasting related to casting out demons in the Bible? Did Christ himself fast?

When do Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas - December 25 or January 7? Did you know that the first Gregorian calendar "missed" 10 days on purpose?

How to understand what happens at a festive service on Christmas? What are troparion and kontakion? We have analyzed in detail the composition of the service for Christmas.

Why is it customary to decorate a spruce tree at Christmas? Isn’t it a secular thing? new year tradition, having roots in paganism? Did the spruce stand next to the Christmas manger? Which Christian was the first to decorate a spruce tree?

In this article we tried to collect for you answers to the most important questions for a Christian about the holiday of Christmas, Interesting Facts and cards with which you can congratulate your loved ones.

Christmas: the history of the holiday

So, let's turn to the history of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. It would seem that everything is simple here. This day is described by the evangelists; undoubtedly, for a Christian, the birth of the Heavenly King, the incarnation into man, the opportunity to ask for forgiveness of sins and eternal life is a great holiday. Not so simple. As we have already said, the Scriptures do not talk about celebrating Christmas. And even more so, there is no particular promise to decorate the tree or give each other gifts.

The story of the Nativity of Christ is described in the Holy Scriptures, but the celebration of this event appeared later. Christmas is one of the twelve great holidays of the Orthodox Church. In our tradition, they are usually called the twelve holidays; these are the great celebrations of the Church that follow Easter. Birthdays were not celebrated in Jewish tradition, which is hard to believe modern people, and there is no promise in Scripture of a special celebration. The first mention of Christmas dates back to the 4th century. In 360, the Roman bishop Liberius mentioned the feast of Christmas. In the 2nd century, the Birth of Christ was talked about on the day of Epiphany. The Feast of Epiphany celebrated three great events at once - the Birth of Jesus, the bringing of gifts and Baptism. In the old missals, Christmas is called “Winter Easter”; the Resurrection of Christ was a consequence of Christmas. All church practice was formed around them. This holiday is dedicated to the earthly life of Christ. Our Savior was born not in a luxurious castle, but in a barn where cattle were sheltered from the weather. A piece of Jesus' manger is supposedly kept in the Roman temple of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, and that year the emperor ordered a census of newborns. The Mother of God and Joseph were from the family of King David. There was no place for them in the city hotels on the road to Bethlehem, so the Savior of the World was born next to the stable, and the Infant of God was placed in a cattle feeder - His first manger. The shepherds who were guarding their flocks nearby were the first to learn about the miracle that had taken place, as the Gospel of Luke says. On a starry night, the Angel of the Lord appeared to them to announce Great Joy, “for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David.” Together with the Angel, a large heavenly army also appeared, crying “Glory to God in the highest!” The first to worship the Lord were simple people, and ordinary people became the first preachers of Christ. The angel said to them: “Fear not: behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all people, for today a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David,” and the humble shepherds were the first to be honored to bow down for the salvation of people to Him who descended to the “slave’s eye.” " What did these words mean? Before the Birth of Christ, God had never incarnated before. Having taken upon himself the sins of the world, Jesus gave people hope for Salvation, commanding his disciples, first of all, to love. The Apostle Paul said that death would be gain for him, because in the body he was separated from the true source of life - Christ.

The Magi Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar (in the Latin tradition) saw the Star of Bethlehem in the East and also understood that this meant the birth of the Savior of the world. They most likely came from Persia. Despite the fact that the Magi were pagans seeking the truth, the sun of truth was revealed to them. In those days, astronomy was often combined with astrology and pagan practices, so in the modern understanding, the Magi were something like magicians. Although the Persians and Jews believed that they believed in One God and perceived each other favorably, the Magi, of course, could not be considered God's chosen people. They brought their gifts to the Divine Infant (gold - a sign of royal power, incense - a sign of the priesthood and myrrh (spicy incense) - they anointed the bodies of the deceased with them, a symbol of the fact that Jesus Christ was to die and rise again. Zoroastrian teaching about the Saoshyants (three saviors who will teach people of the Good Faith) echoed the teaching about the Messiah. The appearance of the Magi on the day of the holiday meant that the Savior came not to one people, but to all people.

Why did the Son of God become man? God has opened ways of salvation for us. The essence of man united with the Divine essence. Jesus took on man to heal humanity. He brought us the amazing gift of grace and all we need to do is accept this gift worthily and righteously. The appearance of God in the flesh is a sacrifice that atoned for all the sins of mankind. And not only past, but also future sins. Theophan the Recluse writes about “adoption” by God the Father through God the Son: “The Spirit of God makes sons - by regenerating everyone? Not all, but only those who believed in the Lord, decided to follow Him in everything, and for the sake of these dispositions were accepted into God’s favor, as if destined to be sons.”

In the place where God came into the world, there is now the Basilica of the Nativity of Christ. The basilica was founded by Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena. The basilica operates continuously, the building of the basilica suffered from wars and fires. There is a cave under the basilica, its location is marked by a silver star with fourteen rays. This is the birthplace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hegumen Daniil Pilgrim is the first to describe the Cave of the Nativity in Russian. This happened at the beginning of the 12th century.

The day before Christmas is Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is the “door” that opens the gates to Christmas.

Until Christmas Day, a great holiday, people observe the Nativity Fast. Fasting in the life of a Christian takes up one third of the year. On these special days, Christians try to get in touch with timelessness, Eternity. Believers imitate Christ, because Christ fasted. One must try to become like Christ not only in food, but also in spiritual life. We empathize not even with the holiday of Christmas itself, but with the appearance of Christ in the world, with the fact that God became man. Fasting is a time of purification in spiritual life and one of the main spiritual activities of a person. The holy saints of God fasted, which is mentioned numerous times in Scripture. Many Holy Ascetics spent their entire lives in strict fasting. Jesus spoke about the need for fasting to the Apostles. When the Apostles asked why they were able to cast out demons from a possessed person, Jesus replied that this race can only be driven out by fasting and prayer. Prayer is for the soul, and fasting for the body are important deeds for a Christian. Preparatory Christmas post. We are preparing for the Nativity of the Lord, the day of the great holiday; such a holiday should be celebrated with spiritual purity. To prevent Christmas Day from becoming an ordinary day, fasting is observed, a person repents of sins, so that the soul accepts this holiday.

Symbols of the Nativity of Christ

On the eve of Christmas, on Christmas Eve, festive dishes are prepared - sochivo and kutia. The word “Christmas Eve” is precisely associated with the preparation of sochi. These are dishes made from steamed cereals with honey. They eat only once on Christmas Eve, after the festive service.

The main symbol of the
Christmas, of course, remains the Christmas tree. It occupies a special place in the Orthodox tradition, and we will talk about it in detail.

The symbols of Christmas still remain the Sacred Gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Another important symbol of Christmas is the Star of Bethlehem. People have always looked at the stars and admired the view of the night sky. But the Star of Bethlehem occupies a special place. This is the star that led the wise men with gifts to the cradle of Jesus. Its rays pointed the way to the birthplace of the Savior. It is believed that after this the Magi themselves accepted Christianity and preached Christ. In houses this star is attached to the top of the Christmas tree. The eight-pointed star is also present on the icon of the Mother of God “The Burning Bush”. Previously, it was installed on the domes of the first churches. The story of the star from the East was described by the Evangelist Matthew. The Magi knew the map of the starry sky well and believed that the stars were not just cosmic objects, but also signs that told about the destinies of people. The Pentateuch of Moses contains the prediction of the prophet Balaam. This man did not belong to the people of Israel; he was of pagan origin. He proclaimed a “new star from Jacob,” so the Magi waited for a special star to appear in the East. The worship of Jesus by the pagans, the Magi, suggests that all times and peoples, all earthly kings will sooner or later bow before Christ.

The angel and bells remind us of the announcement of the Birth of the Lord to the shepherds. The ringing of bells glorifies the Lord.

In many countries, it is customary to light candles at Christmas. Their light symbolizes the Divine radiance of the joy of the Nativity of Christ.

Traditions of celebrating Christmas differ in different countries. Accordingly, the symbols of Christmas may be different. The tradition of the Nativity scene has taken root in Russia. A nativity scene is the cave of the Nativity; it is made with one’s own hands and installed in churches, city squares and in the homes of believers. The nativity scene “came” to Russia from medieval Western Europe. In those days they actively fought against pagan traditions and rituals. Many Christians, due to their weakness, participated in the festival of the god Mithras, the pagan god of the Sun. This refers us to the history of the establishment of the Christmas holiday itself. Christmas Day coincided with the Solstice Day, which also had some symbolic connotations. The Church began to celebrate Christmas separately from the day of Epiphany in order to replace pagan holidays with Christian holidays.

Even if many Christians did not organize pagan holidays, even becoming unwitting participants in the feast, they harmed their souls. So one might think that there is no significant difference between the veneration of Christ and the veneration of other non-existent gods. The Church had to either excommunicate the “half-pagans” or come up with a way to establish a real Christian holiday, reminiscent of the fact that Christ the Savior came to us. Despite the fact that there were undoubted benefits in separating Christmas from the feast of Epiphany, a number of theologians believe that there were certain disadvantages for Christians in this. Christmas has become less closely associated with the appearance of God in the world. Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus said: “...The real God and the Son of God, having an invisible nature, when he became man, became visible to everyone”.

In those days, not only church choir singers, but also parishioners took part in Christmas celebrations. A statue of the Virgin Mary was placed on a special table above the throne. A boy from the church choir, portraying an Angel, announced the birth of the Messiah. And the priests portrayed the Bethlehem shepherds. After the announcement they entered the altar. This was followed by a small performance on a Biblical theme, which was called “Nativity Scene,” or in Western Ukraine simply “Nativity Scene.”

In Europe in the 16th century, such mysteries were performed by puppet theaters. Such theaters had decorations reminiscent of the decorations of today's Christmas nativity scenes. They were cut out of paper, wood, and sculpted from clay. Nowadays, nativity scenes are often simply installed at the entrance to a temple or home.

Catholics and Protestants also make Advent calendars. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas. Small gifts are left in such calendars for children.

Why do different churches celebrate Christmas dates?

Many people wonder when to celebrate Christmas - December 25 or January 7? In some countries, for example, in Moldova, both days of Christmas are widely celebrated - according to the old and new styles. This is due to the religious diversity in the country. In Russia, celebrating Christmas is also becoming a tradition.

In the ancient world there was no single calendar. Julius Caesar was one of the most enlightened people of his time. He realized that there was a need to create a calendar. The Julian calendar was established by Julius Caesar, as follows from its very name. Greek science of that time already knew that the Earth makes a full revolution around the sun in 365 days and 6 hours. In fact, these are not entirely accurate figures - for 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes. Julius Caesar demanded that the calendar combine Roman names and Greek scientific discoveries. This calendar, like the Gregorian calendar, has 12 months, leap years, 365 days a year. An additional day appears every four years. Unfortunately, the 11 minute discrepancy became critical. So in 128 years a whole extra day would appear on the calendar. In 1582 it became obvious that a new calendar had to be developed. Pope Gregory XIII introduced a calendar, which is called accordingly the Gregorian, it contains less leap years. Years that are divisible by 100 but not divisible by 400 began to contain 365 days. Why did the controversy arise if the new calendar was perfect? Ten days were deliberately omitted from it. Countries adopted the new calendar in different periods, which gave rise to several confusions regarding important historical dates.

This question is not as clear-cut as it seems, and it’s not just about calendars. Today our Church lives according to the Julian calendar, although in some countries the Gregorian calendar is considered the most accurate. The difference between these two calendars is in the calculation. The Julian and Gregorian calendars are a matter of theology. After the October Revolution, the Julian calendar was considered “obscurantist”; all secular holidays are celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar. In 1923, the Church tried, under pressure, to switch to a new style, but the Russian Orthodox Church remained faithful to the Julian calendar. Catholics and Protestants celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar, as do a number of Orthodox Churches abroad.

We know quite accurately the date of conception of the mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth (September 23, old style). We know that when Zechariah left Jerusalem, we know that in the sixth month after the conception of John the Baptist, an angel appeared to the Most Holy Theotokos. This day became the day of the Divine Conception of Jesus Christ. We can't know exact date, but we can calculate that the Birth of Christ took place in the middle of winter.

Festive service

The greatness of the holiday is reflected in Christmas. On this day the prayer “To the Heavenly King” is read. This is what we call Christ, honoring Him as Lord God. This prayer is not read only during the period from Easter to Pentecost and many divine services are opened to it, not just holiday ones. Next comes the litany and hymn “God With Us.” This hymn reminds us of the prophet Isaiah, who 700 years before the birth of Christ announced the coming of the Savior of the world, born of a Virgin. He described the events of His earthly life, death and resurrection. This is followed by the song of Simeon the God-Receiver, which speaks of the bringing of the Divine Infant to the Jerusalem Temple, which traditionally took place on the fortieth day of life. At the festive service on Christmas Day, the irmos is sung - the title of the Christmas canon. There are nine songs in the canon, the beginning of the ninth song (irmos) is the thread connecting the Old Testament with the New Testament. He says that it is better for us Christians to love silence. Many preachers cannot find words to convey the essence of the mystery of the Birth of Christ. The service is held in Church Slavonic. The hymnography of Ancient Rus' and Byzantium is enormous. As we know, all services take place on a daily basis. On the eve of holidays, morning and evening services merge into one “all-night vigil.” Such services occur only twice a year - at Christmas and Easter. The Patriarchal Christmas service takes place in the Russian Orthodox Church, when the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addresses the flock.

Matins of Christmas is sung at night. This night we hear the Angel's song: Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward men. This is gratitude to God for being incarnate and saving us. We also hear polyeleos, verses from these psalms glorifying the mercy of the Lord. Next comes majesty, a short song praising God. The composition of the festive matins includes a sedate and sedate antiphon. The antiphons imitate the choir of angels praising the Lord. The names refer to the way these chants are performed. So the Antiphons are sung alternately. Next comes the prokeimenon, which precedes the reading of a passage from Scripture dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. This is followed by the Gospel stichera, explaining the words of Scripture.

Troparion and Kontakion for Christmas

The troparion and kontakion for Christmas are the most important components of the divine service. They are created by Christian poets - hymnographers. The troparion and kontakion are not just prayers, but also explanations of the essence of the Christmas holiday.

Troparion for Christmas

Kontakion for Christmas

Christmas tree: Orthodox meaning

The spruce has always been a symbol of Christmas. This is due to the fact that Herod ordered the killing of all the babies, fearing for his position, when the Magi reported that the King of the Jews had been born, meaning the Savior. It is believed that to save Jesus, Mary and Joseph closed the entrance to the cave with spruce branches.

Why was Herod so afraid? In the time of Jesus, everyone was waiting for the coming of the Messiah. He was expected as a powerful King, whose enemies would be defeated. Jesus, as we remember, was born not in palaces, but in a stable, and His first manger was a bowl for feeding livestock. Herod was not a deeply religious Jew, so the coming of the Messiah interested him only from the point of view of political ambitions. Not only was Herod not a descendant of David, and, therefore, his position as an official ruler was already precarious, but it was not he who accepted Judaism, but his grandfather Antipas, because the Hasmonean Kingdom of Judah demanded it. Antiparus, Herod's father, seized the royal throne by cunning and force. He himself became a victim of betrayal and deceit. Herod punished the traitors and ascended to the kingdom. Power passed from hand to hand. By taking the granddaughter of Hyrcanus II as his wife and reconstructing the temple, Herod tried to strengthen his position. But, being a cruel and suspicious man, he later killed his wife and three sons, suspecting them of conspiracy. Against the backdrop of these events, wise men appeared in Jerusalem demanding to show them the King of the Jews, and they clearly did not mean Herod. After this, he ordered all the babies to be killed. This terrible event was one of Herod's worst crimes.

In Europe, for a long time there was a legend that when the trees brought their gifts to the Infant God - fruits, the spruce had nothing to offer him, and she modestly stood on the threshold of the stable, not daring to approach. Then Jesus smiled and extended his hand to her. But this story belongs, rather, to good fairy tales.

There was another version of this tale: it said that two other trees, palm and olive, did not allow the spruce to come to Christ, mocking it. Hearing this, the Angel of the Lord decorated the modest tree, and she entered the manger of the Divine Infant in all her majesty. Jesus rejoiced at the tree, but she was embarrassed, and not proud, because she remembered that an Angel dressed her, and she owes her transformation to him. For its modesty, it was the spruce that became the symbol of Christmas Day.

In Russia, the tradition of decorating a spruce tree for Christmas came only in the 18th century. By the way, in many countries, this tradition also became late: in England, France and America, only in the middle of the 19th century did spruce for Christmas become a widespread practice.

The spruce tree is also dressed up New Year, but this is a secular tradition. For Orthodox Christians, spruce is, first of all, a symbol of Christmas. In Ancient Rus', spruce was not favored; it was a gloomy tree growing in a swamp.

The decorated tree is an echo of paganism. In those days, people endowed nature with human, if not divine, properties. According to legends, forest spirits lived in coniferous trees. To save their homes from evil spirits, people dressed up forest beauties, trying to appease them. Attitudes towards coniferous trees, by the way, were constantly changing. They either kept evil spirits within themselves or guarded the home. However, at all times, spruce has been endowed with mystical properties.

In Europe of the 15th-16th centuries, references to decorating spruce were first found. It is believed that the custom of decorating a spruce tree in the Christian tradition was discovered by Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism. He placed candles on the branches of the fir tree to show the children the symbol of the Lord’s love and mercy - the beauty of the heavenly stars on the day when the Lord became incarnate and came down to people. Peter I “brought” the decorated spruce to Russia, but initially it was placed only in drinking establishments, and the decorated tree appeared in homes already in the 19th century. In the house of Emperor Nicholas I in St. Petersburg there was a decorated Christmas tree.

A little later, the spruce appeared as an illustration for the book “The Nutcracker” by Hoffmann, which indicated a tightly rooted tradition of decorating the spruce for Christmas. Already in 1916, the Holy Synod saw German influence in the tradition and banned it, and in 1927, after an anti-religious campaign, the Christmas tree was classified as a “relic of the past”...

Now the evergreen spruce, also reminiscent of eternal life, is experiencing a rebirth. In 1935, the spruce returned to government institutions, but returned, alas, as a secular symbol of the New Year. It was decorated with a red star on the top. It is known that during the years of the fight against God, people decorated the spruce secretly in their homes. People began to remember that this, first of all, is a symbol of the Nativity of Christ.