CHRISTMAS
In the western world the birthday of Jesus Christ has been celebrated on December 25th ever since 354 AD in order to replace the pagan worship. I am fairly sure that Jesus wasn't actually born on that date. The Bible says shepherds were staying out in the fields overnight when Jesus was born (Luke 2:8), but in that part of the world it would have been too cold at night to do so in December. What is more likely is that he was born in the spring, perhaps between March and May. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the Christian scholar Dionysius Exiguous was asked by the Pope in AD 525 to calculate new cycles for fixing the date of Easter, but he decided to base his calculations on the date of Jesus's birth. It wasn't discovered until the 9th century that he got it wrong, by which time it was too late to change the calendar. He fixed the birth in the year 1 BC or AD 1 and began counting from the latter. There is no way of accurately establishing the actual date of his birth, but it is most likely to have been between 5 and 6 BC.
The important thing is that he was born. December 25th seems as good a time as any to celebrate his birth and his message. It also a wonderful catalyst for enjoying the precious and simple pleasures of being, if only for a brief time, close together in the warm familiarity of friends and family, renewing relationships and sharing memories.
When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645; they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday. The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789 The first Christmas under America's new constitution, wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
It wasn’t until the 1900’s that Americans began to embrace, and re-invented Christmas, changing it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. The 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday. The early 1800’s was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city’s first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed caused certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.
To be continued…
KARL WALLACE
To read more Karl Wallace stories go to: Karlwallaceblog.blogspot.com
