Christmas: history of the holiday and traditions (briefly) for children and adults. Nativity of Christ: traditions and history of the holiday When is the Nativity of Christ celebrated?

In Christian churches, the holiday is celebrated with solemn services. Part of them is an all-night vigil, when the clergy glorify Christ. This holiday among Orthodox Christians is the second most important after Easter. On this day, it is customary for Christians to say, turning to each other: “Christ was born!”, “Let us glorify him!”

The 40-day fast of Christmas (Korochun) ends the day before. Believers break their fast and participate in 12-day festivities. Everyday celebrations are accompanied by fortune-telling, caroling, and performances by mummers. Christmas Eve ends the Christmas fast, so the rules of fasting apply to it: you cannot eat meat, eggs, or dairy products. If Christmas Eve falls on Saturday or Sunday, then you can drink a little wine. Contrary to some statements, you can drink water.

On Christmastide, you cannot get married, hunt, or kill animals. Folk beliefs on January 7 prohibit sewing, washing, putting on old things, washing, sweeping up trash, and telling fortunes (you can tell fortunes on the other days of Christmastide). A woman should not be allowed to be the first guest.

In Russia, the main non-church Christmas ritual remains caroling. This tradition dates back to pagan times, when during Christmastide they tried to please the gods, who, being satisfied, would help throughout the year both in the field and in the hut. Caroling includes singing holiday songs (carols), dressing up as animals: bull, bear, goose, goat, etc. Caroling was accompanied by fortune telling and puppet shows. The Church disapproves of caroling, considering it a relic of paganism and superstition.

Christmas or What we don’t yet know about the holiday of Christmas

They say that before Christmas, the heavenly bells begin to ring, praising God for the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. And with each new strike of such a bell, heavenly grace spreads throughout our sinful world, and the angels grow wings...

New Year and Christmas are two bright family holidays that are celebrated by many people all over the Earth. This is a special night of reconciliation when they wish each other well. Various Christian religious denominations celebrate Christian Christmas in the middle of winter with December 25(for Catholics) Jan. 7(among the Orthodox). Christmas is a holiday that means a lot to people; it does not pass without a trace for any person who has at least once heard about the life of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for people.

World-famous directors make films about Christmas, artists paint pictures that later become masterpieces of world art, poets compose poems about the great mystery of the birth of the Savior.
The night before Christmas is the brightest and purest time, when every person must forgive everyone for their unseemly actions, cleanse themselves before people, asking for forgiveness for their sins and become a little brighter, kinder, thereby getting closer to the Creator.

Every holiday, whether secular or religious, has its own history.

The history of the holiday or the Night before Christmas...

The most detailed account of the birth of Jesus Christ is found in the Gospel of Luke:

“Joseph also went from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, called Bethlehem, because he was from the house and family of David, to enroll with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. And while they were there, The time had come for Her to give birth; and she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
(Luke, ch. 2:4-7)

At the time when Mary was destined to give birth to a baby, a census of the population of the Roman Empire was taking place by order of Emperor Augustus. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, because according to the same decree of the emperor, in order to facilitate the census process, each resident had to come to “their” city. Both Mary and Joseph were from the line of David, so they had to go to Bethlehem.

After Mary and Joseph were unable to stay at the inn because all the places were occupied, they were forced to spend the night in a cave intended to shelter livestock for the night. It was in this cave (later called the Cave of the Nativity) that Mary went into labor. She gave birth to a son, whom she named Jesus according to a sign.

After the birth of Jesus, the shepherds came to worship him, who received bright news from the angel. According to the Gospel of Matthew, a wonderful star lit up in the sky at that time, which led the wise men (magi) to Jesus. The shepherds presented the Baby with incense, gold and myrrh as gifts. The news of the birth of the Messiah spread throughout Judea.

Upon learning of the birth of the New King, King Herod ordered the destruction of all male infants under two years of age. However, Jesus escaped a sad fate, since Joseph was warned by an angel who told him to flee from reprisals to Egypt, where the Holy Family lived until the death of Herod.

The mystery of the birth of Jesus Christ gives rise to many questions: where was Jesus born? When was Jesus Christ born?

Where and when was Jesus Christ born?

No matter how surprising this may be for a modern person, the ancient Jews considered a person’s birthday to be the beginning of pain and sorrow, and therefore the birthday was not celebrated as a holiday. This has become the reason that it is not possible to establish the date of birth of Jesus Christ for certain. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where Mary and Joseph went to take a census. It is possible to establish the approximate date of the birth of Christ only with the help of various accompanying dates, any events, and the reigns of emperors or kings.

Based on all the research, Jesus was born sometime between 7 and 5 BC. The first date of birth is December 25) is indicated in the chronicle of Sextus Julius, dated 221 However, there are other prerequisites for establishing the real date of Christ’s birth. This is the period from 12 to 7 BC. During this period, Halley's Comet passed by, which could well have been called the Star of Bethlehem. During the same period, the only population census was conducted. An important fact is that Jesus was born during the reign of King Herod, who died in 4 BC. This means that Jesus Christ could only have been born before 4 BC, not later, otherwise he would have been too young at the time of his execution.

According to the research of Robert D. Myers, the Bible does not indicate the date of Jesus' birth. However, there are the words of Luke, who says that “at that time there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock.” This suggests that Jesus was born either in the summer or early autumn, since it was quite cold and rainy in Judea in December. Consequently, shepherds would not graze their flocks in the fields.

Early Christian tradition combined the feast of Epiphany ( 6th January), Christmas and Epiphany, which later became various holidays.

Christmas Traditions

Of course, the main Christmas tradition is the decorated fir tree. This custom has been known since the 8th century and came to us from Germany. The first mention of the Christmas tree is associated with the personality of Saint Boniface. When the monk Boniface read sermons about Jesus Christ and the Nativity to the Druids (tree worshipers), he convinced them that the oak was not a sacred tree. To prove his words, Boniface cut down a tree. Falling, the oak broke all the trees with its crown; only one spruce remained unbroken. The monk saw a miracle in this event, exclaiming: “Let the spruce be the tree of Christ.” That is why Christmas in Germany is celebrated by planting young Christmas trees.

Symbols of Christmas are also an evergreen wreath with candles, bells - a symbol of the Heavenly Bells and the exorcism of evil spirits, Christmas cards, Christmas carols, candles. During the twelve days of holidays from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany, it is customary to give gifts to your loved ones, rejoice and sing Christmas songs.

Slavic peoples often tell fortunes for Christmas, especially young girls - for their betrothed. They make wishes and dreams that, according to legend, will definitely come true. In some villages, on the night before Christmas, “wells” are built from twigs. A small padlock is placed on the top of the “well”, which is slammed shut before going to bed. The girl puts the key under the pillow, wishing for her betrothed to come and drink water from the well, and the “well” is locked. You need to take the key from your betrothed: your betrothed will come and ask the girl for the key, and that’s how they will meet.

There is another tradition. In order to keep things in the house and the family always in new clothes, on Christmas Eve (January 6) you should move things from one shelf to another, changing their places. Then, according to beliefs, the family living in this house will be able to buy new things all year round.

In addition, on the Holy Evening of January 6, it is customary to visit loved ones and relatives with songs, carols, and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, wishing them prosperity and goodness.

Merry Christmas

As you wish each other a Merry Christmas, remember that along with your sincere words, blessings and love, joy and prosperity will come into your home. Remembering Christ, become a little kinder and purer so that you can believe in a miracle and so that His love will settle in you!

Night. Freezing. The stars are sparkling
From the heights of heaven.
All covered in snow, like ermines,
The quiet forest sleeps.

Silence all around. Glade
Sleeping in the arms of sleep,
Swims out from behind the forest
The moon is on watch.

The stars are going out. They're pouring from the sky
Pale rays
Frosty snow sparkled
Silver brocade.

Branches spread wide
In a snow coat,
There is a Christmas tree in the middle of the clearing.
It went up like an arrow.

To the beauty of the forest
The moonlight has fallen
And the lights of ice crystals
Played in the branches.

Diamond threads
Entwined in pine needles,
Emeralds and rubies
They lit up in the snow.

A clear star near the Christmas tree
The head is glowing...
The great day is coming
Christmas holiday!

***
How quiet this night... how transparent it is!
The heavens look with inspiration,
And in the arms of deep winter sleep
The forests breathe with anticipation...
On this quiet night, like a sunsetless star
In the dark abyss of lost years
Fired up for the first time over the sinful earth
Christianity divine light
That night the Christ Child smiled
With endless caress of love
To people - their brothers, tired of tears,
Drowning in sin and blood...
On this night of light-winged heavenly guests
It's like you can hear singing in the distance...
And the radiant stars shine brighter
Above the snows of the cold earth.

There are countries where people have not known for centuries
No blizzards, no loose snow;
There they sparkle only with unmelting snow
The tops of granite ridges...
The flowers there are more fragrant, the stars are larger,
Spring is brighter and more elegant,
And the feathers of the birds are brighter there, and it’s warmer
The sea wave is breathing there...
In such and such a country on a balmy night
With the whisper of laurels and roses,
The desired miracle happened in person,
The Baby Christ was born.

You think there's no one to help
If you couldn't help yourself...
Go and celebrate Christmas night -
After all, on this night the Son and God were born!
From that very night the miracle began
A wondrous diamond from a handful of stones:
Mary's son Christ was born
From God - to save other people!
Then: not only amuse the body
Food, drink - a wreath of earthly pleasures,
And glorify Heaven, soul, God -
They bring warmth and light to everyone!
May God wait for you from birth to
Beautiful and smooth road!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! We wish you peace, prosperity and love!

The holiday of the Nativity of Christ is a major Christian holiday, one of the twelve main Orthodox holidays, which the church celebrates with special celebration.

The holiday was established in honor of the birth on Earth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Almighty God Himself, the Creator of heaven and earth, became incarnate and became a man in order to save the people of the whole world from destruction.

The bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ plays an important role, both in the life of every Orthodox Christian or Catholic, and for the Church itself. According to St. John Chrysostom II, the Nativity of Christ, celebrated on December 25 according to the Julian calendar or on January 7 according to the Gregorian calendar, is the beginning of all major church holidays. He said that Epiphany, Easter, the Ascension of the Lord, and also Pentecost originate in this holiday.

From ancient retellings, a conscious Christian knows that the prophets of the Old Testament knew about the appearance of the Son of the Lord on Earth. And this miracle was expected for several centuries. This is how the Nativity of Christ was predicted, and the history of the holiday itself dates back to the fourth century BC.

So how did it all begin?

The appearance of the Son of the Lord happened on a cold winter night. Mary and Joseph were then walking from Palestine to Jerusalem. According to long-standing sources, a population census was taking place at that time. The Romans had to register according to their place of residence, and the Jews - according to their place of birth. Mary and David, descendants of King David, were heading to Bethlehem, which was located southwest of Jerusalem. When Mary began to experience labor pains, they were near a cave in which there was a cattle stall. Joseph went to look for a midwife. But when he returned, he saw that the Baby had already been born, and the cave was filled with light of such power that the eyes could not withstand it. And only after some time the light went out. So Mary gave birth to the God-man - on straw among the manger, but illuminated by God's light.

The Adoration of the Shepherds and the Gifts of the Magi

The first to learn about the birth of Jesus Christ were the shepherds who were on duty near their flock at night. An angel appeared to them and brought good news about the birth of the Son of God. The Magi were notified of the joyful event by a bright star that rose over Bethlehem. They followed the light of this star and came to a cave.
Once in the cave, the Magi approached the Baby and knelt before the future Savior of mankind. They brought Him gifts: twenty-eight gold plates, frankincense and myrrh. The Magi presented gold to Him as a king, incense - as God, and myrrh - as a man who must accept death. The Jews buried their dead with myrrh so that the body would remain incorruptible. Small olive-sized balls were filled with incense and strung on a thread - seventy-one balls in total.

Baby murders

King Herod of Judea awaited the birth of the miraculous Child with great fear, because he thought that He would lay claim to his throne. Therefore, Herod ordered the wise men to return to Jerusalem and inform him of the place where Mary and the Child were. But the wise men did not do this, because they received a revelation in a dream - a warning about the tsar’s treachery and advice not to return to the oppressive ruler. Herod, without waiting for the Magi, gave the order to his soldiers to surround Bethlehem and kill all the babies. Warriors broke into houses, took newborn children from their mothers and killed them. On that day, according to legend, more than fourteen thousand babies died. But they never found the Son of God, because Mary and Joseph had a vision in which God’s angel warned them of danger and ordered them to immediately leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt, which they did that same night.

Date and time of birth of Jesus Christ

The date of birth of the Son of God has long remained a controversial issue for historians and theologians. The attempt to establish this moment according to the dates of the events that accompanied the birth of Jesus did not lead theologians to any specific date. The first mention of December 25 as the date of birth of Jesus Christ is found in the chronicles of Sextus Julius Africanus, dated 221. Why is the date of the Nativity of Christ determined by this particular number? Because the date and time of Christ’s death are precisely known from the Gospel, and He had to be on Earth for the full number of years. From this it could be concluded that Jesus Christ was conceived on March 25th. By adding nine months to this day, we got the date of the Nativity of Christ - December 25

Establishment of celebration

Due to the fact that the first Christians were Jews, they did not celebrate Christmas. Because according to their worldview, this day is “the day of the beginning of sorrow and suffering.” For them, Easter day was more important. But when the Greeks entered Christian communities, they began to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ based on their customs. At first, on the day of the already existing Christian holiday of Epiphany, both the birth and baptism of Jesus were celebrated. But from the beginning of the seventh century, Christmas began to be celebrated separately and the history of the holiday reached a new level.

According to legend, shortly before her Dormition, the Mother of God transferred the blessed gifts of the Magi to the Jerusalem Church, where they were kept for a long time and passed on from generation to generation. Then the gifts of the Magi came to Byzantium. In 400, the Byzantine king Arcadius moved them to the new capital, Constantinople, to consecrate the city. There they were kept in the treasury of the emperors. In 1433, after the capture of the city of Constantinople, the Turkish Sultan Muhammad II allowed his wife Maro (Mary), who was a Christian by religion, to take the treasures. After the fall of Byzantium, she sent the gifts of the Magi to Athos, to the monastery of Paul. They are still kept in the Athos Monastery, only sometimes they are taken out of the monastery - they illuminate the water with gold bars and drive out evil forces.

Holiday traditions

The traditions of celebrating the bright day of the Nativity of Christ are rooted in the distant past. Before the holiday there is a forty-day fast. On Christmas Eve, fasting is especially harsh. Also on this day there is an evening service. On Christmas Day in Ukraine and other Orthodox countries, godchildren bring the so-called “dinner” to their baptized ones, which consists of kutya. After the first star rises in the sky, you can sit down at the table, where there must be twelve Lenten dishes - according to the number of the apostles. The food must be lean, since on the eve of Christmas it is still forbidden to eat animal food. Before the festive dinner, everyone present at the table reads a prayer that praises our God Jesus Christ.

On the eve of the holidays, people decorate their homes with fir branches. It is the spruce branches that signify eternal life. They also bring a spruce tree into the house and decorate it with bright toys that symbolize the fruits on the tree of paradise. On this day, it is customary for Christians to give gifts to each other.

In ancient times, on this day, young people dressed up in funny costumes, gathered in groups, built the Star of Bethlehem on a pole and went from house to house singing cheerful carols, notifying their owners that Christ was born. They wished the owners peace in the house, a good harvest and other benefits, and they, in turn, thanked them for the carol and gave them various treats. Unfortunately, this tradition has been preserved only in villages.

Divine essence is holy

Christians all over the world every year look forward to the holiday - Christmas. In every corner of the globe where they bow to the name of Christ, the majestic birthday of the Savior is celebrated.

The Nativity of Christ is the beginning of a new era for humanity on earth. The Almighty Lord, out of His Great mercy towards people, took on human likeness in order to help humanity renew the almost extinct light in the hearts of people, to remind them of the essence of the word of Truth, lost in a sinful life. The Creator, having come to Earth in the form of a man, united heaven and earth, concluding a New Covenant with humanity - the Covenant of Love.

The prophets bequeathed that the King of Peace would come to Earth, who would correct everything that humanity had done on earth. But those who knew about this did not expect that he would be born in a modest, quiet place among livestock, because, as is known from the Gospel, there was no place for the holy family among people in Bethlehem. So today, people do not always have a place in their souls for God - the desire to accept the bright birth of the Savior into their hearts.

Most people expect a majestic, pompous event for God to come into their lives, but He comes quietly, invisibly. And He comes to those people who really want to change their lives, make their hearts soft in submission to the Majestic power, which is the Eternal Love, which holds the Universe in its palms.

May the Lord help all those who thirst to have pure hearts filled with the Holy gifts. So that they can accept the Birth of the Savior into their lives and inform everyone of the good news as the angels announced about the coming of God to earth:

Christ is Born! We praise Him!

On January 7, Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. the site will tell you what kind of holiday this is, what traditions must be observed on this day, what you can do and what you cannot do.

The history of the birth of Christ

Christmas is considered one of the greatest holidays, the main purpose of which is to honor the memory of the birth of the savior of mankind in Christianity - Jesus Christ.

The holiday began with a biblical legend: it was on this day in Bethlehem, located south of Jerusalem, that Jesus Christ was born. His birth begins to be celebrated on Christmas Eve, on the evening of January 6th. According to legend, on this day the first star appeared in the sky - the same one that once led the Magi to Bethlehem.

Source: alter-idea.info

The very first celebration of Christmas was noted on December 25, 354 in the ancient illustrated Chronograph calendar. However, the holiday itself was officially legalized at the Council of Ephesus in 431.

In Rus', the Christian holiday began to spread in the 10th century. Christmas combined with the ancient Slavic winter holiday in honor of ancestral spirits (Svyatki), remnants of which were preserved in “Yuletide” rituals (mummers, fortune telling), which the church currently considers unacceptable, since according to Christian clergy, any fortune telling is a terrible sin.

Why are the dates of Catholic and Orthodox Christmas different?

In some countries, Christmas is celebrated on December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar or according to the new style, in others - on January 7 according to the Julian calendar or according to the old style.

For a long time, the Nativity of Christ was called the Epiphany. Ancient Christians celebrated both Christmas and the Baptism of Christ on December 25 according to the old style. In the 4th century, in order to give greater significance to the first and second holidays and not to confuse the very concepts of celebrations, these days were divided into January 7 and January 19. At the same time, with the appearance of the division into the Gregorian and Julian calendars, a shift occurred, which in our time is incorrectly called the division into Catholic and Christian Christmas, but in fact this is only associated with different calendars.

Traditions and symbols of Christmas

The main tradition of Christmas is to forgive everyone on this day. According to the New Testament, God forgave man and his sins. Therefore, the church considers it important to forgive everyone in order to get closer to the mystery of the Incarnation, as well as to cleanse the soul at the Sacrament of Confession.

One of the interesting traditions of celebrating Christmas is the “Christmas manger” or nativity scene, depicting the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ. The world's first nursery was created in 1562 in Prague. For a long time they were installed only in churches; later the custom was adopted by aristocrats and rich people. The scene of the Manger is as follows: the baby in the cradle is surrounded by his parents, the legendary ox and donkey, shepherds, and wise men. An important role was played by characters from the common people crowding around: enthusiastic fishermen, a fish seller, a woman with a clay jug and others.

Another feature of the Christmas festivities is the scene about the birth of the baby Jesus. The tradition of these scenes lies in medieval mystery plays, “living” scenes of the birth of Christ. Birth scenes were played out in churches and were accompanied by church singing. Thus, one of the widely known symbols of Christmas was the first rising star in the sky, according to which, according to legend, the Magi came to Bethlehem to worship the infant Christ. But returning to religious symbolism, the first star is symbolized by the very first candle that is taken out after the service. So, it is customary not to eat anything until the first star, and on January 6 it is only allowed to eat, and on January 7, after the liturgy, fasting ends and you can eat everything.

The spruce tree also became one of the symbols of Christmas; among the ancient Romans, this tree was a symbol of eternal life. Once upon a time it was decorated only with fruits, most often apples. And when there was a very poor apple harvest in 1858, Lorraine glassblowers created glass balls to replace the apples - hence the tradition of Christmas tree decorations. In France, you can take a guided tour to the glass workshops where the first Christmas tree balls were made.

Also noted. First of all, carols are chants. Previously, these were pagan chants, but now they praise Christ. Singing carols is a kind of folk sermon that talks about Christ and thus more people learn the story of Jesus Christ.

Christmas has always been so strongly woven into the lives of Russian peoples that after the October Revolution, when faith in God began to be equated with treason and the Soviet government tried to cancel any church celebrations, people had to invent an alternative: it is believed that this is how New Year's matinees and performances with fabulous characters that are actually remade Christmas skits.

What not to do on the night of Christmas

According to the clergy of the church, the most important thing is to be pure in heart and not sin.

Previously, in houses for the celebration of Christmas, a didukh was prepared - a symbolic, festively decorated sheaf of grain (rye, wheat, oats), which was placed in the corner and it was believed that from that time on the souls of the patron ancestors were there. As long as the didukh was in the house, it was forbidden to do any work other than caring for livestock.

Not only the dinner on Christmas Eve, but also the following dinners until the Generous Evening on January 13 were called “sacred.” At the same time, it was forbidden to work throughout the holiday week.

Also, from Christmas to Epiphany, men were not allowed to hunt: killing animals during Christmas time is considered a great sin and can lead to disaster.

The night from January 6 to 7 is considered the most important night of the year. It's Christmas Eve - the night before Christmas. Why Christmas Eve? Because on this day in the old days they cooked sochivo - a wheat broth with honey and nuts. This lean - but satisfying - dish was supposed to be eaten before the upcoming holiday.

On Christmas Eve, you cannot eat regular food until the first star appears in the sky, reminiscent of the appearance of a star in the east. She announced the birth of Jesus Christ. To see if the first star has appeared, you need to go out into the yard: if you don’t see a star from the window, that’s not good. It is also important that Christmas is not celebrated in everyday clothes - this means poverty. And exactly at midnight, the head of the family opens the window to let Christmas into the house, and with it happiness, good luck and prosperity.

Christmas Eve dinner is the main event of Christmas. The table should be covered with a snow-white tablecloth and twelve dishes should be placed on it - according to the number of the apostles - and all of them are Lenten. Our ancestors, in memory of the manger in which Jesus was born, always put a bunch of fresh hay on the table. Meat dishes are allowed to be placed on the table only with the onset of the 7th - Christmas.

Just before the start of the meal, if there are icons in the house, you should place wax candles in front of them and read a prayer. Then you can start eating. According to tradition, the meal should be non-alcoholic. All dishes must be lean, without meat base, without milk and sour cream. During meals, you should talk only about good things, about good deeds.

On Christmas Eve, it is considered a good custom for children to play outdoors and dance around the tree. This will save you from failures and illnesses in the next 12 months.

How to cook sochivo

Products: 1 cup of peeled wheat grains, 100 g of poppy seeds, 100 g of peeled walnuts, 2-4 tablespoons of honey.

Grind the wheat grains in a wooden mortar with a wooden pestle, adding a little warm water. Cook regular crumbly lean porridge using water from crushed grains, cool, and sweeten to taste with honey. Pour a small amount of boiling water over the poppy seeds and let them swell. Grind, add honey. Mix everything and add to the wheat. At the end add crushed walnuts. Wheat can be replaced with rice.

Nativity

From the history of Christmas

The Jews were then under Roman rule. The Emperor of Rome ordered a census of all the people of Palestine. To do this, each resident had to come to the city where his family began. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem. But in the city all the houses were already occupied, and they stopped in a cave where in winter the shepherds hid their cattle from the wind. There Mary gave birth to her Child without pain or suffering. She swaddled Him and laid Him in a manger - a feeding trough for sheep. The Radiant Child lay quietly on the straw in a dark cave, and Joseph, the ox and the donkey warmed him with their breath. This is how a great event took place - the birth of the Savior. This was more than two thousand years ago.

At that time, Herod was the king of the Jews. He was predicted that the end of his reign would come when the Savior was born to the world. Magi (wise men) arrived from some eastern country in Jerusalem and reported that a new star had appeared in the sky in the east. This spoke of the birth of a new king of Judah. Herod was afraid that his power would be taken away from him and decided to kill the Child. He sent the wise men to Bethlehem to find out about Him. The star led the wise men to the house of Mary and Joseph. The Magi, seeing the Mother and the Child, bowed to Jesus to the ground and presented gifts: gold, as for a king; incense, as to God; and myrrh, as for a man who must die. The angels sounded the trumpet so that the wise men would not return to Herod, because the king had issued a decree on the beating of infants. Joseph told Mary to take the Child and go to Egypt.

Christmas is a great day for the entire Christian world. In many countries, as in Russia, it is considered one of the main family holidays.

On Christmas night, solemn services are held in all Orthodox churches, candles are lit, and church choirs sing. It is believed that on Christmas night the sky opens to the earth and the heavenly powers fulfill all the good wishes that Christians have in mind.

Since ancient times, the Day of the Nativity of Christ has been ranked by the Church among the great twelve holidays. The Twelfth Holidays are the twelve most important holidays in Orthodoxy after Easter. They are dedicated to the events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Christmas has returned to our lives not long ago. During the Soviet Union, it was not customary to even mention this holiday. But now it is a completely official holiday, a day off.

Christmas has long been accompanied by colorful folk customs. Carols, walking with a star, mummers - paganism and Christianity coexist peacefully here. Carols - from the Latin word "calends" - the name of the first day of the month among the ancient Romans. Now few people know these songs, but why not congratulate at least neighbors or close friends in a cheerful, playful way. And in exchange for your congratulations, they will treat you and your friends to sweets, gingerbread, and pies. In the old days, carolers sang: “If you give us gifts, we will praise you, but if you don’t give us gifts, we will reproach you.” Kolyada, Kolyada! Serve the pie! The carolers dressed up as bears, old people, devils, and parsley.

The Nativity of Christ merged with the ancient Slavic rite - Christmastide. Christmastide lasts from Christmas (January 7) to Epiphany (January 19). Over time, Christmas rituals turned into Christmas rituals.

Lord's Prayer "Our Father"

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, I am in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Christmas nativity scenes

Each holiday has its own unique flavor, unique to it. An integral tradition of celebrating the Nativity of Christ are nativity scenes. The Nativity scene is a kind of puppet theater that our ancestors showed at Christmas and Christmastide. This action began to exist in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus more than two hundred years ago. Christoslavs walked from house to house, glorifying the birth of the Savior, and with them a group of children showing the nativity scene. The nativity scenes were different - large, as tall as a person, and very small - a little larger than a shoebox. The dolls were carved from wood, then painted and dressed in clothes made from colored scraps.

Let's look into the window of a small den-house: in the depths of the stage, a cradle, the bowed Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, a donkey and an ox are warming the Baby with their breath... The candle light fluctuates from the fading breath of the audience. In the uneven shadow, simple dolls, imperceptibly controlled by the puppeteer, come to life - and a miracle occurs: smoothly, as if miraculously, an angel floats onto the stage and proclaims the Good News! Shepherds and wise men bow to the Baby... No one will say that the birth of Christ is a fairy tale. That's exactly how it happened!

Nowadays, at Christmas, it is customary for churches and temples to display stationary nativity scenes with mangers and sculptural images of the Blessed Virgin, Righteous Joseph the Betrothed and the Infant Christ. The nativity scene stands in the center of the temple, where everyone who comes to the festive service can bow to the born Savior. And like the Magi, we also bring gifts: our prayers, repentance and good deeds.

How Christmas is celebrated in other countries

In Serbia, Christmas is called Bozic - the holiday of parents and children. He is completely imbued with concern for the safety of the family hearth and the well-being of the home. The cycle of Christmas holidays, including preparations for it, lasts for more than a month. It begins on the day of St. Nicholas of Myra, December 19, and ends on January 27, the day of St. Sava.

In Bulgaria, at Christmas time, an old silver coin is baked into a special Christmas cake - pogača - which is passed down from generation to generation. Before cutting the cake, it is inspected: if there are bubbles on the surface, this is a sign of family happiness. And the happiest will be the one who gets a piece of the pie with a coin.

And in the old days, and today on Christmas and after it, during the holiday week, it was customary to walk, play and have fun. And on Christmastide, it was customary to guess what Orthodoxy considered to be a sin. After all, during fortune telling you can meet some evil spirits. But on Christmastide, “Christ was born, and all the evil spirits have their tail between their legs, spinning around without meaning to, and cannot harm...”

During Christmastide, there are “holy evenings” (January 7-13) - for fun fortune-telling, “terrible evenings” (January 14-19) - for dangerous, risky fortune-telling, and the most “faithful” are considered to be fortune-telling on Vasiliev's evening - on the night of old New Year (January 14 eve). They usually tell fortunes in the evening, when it gets dark. We need to turn off the TV, the music, and clean the festive table. The room should be twilight. Let only the tree sparkle with lights and candles flicker. Fortune telling requires silence and attention.

Fortune telling there are a great variety: on coffee grounds, and on ashes, and on tea. Or you can simply take a book from the shelf, for example a volume of Pushkin. Family members take turns saying the page number and line number at the top or bottom. Then the line or the entire quatrain is read.

Christmas is a quiet, relaxing family holiday. And today it is not so important whether you are a believer, a sympathizer, or even an unbeliever - let this holiday with your family and loved ones be bright and joyful for everyone. Merry Christmas!

You need a lit candle and a bowl of water. When the candle burns, all participants take turns tilting the candle over the water and letting the wax drain. The resulting intricate figures are taken out of the water and interpreted. If, in addition to large figures, you get a lot of small ones, this means money. Here are some interpretations of large figures:

Grapes - love, friendship, luck, prosperity.

Mushroom - vitality, longevity.

Dragon - fulfillment of hopes, birth of a child.

The bell is to lead. A beautiful, symmetrical bell is good news. Crooked - bad.

Tree leaf - envy, evil intrigues on the part of others.

Pants are a crossroads, a fork in the path.

The apple is a symbol of life. A beautiful, straight apple means health and wisdom, a crooked one is a temptation that it is better not to succumb to.

The egg is an ancient symbol of the hidden, unmanifested. It can mean fears, or maybe just the beginning of something new in life.