Friday, December 25, 2009
Wish you a very Happy Christmas and Boxing Day wishes....
Hello All,
I wish you and your family, friends, near and dear........
A very happy, joyful and Merry Christmas (25/12/09) and Boxing Day (26/12/09) wishes.
Christmas, also referred to as Christmas Day or Christmastide, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25th that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (Nazareth was the home of Joseph and Mary and where Jesus grew up from some point in his childhood). Christmastide or Christmas season tends to be defined as the period from Christmas Day to the evening of 5th January, the day before Epiphany (Feast Day). The Feast of the Epiphany falls on January 6th. This period is also commonly known as the Twelve Days of Christmas, as referred to in the Christmas carol of the same name, or Yuletide.
The birth of Jesus, which is the basis for the Anno Domini (AD) system of dating, is thought to have occurred between 7 and 2 BC (Before Christ). Because B.C. is the English abbreviation for Before Christ, some people incorrectly conclude that A.D. must mean After Death, i.e., after the death of Jesus. If that were true, the thirty-three or so years of his life would not be in any era. According to some legends, December 25th is not thought to be Jesus' actual date of birth, and the date may have been chosen to correspond with either a Roman festival or with the winter solstice and Christmas Eve, December 24th, is the day before Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe (a parasitic plant with white berries), nativity scenes and holly (a shrub or plant with red berries). Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th Century media.
The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English ‘Christemasse’ and Old English ‘Cristes maesse’. "Cristes" is from Greek Christos (Christ's) and "maesse" is from Latin missa (mass). In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ. Since the mid-16th Century, Χ or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ. Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas. Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is widely celebrated around the world, including in the United States of America (USA), where it is celebrated by 96% of the population.
Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many other members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Greece. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society. Contemporary Boxing Day in Canada is a "shopping holiday" associated with after Christmas sales. It is usually celebrated on 26th of December, the day after Christmas Day. Boxing Day dates back to the century in which the primary practice of giving gifts to employees or to people in a lower social class.
A Christmas box is, in English tradition, a clay box used in artisan shops. Apprentices, masters, visitors, customers and others would put donations of money into the box, like a piggy bank, and then, after Christmas, the box would be shattered and all the contents shared among the workers of the shop. Thus, masters and customers could donate bonuses to the workers anonymously, and the employees could average their wages. The habit of breaking the Christmas box lent its name to 'Boxing Day'. The term "Christmas box" now refers generally to a gift or pay bonus given to workers. It is the day when people would give a present or Christmas box to those who has worked for them throughout the year.
Many many happy returns of the days.
All the best and take care….
With thanks, regards and best wishes,
G.Srikanth.
I wish you and your family, friends, near and dear........
A very happy, joyful and Merry Christmas (25/12/09) and Boxing Day (26/12/09) wishes.
Christmas, also referred to as Christmas Day or Christmastide, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25th that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth (Nazareth was the home of Joseph and Mary and where Jesus grew up from some point in his childhood). Christmastide or Christmas season tends to be defined as the period from Christmas Day to the evening of 5th January, the day before Epiphany (Feast Day). The Feast of the Epiphany falls on January 6th. This period is also commonly known as the Twelve Days of Christmas, as referred to in the Christmas carol of the same name, or Yuletide.
The birth of Jesus, which is the basis for the Anno Domini (AD) system of dating, is thought to have occurred between 7 and 2 BC (Before Christ). Because B.C. is the English abbreviation for Before Christ, some people incorrectly conclude that A.D. must mean After Death, i.e., after the death of Jesus. If that were true, the thirty-three or so years of his life would not be in any era. According to some legends, December 25th is not thought to be Jesus' actual date of birth, and the date may have been chosen to correspond with either a Roman festival or with the winter solstice and Christmas Eve, December 24th, is the day before Christmas Day, the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe (a parasitic plant with white berries), nativity scenes and holly (a shrub or plant with red berries). Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th Century media.
The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English ‘Christemasse’ and Old English ‘Cristes maesse’. "Cristes" is from Greek Christos (Christ's) and "maesse" is from Latin missa (mass). In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ. Since the mid-16th Century, Χ or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ. Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas. Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is widely celebrated around the world, including in the United States of America (USA), where it is celebrated by 96% of the population.
Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many other members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Greece. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society. Contemporary Boxing Day in Canada is a "shopping holiday" associated with after Christmas sales. It is usually celebrated on 26th of December, the day after Christmas Day. Boxing Day dates back to the century in which the primary practice of giving gifts to employees or to people in a lower social class.
A Christmas box is, in English tradition, a clay box used in artisan shops. Apprentices, masters, visitors, customers and others would put donations of money into the box, like a piggy bank, and then, after Christmas, the box would be shattered and all the contents shared among the workers of the shop. Thus, masters and customers could donate bonuses to the workers anonymously, and the employees could average their wages. The habit of breaking the Christmas box lent its name to 'Boxing Day'. The term "Christmas box" now refers generally to a gift or pay bonus given to workers. It is the day when people would give a present or Christmas box to those who has worked for them throughout the year.
Many many happy returns of the days.
All the best and take care….
With thanks, regards and best wishes,
G.Srikanth.
# posted by Srikanth @ 2:36 PM 
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