How did Christmas start?
For over 1600 years Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus. 'Christ' means 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One' - which was given to Jesus - and 'Mass' was a festival of religion.
In the Western Europe today, the real meaning of Christmas is often forgotten. It has become a non-religious holiday! For most of us Christmas Day is now a time for eating and drinking too much and watching television.
The Christian Bible tells us what is considered to be the real story. It is told in two different books: Mathew and Luke chapters 1 and 2. The story of the birth of Jesus, and the way that the West celebrates Christmas today, seem to have little connection.
These chapters tell how Jesus was born as a baby to Mary. This was no ordinary birth! She was not married, she was a virgin, and an angel had told her she would bear a special baby. Joseph, who was her husband to be did not believe her until an angel told him in a dream that it was true! So when they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem (near Jerusalem), to register their names with the ruling Roman government, they probably avoided many hard words from other people.
Arrival in Bethlehem brought worry and upset: there was no room for them to stay at the hotel. There was only space in the stable - used to house donkeys and horses.
Jesus was born that night, and they were forced to use an animal feeding box filled with the dry grass for him to sleep in.
Today's Christmas-cards and pictures make it all seem very nice, but in reality it must have been frightening for the young couple, so far from their home and families.
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For over 1600 years Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus. 'Christ' means 'Messiah' or 'Anointed One' - which was given to Jesus - and 'Mass' was a festival of religion.
In the Western Europe today, the real meaning of Christmas is often forgotten. It has become a non-religious holiday! For most of us Christmas Day is now a time for eating and drinking too much and watching television.
The Christian Bible tells us what is considered to be the real story. It is told in two different books: Mathew and Luke chapters 1 and 2. The story of the birth of Jesus, and the way that the West celebrates Christmas today, seem to have little connection.
These chapters tell how Jesus was born as a baby to Mary. This was no ordinary birth! She was not married, she was a virgin, and an angel had told her she would bear a special baby. Joseph, who was her husband to be did not believe her until an angel told him in a dream that it was true! So when they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem (near Jerusalem), to register their names with the ruling Roman government, they probably avoided many hard words from other people.
Arrival in Bethlehem brought worry and upset: there was no room for them to stay at the hotel. There was only space in the stable - used to house donkeys and horses.
Jesus was born that night, and they were forced to use an animal feeding box filled with the dry grass for him to sleep in.
Today's Christmas-cards and pictures make it all seem very nice, but in reality it must have been frightening for the young couple, so far from their home and families.
Next >
