Commemorating Jesus' birth
Commemorating Jesus' birth
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary as a
fulfillment of the Old Testament's Messianic prophecy. The Bible
contains two accounts which describe the events surrounding Jesus'
birth. Depending on one's perspective, these accounts either differ from
each other or tell two versions of the same story. These biblical
accounts are found in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18, and
the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26 and 2:40. According to these
accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the
city of Bethlehem.
On Christmas Day, the Christ Candle in the center of the Advent wreath
is traditionally lit in many church services.
According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable,
surrounded by farm animals. A manger (that is, a feeding trough) is
mentioned in Luke 2:7, where it states Mary "wrapped him in swaddling
clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in
the inn" (KJV); and "She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no guest room available for them" (NIV).
Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth
by an angel, and were the first to see the child. Popular tradition also
holds that three kings or wise men (named Melchior, Caspar, and
Balthazar) visited the infant Jesus in the manger, though this does not
strictly follow the Biblical account. The Gospel of Matthew instead
describes a visit by an unspecified number of magi, or astrologers,
sometime after Jesus was born while the family was living in a house
(Matthew 2:11), who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to
the young child Jesus. The visitors were said to be following a
mysterious star, commonly known as the Star of Bethlehem, believing it
to announce the birth of a king of the Jews. The commemoration of this
visit, the Feast of Epiphany celebrated on January 6, is the formal end
of the Christmas season in some churches.
Christians celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to this day
being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of church
services, there are other devotions and popular traditions. In some
Christian denominations, children re-enact the events of the Nativity
with animals to portray the event with more realism or sing carols that
reference the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of
the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene or crèche, in their homes,
using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Prior to
Christmas Day, the Eastern Orthodox Church practices the 40-day Nativity
Fast in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, while much of Western
Christianity celebrates four weeks of Advent. The final preparations for
Christmas are made on Christmas Eve, and many families' major
observation of Christmas actually falls in the evening of this day.
A long artistic tradition has grown of producing painted depictions of
the nativity in art. Nativity scenes are traditionally set in a stable
with livestock and include Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus in the manger,
the three wise men, the shepherds and their sheep, the angels, and the
Star of Bethlehem.
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary as a
fulfillment of the Old Testament's Messianic prophecy. The Bible
contains two accounts which describe the events surrounding Jesus'
birth. Depending on one's perspective, these accounts either differ from
each other or tell two versions of the same story. These biblical
accounts are found in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18, and
the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26 and 2:40. According to these
accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the
city of Bethlehem.
On Christmas Day, the Christ Candle in the center of the Advent wreath
is traditionally lit in many church services.
According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable,
surrounded by farm animals. A manger (that is, a feeding trough) is
mentioned in Luke 2:7, where it states Mary "wrapped him in swaddling
clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in
the inn" (KJV); and "She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no guest room available for them" (NIV).
Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth
by an angel, and were the first to see the child. Popular tradition also
holds that three kings or wise men (named Melchior, Caspar, and
Balthazar) visited the infant Jesus in the manger, though this does not
strictly follow the Biblical account. The Gospel of Matthew instead
describes a visit by an unspecified number of magi, or astrologers,
sometime after Jesus was born while the family was living in a house
(Matthew 2:11), who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to
the young child Jesus. The visitors were said to be following a
mysterious star, commonly known as the Star of Bethlehem, believing it
to announce the birth of a king of the Jews. The commemoration of this
visit, the Feast of Epiphany celebrated on January 6, is the formal end
of the Christmas season in some churches.
Christians celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to this day
being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of church
services, there are other devotions and popular traditions. In some
Christian denominations, children re-enact the events of the Nativity
with animals to portray the event with more realism or sing carols that
reference the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of
the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene or crèche, in their homes,
using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Prior to
Christmas Day, the Eastern Orthodox Church practices the 40-day Nativity
Fast in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, while much of Western
Christianity celebrates four weeks of Advent. The final preparations for
Christmas are made on Christmas Eve, and many families' major
observation of Christmas actually falls in the evening of this day.
A long artistic tradition has grown of producing painted depictions of
the nativity in art. Nativity scenes are traditionally set in a stable
with livestock and include Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus in the manger,
the three wise men, the shepherds and their sheep, the angels, and the
Star of Bethlehem. 
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