What are the customs of Christmas?

Christmas is a traditional festival in the west. On February 25th, 65438, people got together for a big meal. The most common saying about the origin of Christmas is to commemorate the birth of Jesus. In fact, the date of birth of Jesus is not clearly recorded in the Bible. It was not until the 3rd century AD that 65438+February 25th was officially designated as Christmas.

Christmas customs include: decorating the Christmas tree, distributing Christmas candy, exchanging Christmas cards, giving gifts to relatives and friends, singing Christmas songs, roasting turkey, cooking Christmas salmon, smoking ham and drinking red wine.

I think there are five customs worth mentioning at Christmas. Let's take a look:

? One of the Christmas customs: decorating the Christmas tree?

Decorating the Christmas tree has become an indispensable custom for Christmas. Most people decorate the Christmas tree with colored lights, candy and gifts.

Christmas tree is almost the most important winter culture and scenery in Europe and America. Many people may think that decorating Christmas trees is an ancient and long-standing culture in Britain, but the history of Christmas trees is actually much shorter than people think, and this custom is not original in Britain.

The earliest Christmas tree actually came from Germany. It is said that the first document about Christmas tree in history was an annual publication of Bremen Industrial Association at the end of 1570, which recorded a novel promotion method of a shop: transplanting an evergreen tree in front of the shop of the industrial association and hanging beautiful decorations such as apples, nuts, biscuits and paper flowers on it to attract children shopping at Christmas.

Later, with the development of commercial trade, beautiful Christmas tree decoration gradually became popular in Germany and became a popular holiday custom in the17th century. Then the custom of Christmas tree spread all over Europe, and then all over the world. Moreover, in traditional customs, only the head of the family can hang this star of hope, and no one else can intervene.

? The second custom of Christmas: eating roast turkey?

This custom has a history of more than 300 years. It is said that on Christmas Day in 1620, a large number of immigrants from Britain arrived at Plymouth Mountain in the American continent. At that time, there were only turkeys in Shan Ye, so they grabbed turkeys as the main course of the festival.

Why do you want to eat turkey at Christmas? It is said that on Christmas Day in 1620, a large number of immigrants from Britain arrived at Mount Primus in the United States. Because there is almost no food here, except turkeys everywhere, they have to roast turkeys for the festival. Turkey is big and fleshy, delicious, nutritious and low in cholesterol, so it is favored by westerners. Since then, eating turkey at Christmas has become a tradition.

Turkey is a specialty of America and was domesticated by Indians before Europeans came to America. The English name of Turkey is "Turkey". Because Europeans think it looks like Turkish clothing: black head and red body. Europeans like roast goose very much. After immigrating to the United States, there was a requirement to eat geese before raising them, so I ate turkey and found that turkey was more delicious than goose. There are many turkeys in North America. So roast turkey has become a big dish for Americans and an essential food for important festivals.

? The third custom of Christmas: lighting Christmas candles?

This custom is mainly to put a lighted candle outside the house on Christmas Day. In the streets and alleys, inside and outside the house, all kinds of lights are hung, Christmas candles are lit, and the candles are flickering. Denmark is already a warm and lighted Christmas world!

This tradition means that people will put a lighted candle outside the house during Christmas. Even in the darkest room, candles can bring light and symbolize hope. In the early years, when Christians were persecuted, they were forbidden to preach and pray. Therefore, Christians put candles outside the house, suggesting that they are still praying silently in their hearts.

On New Year's Day, the ancient Romans decorated their houses with green branches and colored lights, and gave presents to children and the poor. Teutonic tribes infiltrated Gaul, Britain and Central Europe, bringing Germanic and Celtic religious ceremonies. Therefore, there are celebrations, such as reunion, burning large pieces of firewood, tasting big wooden cakes, hanging branches, visiting relatives and friends, and exchanging gifts. Fire and light, which symbolize warmth and longevity, have always been the content of winter festival celebrations, whether in practice or in non-custom. Evergreen trees symbolize the struggle for survival and have been associated with the celebration of Jesus Christmas since the Middle Ages. Due to the different calendars, the Christmas date of the Orthodox Church and other Eastern European churches is equivalent to the Gregorian calendar 65438+1October 6 or 7.

Westerners use red, green and white as Christmas colors. When Christmas comes, every family should decorate it with Christmas colors. The red ones have Christmas flowers and Christmas candles. The green one is the Christmas tree. It is the main decoration of Christmas, decorated with evergreen trees such as fir and cypress that have been cut into towers. Colorful lanterns, gifts and paper flowers are hung on it, and Christmas candles are lit.

? Christmas custom 4: hot wine?

The reason for the formation of this traditional custom is that meat symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ and red wine represents his blood. We should remember Jesus' suffering for others and his crucifixion. Christmas red wine has a special drinking method: add brown sugar, orange peel, meat orange, orange core, raisins and other ingredients to the wine, then stir while heating on the fire (be careful not to boil), and finally pour in a little vodka. Have a drink after taking the pot. It's really fragrant and warm. ?

Hot red wine is made by heating red wine and adding cinnamon, orange peel, lemon and syrup. Christmas red wine is special: add brown sugar, orange peel, meat orange, orange core, raisins and other ingredients to the wine, then heat it above the fire and stir it (be careful not to boil), and finally pour in a little vodka, which is mellow.

The Gospel of John records the miracle that Jesus turned water into wine at his wedding in Canaan. At the last supper, Jesus also entertained his disciples with wine, saying, "bread is my flesh and wine is my blood." Therefore, red wine is also called "holy blood".

Moreover, the development of wine has a great relationship with the spread of Christianity. Missionaries not only spread this delicious wine all over the world, but also invented the "hot red wine" necessary for Christmas. The reason for the formation of this tradition is that meat symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ and red wine represents his blood. We should remember Jesus' suffering for others and his crucifixion.

? The fifth custom of Christmas: giving gifts to relatives and friends?

This custom originated from a legend: three wise men gave presents to the baby Jesus at Christmas. Every Christmas, friends and relatives, especially children, will give gifts to each other. The story of Santa Claus also comes from this tradition.

Americans also pay attention to giving gifts during the New Year in China, especially at Christmas. It is human nature for relatives and friends to walk around giving gifts. Of course, gifts also depend on who sent them, and gifts from close friends, especially relatives, are heavier. Americans don't give gifts like China. They don't give much money, even between relatives. Instead, give the other person something they like and practical, such as jewelry and clothes. Of course, I also send computers, fishing rods and other things that the other party especially likes. These gifts are a little more expensive, usually around one hundred dollars, depending on your income. You don't have to come to your house to give gifts to your relatives. There is also a courier to your home far away.

As the saying goes, Christmas Eve is Christmas Eve. That night, the whole family will gather in the living room, sing Christmas songs around the Christmas tree, exchange gifts, share the joys and sorrows of life in the past year, and express their inner blessings and love. On this night, I will see a group of lovely little boys or girls, playing guitars with poems in their hands, singing poems one after another, bringing good news. Christmas is an exciting day, especially for children. Once upon a time, there was an old man named Nicholas who loved to help poor families all his life. Once he helped three poor girls and gave them three bags of gold, which saved them from being sold. When Nicholas secretly gave a bag of gold to one of the women, he threw the gold out of a window and fell into a sock hanging on the wall. As a result, the gift-giving method of putting gifts in Christmas socks has spread to this day.

In western countries, Christmas is a traditional festival and a grand festival equivalent to the Spring Festival in China. So Christmas in western countries is very grand, and western countries also want to have a reunion dinner. Although the contents of Christmas dinner are different all over the world, reunion and drinking are essential items.