Catholicism for Christmas is not just a holiday but a holiday season, and in the same way as Easter, contains a time of preparation, called Advent, which starts four Sundays before Dec. 25. For this reason the Catholic liturgy calls this feast The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is customary to hold several Masses on Christmas, with varying content according to your schedule. So, the night before (Christmas Eve) even Sunday, was read the famous Misa de Gallo or Midnight Mass in some places there is even a Mass at Dawn being held precisely at dawn on December 25, and the Mass Noon , Which is customary before or after it, the Pope will give a Christmas message to all the faithful of the world, this message is known as Urbi et Orbi (Latin: the City of Rome and the World). Some Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas together with the Epiphany. Adoration of the Magi from the East and the shepherds. After the conclusion of the Dec. 25 Christmas, the festivities take place in San Esteban, protomartyr (Dec. 26.), St. John the Evangelist (Dec. 27.), The Holy Innocents (Dec. 28.), The Sagrada Familia (Sunday after Christmas or Dec. 29. if Christmas falls on a Sunday), Mary Mother of God (Jan. 1) and Epiphany (2nd Sunday after Christmas). Christmas Day is Dec. 25, when it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem as the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. After the Easter Resurrection is the most important holiday of the year the church. As the Gospels do not mention dates, it is not certain that Jesus was born that day. In fact, Christmas Day was not officially recognized until the year 345, when the influence of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory Nacianzeno proclaiming Dec. 25 as the date of the Nativity. In this way followed the policy of the early church to absorb rather than suppressing existing pagan rites, which since the early days had celebrated the winter solstice and the arrival of spring. The pagan festival most closely associated with the new Christmas was the Roman Saturnal on December 19, in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, which was celebrated for seven days of bustling entertainment and banquets. At the same time, was being held in northern Europe a similar winter festival, known as Yule, which burned large trunks and branches decorated with ribbons in honor of the gods so that the sun shines with more force.
The word Christmas comes from the word "Nativity", which comes from the Latin "Nativitatem" meaning "birth". The religious world itself applies to the birth of Jesus Christ. This festival in English is calle
"CHRISTMAS",
which means "Mass of Christ" and is held on the same date. This biblical teaching is not because we did not find anything related to Christmas as a celebration, not Peter, nor Paul, nor John, nor any of the apostles makes mention of these festivals, and it is understood that not the place. Consequently nor the early church kept this party. But then there is a mystery ... Where is Christmas? ORIGIN OF THE
CHRISTMAS TREE
Some sources say that once there was a man named Nimrod. This was precisely the December 25, and said that this is the same man who appears in the book of Genesis 10:8-10. That man was joined with his mother who was known as Semiramis, from this union was born a son who was called Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14). When Nimrod died, his "mother-wife" is the one who buried. But over time grew into a tree where it had been buried. Semiramis began teaching his "son-husband" had incarnated in Ss tree and every day of his birthday visiting his grave and wore a plethora of gifts, hanging on tree Ss. This doctrine was propagated by all peoples, one of which Babel and the land of Shinar, which was later called Babylon. In this way there came to the "tree" of the birth of Nimrod. What today is done in the month of December is indirectly remember the birth of this man who was a sinner and evil (Genesis 10:8-10). The decoration of the tree can be traced to the Romans, who put masks of Bacchus in the branches of trees, thought they were protecting the masks. They also hung in trees sweets to celebrate the Saturnal, the festival of the god of harvest. The bells, fruits and other decorations that are currently used have evolved over the centuries, proving that this festival is rooted in traditions of men and not in the Divine. There is another legend of three trees that were near the manger: the olive tree, the dates and pine. To honor the newborn, the olive tree gave its fruit, bore the palm dates, but the pine had nothing to give. Some stars, watching from above, down from the heavens and posed on its branches to serve as an offering, this is supposedly the source of the decorated tree. In the first Christmas, the Romans were using pine trees everywhere, to represent the heat of the new birth of the sun god in the form of fire. This was based on an ancient Babylonian legend. For one night, a green tree trunk was a deadlock. This meant that the sun god Nimrod (trunk dry) reincarnated in Tammuz (green tree) when his mother Semiramis gave it birth in that night. The Romans hung from the tree after it was red cherries areas, as a symbol of the sun god. These customs were added those of the Germanic and Celtic, who provided the fiestas fir and its luminaries, which had traditionally served to scare away evil spirits in the so-called "rigorous nights" (Dec. 25 to Jan. 6). From the Saxon countries adopted the custom of hanging up all sorts of gifts and sweets. This custom comes from Germany, where the English missionary Boniface, replaced in the eighth century the sacrifices that were made in the sacred oak of Odin, for a pine tree decorated in homage to the baby Jesus. Births The original idea was to mount a birth of St. Francis of Assisi, when in 1223 in the forest of Greccio, men and animals together to stage the nativity of Jesus in vivo. The "scenes" or births became popular in Spain in the early eighteenth century, from where they go to Mexico. Towards 1878 are the first Christmas trees, which fell the cribs; these resurgent during the decade from 1930 to 1940, when it revitalizes the tradition almost deserted.
IS THE BIBLE TEACHING OUR AUTHORIZED THIS?
No! The Bible does not authorize this, since in the book of Deuteronomy 16:21 says: "No planted forests, nor any tree near the altar of the Lord your God." The purpose of the current Christmas tree is nothing more than "worship" and has no connection with the birth of Christ. As we said, this custom came from the mother of Nimrod and Semiramis incoming call and went to many other countries such as Egypt, Rome, Babylon. In these places he called "Baal-Tamar," so that the true children of God has forbidden them by the same God put this tree. Jeremiah 10:2 says, "No way sigáis and of the people ... because you are wise and understanding people ..." (Deuteronomy 14:2). In everything that we felt we did not read anything in the Bible in relation to this pagan festival, this event brings a relationship with the lie and then expose them.
SANTA CLAUS
It is said that in the V century there was a man named "St. Nicholas." This man was a bishop of Myra, who was honored by the Latins and the Greeks on December 6. A Legend has it that St. Nicholas was a very charitable man, who carried toys in a secret three girls whose father wanted to be thrown into prostitution by not able to maintain. That character became the pattern in Russia of children, virgins, sailors, travelers and students. This character is from where it originated Santa Claus, Papa Noel or Pascuero Viejo, is a legend from Holland and these in turn got it from Turkey Demre (Myra before) and place where it began the legend and also of the gifts in secret. At the time he was transferred to CHRISTMAS and hence the association of Santa Claus and Christmas. All this is a lie, so people poison the minds of their children because they want to associate with Christ and that he wore toys. However, reading the first chapters of Matthew and Luke did not find anything about this tradition
