Christmas in England

Christmas in England

Many countries celebrate the same holidays in drastically different ways. Many people travel or move to another country, bringing their traditions with them. Some of these are looked down upon, while others are taken in and adapted to the country’s culture. Although Christmas in England is similar to America’s Christmas, there are some changes and new traditions.
The basics of Christmas in England are the same as in America. The holiday takes place on December 25th. Christmas originated from the Christian faith, however there is an increasing number of non-Christians celebrating Christmas. The Roman Catholic church in Rome, was the first to have a large feast in 336 (A.D.). This feast had many people, was filled with festive music, a Bible reading, and afterwards a large amount of drinking. The reason Christmas is on december 25, is because christians believe that on march 25 was the day that the angel, Gabriel, visited Mary and told her she needed to have the Lord’s child. Then, nine months later she had the baby Jesus in a manger. The word Christmas in derived from the old english words “Christ’s mass’”. The basics of Christmas is carried from culture to culture including from England to America.
Although the basics are the same, most countries have their own traditions. England has many traditions originating in England and outside of England. One tradition is the Dutch Saint Nicholas. On December 6th, Saint Nicholas gives gifts to good children. This then created Father Christmas or Santa Claus to Americans. Father Christmas originated in the 17th century. One tradition originating in England, is the greeting cards. Greeting cards started in the 1840’s and help bring family and friends closer together. The people of England also cut down an evergreen tree and decorate it. This is called a Christmas tree, which originated from Germany. As a tree topper, you can either have a star or angel. The angel stands for two things in the English communities. The...

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