Menu:
Christmas
Christmas is widely celebrated across the globe on 25th of every December. The celebrations for Christmas Festival starts right from November and people celebrate it with a lot of fervor. The city is decorated. Many town centers and shop have artificial snow painted on shop windows.
In many streets and shops, 'Christmas trees' are decorated with lights and Christmas ornaments are used to decorate the place. As the day of Christmas gets closer, the shopping becomes more intense. In a lot of shopping centre speaker systems Christmas ‘carols’ are played. Christmas carols are traditional Christmas Christian songs. There are a group of people often sing carols on the streets. This is done to raise money for charity. At work place, a short Christmas party is kept about a week before Christmas.
By mid-December all the homes are decorated with Christmas trees. The homes are also decorated with colored lights and paper or plastic decorations. Even the gardens and walls are decorated during this period. This is done using colored electric lights and this has been in practice for many years in the USA. In many countries, people give greeting cards to their relatives and friends. These cards are hung on decorated walls.
Christmas cards
The custom of sending Christmas cards began in Britain in 1840. This happened when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. As printing methods became more advanced, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from the year 1860. These cards became even more popular in Britain. Traditionally Christmas cards portrayed religious pictures. These included pictures of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Today, the cards are printed with pictures which have some jokes, some winter pictures and so on.
Santa Claus
'Father Christmas’, also known as ‘Santa Claus' has from long been the human face of Christmas. There are masks and pictures of Santa Claus which is available in the stores. There are pictures of Santa Claus where an old man with long white beard, red coat and bag of toys is shown. There are many children who believe that there is something called Santa Claus which really exists. Santa Claus arrives through the sky on a sledge. He enters the houses through the chimney at midnight. They place gift for the whole family.
Christmas Tree
Christmas trees are used to decorate the homes. They are also used widely in shops or at children's parties. There are some children who dress up as Santa Claus and give gifts to children. Father Christmas is based on a real person, St. Nicholas. This explains his other name 'Santa Claus'. This comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas'. Nicholas was a Christian leader from Myra in the 4th century AD.