When I saw how the whole word is making use of the various festivals in order to increase their sales, I felt that there was a need to remind ourselves about the true meaning of why we have the festivals in the first place. While we tend to celebrate in different ways, most of the festivals have a religious significance we need to remember before we stress about the decorations, shopping, gifting, elaborate spreads, etc.
So, here is the true meaning of the festival I celebrate.
Christmas (according to us Christians) is the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The word ‘Christmas’ means the ‘mass of Jesus Christ’. A mass service is a gathering of people who pray to God, Jesus or/and Mother Mary and includes the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The Christmas mass is generally held at midnight because it is believed that Jesus was born at midnight. Of course, in many places, due to safety issues, the midnight mass takes place as early as 19:00 hours on the 24th of December. There are various theories about why Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, every year. Read more about it here.
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE CALL IT XMAS? DO THEY WANT TO CUT CHRIST OFF FROM THEIR LIVES? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT!
The true meaning of Christmas is LOVE. The aim is to give up thinking about yourself and bring happiness to those around you without expecting anything in return.
Christmas is a festival of spending quality time with your loved ones. Instead of stressing yourself over expensive gifts, I’m sure your kids will love if you gifted them with your time. We, generally, spend Advent doing simple Christmas projects like decorating pine cones or making greeting cards for friends. This time we created a family tree. This included the 59 forefathers of Jesus. We also wrote what each decoration represented and stuck them to cut-outs or drawings of the symbols.
Click to get ideas on how to teach your kids the true meaning of Christmas!
Red, gold, silver and green are being used to symbolize Christmas for ages now. The red symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed for us. The silver and gold symbolize the rich blessings that we receive in life. The green reminds us that trees and nature are an important part of our existence.
Have you ever wondered why certain items are used as decorations during Christmas? Here is a list of decorations (with their meanings) that are either hung on the tree or placed around the house.
God loves us and gave us His only begotten son. Gifts are reminders that we should always remember to thank God for giving us a precious gift – His son Jesus. In the spirit of Christmas, we should make it a point to sponsor or give gifts to the poor and needy.
It is believed that St. Boniface, in the 8th century, used the triangular shape of the fir tree to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) as a single unified entity. The pure green colour of the royal and respectful fir tree remains intact all year round, thereby representing the everlasting hope of mankind.
Tinsel streamers and decorative lights both represent the starry night sky when Jesus was born. Before electricity, in order to light up the Christmas tree, tinsel was used to reflect the flickering of the house candle lights. After the coming of electricity, we adorn the tree with decorative lights along with tinsel and decorative bulbs.
A Christmas wreath symbolizes the endless love of God for us. In addition, it symbolizes how true love has no beginning or end.
The star was the heavenly sign of the arrival of Jesus, as God had promised. The star symbolizes the fulfilment of God’s promise of sending the Saviour for the world.
This represents the shepherd’s crook. The crook on the staff helps the shepherd to bring back the strayed sheep to the flock. Therefore, the candy cane is a reminder that we should take care of our brothers and sisters.
The candle symbolizes Jesus Christ who is the light of the world. The candle reminds us how Jesus removes us from darkness (the clutches of the devil) and brings us into the light (the hands of God).
The sharp holly leaves represent the crown of thorns worn by Jesus. The red berries represent the blood shed by Him for us.
The lost sheep are found by the sound of the bells hung around their necks. The bell symbolizes the guidance and return of mankind to God.
They are the ones who gave the good news, to the shepherds, about the birth of our Saviour, by singing ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will’.
Santa Claus (St. Nicholas) was a kind and loving man who helped those in need. He symbolizes the generosity and good that we feel during the Christmas season.
The Christmas bow, and its red colour, symbolizes the eternal bonds of goodwill that bind us and our loved ones together.
WHY DO WE BUILD A CRIB OR NATIVITY SCENE DURING CHRISTMAS?
The Nativity Scene is the official term for what we commonly refer to as the Christmas Crib. It is built to represent the humble birth of Jesus Christ, as He was born in a stable and placed in a manger. It exhibits the Holy Family (his parents with Him), the shepherds (the first humble visitors) and the animals that surrounded Him, and also the angels who announced His birth. No one knows exactly when the three wise men followed the star and visited Jesus to worship him. But, the star and three kings, with their gifts, are part of the crib to represent their legendary and historical journey to meet the Son of God.
HOW DID CHRISTMAS CAROLS COME ABOUT?
Carols are festive songs which were sung in Europe thousands of years ago. They became more associated with Christmas and the nativity only in the late Middle Ages. I’m sure many of you have come across the song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’. Click on the link to know the real meaning of this song. Do you have a favourite Christmas Carol? Tell us in the comments below. You can listen to some of them here.
WHAT IS THE IDEA OF A CHRISTMAS PARTY?
We all throw and attend Christmas parties year after year. But, what is the real idea of getting together with family and friends? No, it is not to eat, drink and dance. Christmas is a time to get together with loved ones and share the love, peace and joy of Christmas. Families and close friends come together to pray and give thanks to our Creator for sending His only son to save us. This is the time to forgive those you’ve had misunderstandings with and unite with them.
While you celebrate Christmas this year, do remember what Christmas really means. Did this post increase your knowledge about the true meaning of Christmas, décor and a party? Let me know in the comments below.
This write up is compiled by my mom and myself!
42 Comments
It is very important to learn the real meaning of any festival You’re post brought many things out that one might have not known about Christmas.
Such a nice post to remind all that the true essence and meaning for Christmas is love. These days it’s all just about posting pictures and decorations and people have forgotten why the festival is truly celebrated.
This post has certainly increased my knowledge about the true meaning of Christmas, décor and party. Wow, I have been celebrating Christmas for so many years, never realizing fully about the finer details. I’ll share this post with my friends and family now.
Thank you Rahul.
The core meaning of each festival should be known and it can happen through posts like this. I cam to know many points about the decor and its link with Christmas.
Christmas is the season of love togetherness and spending quality time together. Great to read about Christmas and it’s true meaning.
This is so nicely explained Cindy. I didn’t know about some of these. Festivals are so important to celebrate and spread the joy.
Wow that’s such a nice post with learning more about the festival 😊 we can now answer to our kids about the celebration
This was a beautiful Read Cindy. I Too believe in celebrating the essence of every festival. We ensure that we imbibe the same values to our children as well. Christmas is more about spending time with family for us.
Wow! This is such a fascinating and interesting post! The Christmas decor items and their meaning as well as the significance of colours was new to me. Thanks for this enlightening post!
The true meaning of Christmas is love, absolutely. Season of giving. Btw do u know, we Muslims believe in Jesus & Mary? In fact one chapter of Quran is named on MARYAm (mary)
Yes I do. I was brought up among Muslims in the Gulf. We have quite a few common beliefs.
Thanks for sharing this amazing facts about Christmas decor and party. I am not aware of all these. I enjoyed reading this article
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said “one is not a muslim untill he believes in prophet Jesus”
Our scriptures share so many teachings and as a mother raising two kids which lacks the essence of unity greatly, i try to inculcate only one thought in my kids. “through humanity we unite”
Good thought! We should all believe in humanity.
Just a few days ago I was discussing with my husband that I want to know about real meaning of Christmas, and here you are with a wonderful post. Lot of information. Merry Christmas
God answers our questions in many ways.
Such a beautiful post with a meaningful msg. Indeed nowdays festivals have become an another occasion to eat, drink, party and gifts and many of us really forget the true meaning of celebration. Thanks a lot to aunty and you for sharing this important aspect of Christmas celebration.
Loved reading all about my favourite festival. There is so much to be Merry about and enjoy . This was such a positive post.
I love Christmas as I completed my education in Convent school I had the great experience to be part of this festival.
Every festival has a significance that has nothing to do with the commercialism around it. Loved how you explained Christmas and everything related to it! It is s festival of joys.
There are so many takeaways for me. I had zero knowledge of these amazing facts behind Christmas. And it’s so much fun to share some of these with Vaidik.
This is so good to know Cindy, I didn’t know the meaning of all the decor items. I like making my own ornaments too.
So crisply explained in detail. I never knew these significance. Thanks for such a hearty read.
Wow Cindy… thanks for explaining the meaning of Christmas and the decor…. i had no idea about most of the things n this was insightful and I am gonna talk about it to my kids too. I’ve attended mid night mass once with my friend way back in school days n its really awesome.
Very good post about the true meaning of Christmas, decor and party. Highly informative and nicely written. Keep up the good work. Wishing you a merry Christmas in advance. May God bless you.
For any festival to celebrate in its true sense, it is very important to understand the meaning behind the rituals. I wasn’t aware of the these details about Christmas. I am very happy that you wrote on this topic. Usually, we share craft idea, recipes, decoration but all that make sense when we know why we are doing what we are doing.
Cannot blame you when some of us Christians only forget the true meaning of Christmas!
So lovely thanks for explaining the real meaning behind the Christmas rituals. I love this festival
I didn’t know most of the things related to christmas. These are really detailed! Thanks for explaining!
Wow! I didn’t know these things about Christmas! This was a beautiful read! Thank you for sharing all about it.. ❤️
Wow !! It was a good read.
I really dint had the complete knowledge about the festival but I use celebrate it with full swing. I m so happy to read full blog about it.
Glad to know about the real meaning of Christmas celebrations. Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of jesus christ as a Savior. Great thoughts.
The real meaning of Christmas, and the meaning of different traditions, have indeed got buried beneath the sweeping commercialization. Nice of you to highlight the real meaning of Christmas.
So true Cindy, many of us, especially non-Christians, never really think of the actual significance behind the celebrations- we just celebrate it with the trinkets that we see outwardly!
Yeah for you guys it’s like how we celebrate Eid just for the mutton biryani and Diwali to light crackers hehe… But yes learning about the true meaning of different festivals is a good thing I realized…
This is a lovely article. My Catholic friend has been telling me this for years but reading the symbolism just makes it more real. Very informative.
Thanks Ambica. Do send it to her. She may love to read it.
I love Christmas as I completed my education in Convent school I had the great experience to be part of this festival.. I loved reading about everything so detailed…
This is such an informative post. I didn’t know about all this. Thanks for sharing!
I was totally unaware of all these meanings. Really enjoyed reading the whole post. Thanks dear for sharing ❤️.
Nicely explained. For me festivals and occassions like birthdays also means sharing what we have with others. The heartfelt blessings we receive add to joy of the occasion.