Teacher Directions

Teacher Directions

Thank you for downloading the History of Celebrating Christmas booklet! I hope you and your children have fun and learn something new about Christmas traditions you did not already know! Here is how to get started: Materials: Print a set of pages 3 ? 10 for each child. You will also need colored pencils. Preparation: Cut the pages in half and staple them together. (Page numbers are in lower right hand corners.) Instructions: The text in the booklets walks you through the lesson. Have your children color the pictures while you read to them or you all take turns reading. The booklet was designed to be worked on over several days during the Christmas season. At the bottom of many of the pages is an extension activity for you to complete if desired.

?2018 Randi Smith

Credits

Frames

Pictures

Follow us on:

You May Also Like:

Why Do Leaves Change Color and Fall?

?2018 Randi Smith

The History of Celebrating Christmas

Jesus's Birth

Luke and Matthew tell us in the Bible that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary.

According to Luke, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census where Jesus is born and laid in a manger. It says angels visit shepherds in their fields and tell them that a Savior has been born. The shepherds then go to visit Jesus to see if it is true. They spread the word that Jesus was born.

Matthew tells us that wise men follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the king of the Jews.

By: Randi Smith

READ: Matthew 1:18 ? 2:15 and Luke 2:1 ? 2:21

?2018 Randi Smith

Page 1

Epiphany

Jesus's followers started celebrating his Resurrection after his death, but they did not celebrate his birthday as far as we know.

In Jesus's time, birthdays were not celebrated. Sometimes, though, the date of baptism was. Starting in the second century (just over a hundred years after Jesus lived), some Christians started celebrating Epiphany. This day, also known as the Feast of the Three Kings, marked the day Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist AND the day the wise men visited baby Jesus.

Epiphany is still celebrated in many countries on January 6th each year. People eat special foods, sing carols and sometimes exchange gifts.

Feast of the Nativity

It wasn't until the middle of the 4th century that a church leader, Julius I, Bishop of Rome (337352), declared that Jesus's birth would be observed as a holy day on Dec. 25th. The day was to be called the Feast of the Nativity. No one seems to know what led the Bishop of Rome to make this declaration.

RESEARCH: Where is Epiphany celebrated and how do people celebrate it?

?2018 Randi Smith

Page 2

?2018 Randi Smith

Page 3

Winter Solstice

Since the bible does not tell us when Jesus was born, people were unsure when to celebrate his birth. One reason December 25th was chosen is because it was the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year.

There were already festivals during the winter solstice and it is thought the church chose this date so that it would be easy for people to celebrate Jesus's birth. It was also a time when people had a lot of food to celebrate with since they would have just finished the fall harvest and slaughtered many of their animals.

fall

WINTER

summer sun

spring

Lord of Misrule

Unfortunately, linking the celebration of Jesus's birth with other celebrations meant that the church had little control over HOW people celebrated and many people continued to celebrate in the same way they had celebrated the winter solstice. In fact, sometime before George of Nazianzus died in 389, he found it necessary to warn against the dancing and excessive feasting on the holy day.

One way people celebrated was by naming a person the `Lord of Misrule'. This person was then in charge of the celebration, which often included mischief making. Sometimes it seemed like modern day Halloween where people would go to houses and ask for food and would make mischief if they did not receive it.

Many people did not feel this was an appropriate way to celebrate Jesus's birth and this type of celebration was outlawed at various times in history.

RESEARCH: Find which country still has big winter solstice festivals.

?2018 Randi Smith

Page 4

?2018 Randi Smith

Page 5

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download