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About ChristmasChristmas (literally, the Mass of Christ) is a traditional holiday in the Christian calendar which takes place on the 25th of December and celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ. The word Christmas is often abbreviated to Xmas, possibly because the letter X resembles the Greek letter Χ, which is the first letter of Christ's name as spelled in Greek.
Christmas is also celebrated as a secular holiday throughout much of the world, including countries with small Christian populations, such as Japan. The precise date of the birth and historicity of Jesus are much debated. The religious celebrations begin with Advent, the anticipation of Christ's birth, around the start of December, and are marked by special church services. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, special services often include a Midnight Mass, or a Mass of the Nativity. In most countires, the church's season of Christmas ends on the feast of the Epiphany, the traditional date of the visit of the Three Kings to the child Jesus. Candlemas (February 2) is the last festival in the Christian year that is dated by reference to Christmas, and in some countries is regarded as the end of the Christmas seaason. Traditionally in the United Kingdom the Christmas season ran for twelve days following Christmas Day. These twelve days of Christmas, a period of feasting and merrymaking, end on Twelfth Night, the Feast of the Epiphany. This period corresponds with the liturgical season of Christmas. Countries that celebrate Christmas on the civil date of December 25th recognize the previous day as Christmas Eve, and some of them follow Christmas day with Boxing Day (Also known as St Stephen's Day). In the Netherlands, Germany, and Scandinavia, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are called First and Second Christmas Day. The Christmas period in some countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, in practice now begins many weeks before Christmas, which allows for shopping and get-togethers, and extends beyond Christmas Day up to New Year's Day. This later holiday has its own parties, and in Scotland, Hogmanay —which occurs at the New Year— is celebrated more than Christmas.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia and from ShiningRise.com
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