The Feast of Christmas
It is not easy to pin-point the origins of the Christmas feast, today the more important feast of the Christmas season in most western Christian churches. One can only say for certain that the birth of Jesus Christ was being celebrated in Rome by the year 336 A.D.; afterwards the feast was celebrated in other Christian churches throughout the world.
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Why it was celebrated on December 25th is another question. No date for the birth of Jesus can be found in the New Testament, which is concerned more with the question "Who is Jesus?" than the date of his birth. Early Christian speculation about his birth date was influenced by the symbolism of the changing seasons, then popular in religious thought, which paid careful attention to the equinoxes and solstices of the sun. Christian scholars speculated that Jesus was conceived at the spring equinox (March 25th) and therefore was born on December 25th, the date of the winter solstice.
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In many of the Christian churches, March 25th is still the Feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of Jesus.

Possible impluse for the feast of Christmas may have came too from the establishment of the pagan feast of the "Unconquered Sun-God" by the Emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D. to be celebrated on December 25, the day of the winter solstice in Rome and throughout the empire. In response, Christians could celebrate the feast of the "Sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4,2), Jesus Christ, who called himself " the light of the world."
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Father Christmas

It is said that in the year of 300 AD, there was a kind old man and his name was Saint Nicholas. He was always ready to help the poor and often gave presents to them.

Today, Father Christmas is an imaginary figure, but nearly all young children believe in him. They think he is a happy old man with a long white beard and a long red robe.
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On the night of the twenty-fourth of December every year, Father Christmas from some cold northern land comes down the chimney of the fireplace to put presents by the beds of children or to fill their stockings. So when children go to bed that night, they hang up their stockings, and on Christmas morning they wake to find them full of presents. Of course, it's really their parents who fill the stockings.
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Another name for Father Christmas is Santa Claus.

For today's Christian, the origin of Christmas is, and should be, the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. Nothing more and nothing less. However, most of what we witness on December 25th each year has absolutely nothing to do with that blessed day, which probably occurred in late summer or early fall about 2,000 years ago. In fact, most of the customs and traditions of Christmas actually pre-date the birth of Jesus, and many of them are downright deceptive in their meaning and origin. Anyway, who cares when Christ was born?
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Christmas Day,the 25th of December,is the biggest festival(节日)celebrated in the Christian countries of the world.Although everyone enjoys Christmas Day,it is particularly enjoyed by children,who get very excited because of the presents they know they are going to receive.Small children believe that their presents are brought by Father Christmas(圣诞老人).Father Christmas is a kind of old man who,the children are told,lives at the North Pole.He travels through the sky on a sleigh(雪撬) which is pulled by reindeers(驯鹿) and loaded with(装满) presents.Stopping on the roof of houses,he enters by climbing the chimney(烟囱).When small children go to bed on Christmas Eve,they hang a stocking at the end of their beds.Their parents warn them not to try to look at Father Christmas,or he will not leave them anything.When they wake,they find their stockings filled with presents.Children are very excited on Christmas morning and always wake up early.
Christmas is also a family celebration.As any members of the family as possible gather to eat,play party games and watch the special Christmas programmes on TV.

Ivanoushka the Simpleton

In a kingdom far away from our country, there was a town over which ruled the Tsar Pea with his

Tsaritza Carrot. He had many wise statesmen, wealthy princes, strong, powerful warriors, and also

simple soldiers, a hundred thousand, less one man. In that town lived all kinds of people:

honest, bearded merchants, keen and open-handed rascals, German tradesmen, lovely maidens,

Russian drunkards; and in the suburbs all around, the peasants tilled the soil, sowed the wheat,

ground the flour, traded in the markets, and spent the money in drink.

In one of the suburbs there was a poor hut where an old man lived with his three sons, Thomas,

Pakhom, and Ivan. The old man was not only clever, he was wise. He had happened once to have a

chat with the devil. They talked together while the old man treated him to a tumbler of wine and

got out of the devil many great secrets. Soon after this the peasant began to perform such

marvelous acts that the neighbors called him a sorcerer, a magician, and even supposed that the

devil was his kin.
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Yes, it is true that the old man performed great marvels. Were you longing for love, go to him,

bow to the old man, and he would give you some strange root, and the sweetheart would be yours.

If there is a theft, again to him with the tale. The old man conjures over some water, takes an

officer along straight to the thief, and your lost is found; only take care that the officer

steals it not.

Indeed the old man was very wise; but his children were not his equals. Two of them were almost

as clever. They were married and had children, but Ivan, the youngest, was single. No one cared

much for him because he was rather a fool, could not count one, two, three, and only drank, or

ate, or slept, or lay around. Why care for such a person? Every one knows life for some is

brighter than for others. But Ivan was good-hearted and quiet. Ask of him a belt, he will give a

kaftan also; take his mittens, he certainly would want to have you take his cap with them. And

that is why all liked Ivan, and usually called him Ivanoushka the Simpleton; though the name

means fool, at the same time it carries the idea of a kind heart.

Our old man lived on with his sons until finally his hour came to die. He called his three sons

and said to them:world of warcraft gold,

"Dear children of mine, my dying hour is at hand and ye must fulfill my will. Every one of you

come to my grave and spend one night with me; thou, Tom, the first night; thou, Pakhom, the

second night; and thou, Ivanoushka the Simpleton, the third."

Two of the brothers, as clever people, promised their father to do according to his bidding, but

the Simpleton did not even promise; he only scratched his head.

The old man died and was buried. During the celebration the family and guests had plenty of

pancakes to eat and plenty of whisky to wash them down. Break went on to say that.

Now you remember that on the first night Thomas was to go to the grave; but he was too lazy, or

possibly afraid, so he said to the Simpleton:
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"I must be up very early to-morrow morning; I have to thresh; go thou for me to our father's

grave."

"All right," answered Ivanoushka the Simpleton. He took a slice of black rye bread, went to the

grave, stretched himself out, and soon began to snore.

The church clock struck midnight; the wind roared, the owl cried in the trees, the grave opened

and the old man came out and asked:

"Who is there?"

"I,"wedding dress, answered

Ivanoushka.

"Well, my dear son, I will reward thee for thine obedience," said the father.

Lo! the cocks crowed and the old man dropped into the grave. The Simpleton arrived home and went

to the warm stove.

"What happened?" asked the brothers.

"Nothing," he answered. "I slept the whole night and am hungry now."

The second night it was Pakhom's turn to go to his father's grave. He thought it over and said to

the Simpleton:

"To-morrow is a busy day with me. Go in my place to our father's grave."

"All right," answered Ivanoushka. He took along with him a piece of fish pie, went to the grave

and slept. Midnight approached, the wind roared, crows came flying, the grave opened and the old

man came out.replica watches,

"Who is there?" he asked.

"I," answered his son the Simpleton.

"Well, my beloved son, I will not forget thine obedience," said the old man.

The cocks crowed and the old man dropped into his grave. Ivanoushka the Simpleton came home, went

to sleep on the warm stove, and in the morning his brothers asked:

"What happened?"

"Nothing," answered Ivanoushka.

On the third night the brothers said to Ivan the Simpleton:

"It is thy turn to go to the grave of our father. The father's will should be done."

"All right," answered Ivanoushka. He took some cookies, put on his sheepskin, and arrived at the

grave.
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At midnight his father came out.

Ivanoushka the Simpleton