Holiday Dec 2007
Holidays
December 2007
Welcome to The Plaza Pages Newsletter San Angelo, Texas
24th Christmas Eve
The Christmas Eve: by Carl Larsson
Christmas Eve, on December 24, is the day before Christmas Day, the celebrated birthday of Jesus Christ.
In the Christian Churches, the Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve.
Many Catholics traditionally celebrate a midnight Mass at midnight on Christmas Eve, which is held in churches throughout the world, marking the beginning of Christmas Day. Other Catholic churches hold a candlelight service which is typically held earlier in the evening. These often feature dramatizations of the Nativity. Similar worship services are held in many Protestant churches on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day.
Large meals are common, often with turkey or ham as the main item. Christmas Eve Supper is served before opening gifts.
It is also seen as the night when Santa Claus make's his rounds giving gifts to good children on the morning of Christmas Day.
25th Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. Traditions include the display of Nativity scenes, Holly and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, compassion and peace.
The Nativity refers to the birth of Jesus. The story of Christmas is based on the biblical accounts given in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. According to these accounts, Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem. The infant Jesus was laid in a manger, and Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child. Christians believe that the birth of Jesus fulfilled many prophecies made hundreds of years before his birth.
Remembering or re-creating the Nativity is a central way that Christians celebrate Christmas.
Nativity scenes traditionally include the Three Wise Men, Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar, although their names and number are not referred to in the Biblical narrative, who are said to have followed a star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, found Jesus, and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
In the U.S., Christmas decorations at public buildings once commonly included Nativity scenes. This practice has led to many lawsuits, as some say it amounts to the government endorsing a religion. In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a city-owned Christmas display, even one with a Nativity scene, does not violate the First Amendment.
31st New Year's Eve
In the United States, New Year's Eve is a major social holiday.
In the past 100 years the "ball dropping" on top of One Times Square in New York City, broadcast to all of America (and rebroadcast in many other countries), is a major component of the New Year celebration. The 1,070-pound, 6-foot-diameter Waterford crystal ball located high above Times Square is lowered, starting at 23:59:00 and reaching the bottom of its tower at the stroke of midnight (00:00:00). It is sometimes referred to as "the big apple" like the city itself; the custom derives from the time signal that used to be given at noon in harbors.
Edit by Norman Bliss