Origin of Christmas

Common Core

• 5.C.1.2 Exemplify how the interactions of various groups have resulted in borrowing and sharing of traditions and technology.

• 5.C.1.4 Understand how cultural narratives (legends, songs, ballads, games, folk tales and art forms) reflect the lifestyles, beliefs and struggles of diverse ethnic groups.

Common Core I Will Know

• 5.C.1.2 Examples of borrowing and sharing of traditions and culture.

• 5.C.1.4 The historical background of cultural narratives in order to understand their context.

Common CoreI Will Understand

• 5.C.1.2 Interactions between cultural groups may lead to the borrowing and sharing of traditions and technology.

• 5.C.1.4 Elements of culture can be expressed in various ways.

• 5.C.1.4 Cultural expressions can reveal the values, lifestyles, beliefs, and struggles of diverse ethnic groups.

What is Christmas Anyway• To many people the Christmas

story starts with Jesus Christ

• To the Christians of the world Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth

• But where does Santa Clause, stockings, Christmas Trees & and all that other stuff come in?

• First we will start with what most of you are familiar with

Christian Christmas Story• Christian Christmas Story comes

from the most purchased book ever created the Bible

• The Bible has sold more copies than any other book ever printed

• The Christmas story comes from two books of the Bible

• It comes from the book of Mathew & the book of Luke

Mathew• Mathew was a tax collector

who was well educated but hated by many people because he would knock door to door and collect taxes for the Roman Empire

• He quit his job as a tax collector to follow Jesus and become one of his disciples

Luke• Luke actually never met

Jesus Christ

• Luke was a doctor that quit his job after the disciple Paul convinced him to follow him

• Luke wrote the Christmas Story based off of what was told to him by Paul and other disciples

Combination of Luke & Mathew• The Christian Christmas Story comes

from a combination of the book of Mathew & Luke

• People have long put parts of these two men’s books together to create the Christmas Story

• These two men were different ages and they wrote their gospels at different times

• This is why there is some argument among historians about the details of the Christmas Story

Jesus Comes to Earth• Instead of beaming down from

Heaven or riding a white horse through the clouds Jesus arrives on the Earth just like everyone else. He is born

• Jesus’ mother was a woman named Mary and his father a man named Joseph

• Though they were very humble people they were descendents of the Great Israelite King David

Decedents of King David• Being descendents of King David

was important because in those days Israelites believed that a Davidic Messiah would come to save them from their enemies (Roman Empire)

• Messiah comes from the Hebrew word meaning “Anointed One” or “Chosen One”

• In Greek Messiah is said Christos which is where we get the the title Christ

Mary the Mother of Jesus• Mary was not only a direct

descendent of King David she also became pregnant without lying with a man

• This is something that is impossible for humans and that is why many believe Mary is divine and chosen by God

• Divine is when someone is not as great as God but better than mankind

Angel Gabriel • Even though Mary had become

pregnant she did not know she was pregnant until one night

• She is visited by the Angel Gabriel who says “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the Holy One who is conceived in you will be called the Son of God” Luke 1:35

• This dream or visit by the Angel Gabriel is know by Christians as the Annunciation (Announcement of the birth of Jesus)

Telling Her Husband

• The next day Mary told Joseph about the dream and how the Angel Gabriel had come to her and told her that she would be with child

• Joseph is furious and seriously contemplates leaving her

Joseph’s Visitor• The night after Mary tells him

an angel visits Joseph

• The Bible does not give a name for this angel but says that the angel delivers an important message to Joseph

• The angel tells Joseph that she is pregnant but the pregnancy is divinely orchestrated (done by God)

Joseph’s Visitor

• The angel tells Joseph that he must not only marry Mary but he must name his son Jesus (Mathew)

• The angel tells Joseph that he will save many people from their sins (Mathew)

Mary & Joseph Accept the Challenge

• Over the next 7-8 months Mary and Joseph prepare themselves to the baby

• Mary meets with her friends and they make her items for her baby (baby shower)

• Joseph who is a carpenter begins making furniture pieces for the baby

Cesar Augustus • Shortly before the baby is to be born

Cesar Augustus sends out a decree to all citizens of the Roman Empire that there is to be a census taken

• He was trying to see how large he could get his population of Rome. If you were an emperor in those days the larger your Empire the more glorious of an Emperor you were

• This was not the first time he had ordered such a census either– 28 BC– 8BC– 14AD

What did that Mean• The Census Decree meant that

everybody had to go to their ancestral hometown and get their names registered so they were counted in the Census

• That meant Mary (who was nine months pregnant and not too happy) & Joseph would have to walk over 90 miles from Nazareth in Galilee to the birthplace of their ancestors

• The 90 mile trek would lead them to a little town

O’ Little Town of Bethlehem• They walked to Bethlehem which is

the town where King David grew up

• Even though this trek was incredibly inconvenient for Mary & Joseph it was important because it connects Jesus’ life with what the Angel Gabriel said about the coming of a Davidic Messiah

• The Lord God will give [Jesus] the throne of his ancestor David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And his kingdom will never end (Luke 1:32-33)

Away in a Manger• There are two versions of this part of

the story according to many historians

• The first version is that Mary & Joseph arrive to Bethlehem and it is late and because of the Census all of the hotels are full and the only place to sleep is in a barn with all the animals

• The second version is that Mary & Joseph get to Bethlehem and stay with some relatives. After Mary has the baby Mary & Joseph want some privacy so they go to the bottom floor. In those days the bottom floor is where the animals were kept

Away in a Manger

• In any case Mary has the baby Jesus and he is placed in the manger because there was no bed

• A manger is a trough where animals eat from

Angels We have Heard On High• The exact moment that Jesus was

born a angel appears to some Sheppard's in a nearby field that are tending to their flock of sheep

• The angel says to them “Behold! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For today in the city of David is born to you a Savior who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11)

• Then a multitude of angels appear and declare glory to God in the Highest and peace to his people on Earth

Sheppard's Go To Jesus• Sheppards are really

excited they want to see this thing that has happened and this baby that they call the Christ Child

• They go to Jesus and worship him

• Meanwhile far in the East

We Three Kings of Orientar • The story goes that three kings

see the star of David shining brighter than any star in the sky (The Kings were Astrologers)

• An angel appears to them and tells them to follow the star to Bethlehem where the Christ Child lies

• The Kings will bear gifts of Gold, Frankincense's and Myrrh

We Three Kings of Orientar • There is only one problem

• It was highly unlikely that the Three Kings were there the night of Jesus being born

• If you combine the gospel according to Mathew & the gospel according to Luke the three Kings were there sometime between the day Jesus was born and up to two years later

King Herod• The Three Kings finally get to

Jerusalem and talk to Herod and ask him where the King of the Jews has been born

• Herod was the ruler of the Jews

• Herod has not heard anything about Jesus being born but he is not too happy about it

King Herod• Harrods advisors tell him

that the Jesus has been born in Bethlehem that night

• Herod passes the information along to the three wise men but requests that they come back when they have found him so that he too could give praise to the newborn

A King’s Dream• The three wise men find

baby Jesus and bring gifts and worship him

• That night an angel appears to one of the wise men warning them not to back to King Herod but to take a different route back to their countries

Herod is Mad & Orders the Slaughter of the Innocents

• About a week later Herod finds out that the wise men have left without telling him the location of the baby Jesus and he is furious

• He orders the “Slaughter of the Innocents”

• This was the order to kill all male children two years old or younger that lived within 25 miles of Bethlehem

Joseph’s Angel• Three nights before the

“Slaughter of the Innocents” is to take place an angel of the Lord warns Joseph to get his family out of Bethlehem

• Joseph and his family escape to Egypt

• They remain in Egypt until the death of Herod and they returned to Nazareth

What about the Rest

• Jesus would go onto to be crucified on a cross by the Romans and rise from the dead thus saving mankind from sin

• But what about Christmas the Holliday

Origins of Christmas• Long before Jesus Christ was

born the Romans celebrated many different Pagan Holidays especially in December

• One of the most famous Pagan Holliday was called Saturnalia which began on December 17th

• This was a party to honor the Roman Mythological God Saturn who was the God of Agriculture

Saturnalia

• They celebrated her so that she would bless them with a bountiful harvest of crops so they could feed their families

• Saturnalia was a raging party that lasted anywhere from 3-7 days straight

Winter Solstice • The next party was the winter

Solstice party which was like their new years

• Because many Pagans worshiped the sun the winter solstice marked the beginning of the new year

• That party lasted 7-10 days straight and started on December 21st

Mathura Sol Invictas• In between those two

parties there was a party celebrated for the Roman God Sol Invictas

• Sol Invictas was the Roman Sun God

• They celebrated his birthday on December 25th

Christmas Lights• The date of December 25th

fell very close to the winter solstice (21st) so Romans lit bonfires and candles like they did to celebrate the winter solstice

• This became where the idea of the Christmas Lights first came from

Christmas Lights

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#christmas-light-fanatic

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#christmas-light-technology

Christianity Accepts Pagan Traditions

• Just like you learned in the Halloween Lesson in the 4th Century (more than 2000 years ago) Roman leaders decided to absorb Pagan traditions into their Christian culture rather than outlaw the traditions and start another war

• This is when the Christian Church first began to honor Jesus’ birth

Christianity Accepts Pagan Traditions

• The Roman Catholic Church decided to select December 25th to celebrate Jesus birth because it fell on the day of Sol Invicta

• Nobody knows Jesus’ exact birthday because the date was never written down by anyone who was there

December 25th

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#why-christmas-is-celebrated-on-december-25th

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#birth-of-a-holiday

•

Ancient European Christmas Traditions

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#european-christmas-customs

What about Santa• In 1822 Professor Clement Clark Moore

wrote a famous poem called A Visit from St. Nicholas, you might know it better as Twas the Night Before Christmas

• In that poem he brought Santa Clause to life

• In the 1860’s Illustrator Thomas Nast– Naughty Nice List– Living at the North Pole– Made Santa Bigger and gave him elves

• Santa Clause comes from three different people some real some fake and three different traditions– St. Nicholas– Norse God Oden– Dutch Sinterclause

St. Nicholas• St. Nicholas was a 4th century bishop

of the Catholic Church in Mira which is in Turkey

• He was born from a wealthy family

• He used his whole family inheritance to help the poor and suffering people of Turkey

• Legend tell of St. Nicholas throwing gold through a window to save a peasant girl from being sold into slavery. The gold landed in a sock that was drying by the fireplace

St. Nicholas• Word spread and children started

hanging stockings by their fireplaces

• Another legend has that a man had three daughters but was too poor to have them betrothed so they would become prostitutes and the man was heartbroken. He went to pray and St. Nicholas heard him and dropped 3 sacks of money down the man’s chimney with allowed the three daughter to afford their weddings

• After his death he was canonized as a saint and he was celebrated on December 6th by people giving presents to one another

Norse God Odin• The Norse God Odin is

included because he represents a father like figure to the Norse (Viking) people

• He rides on a horse in the sky and protects his people and looks after them

• He also judges if they have been good or bad and visits their houses accordingly

Sinterklaas• The legends of St. Nicholas spread

west from Turkey to countries like Germany, Netherlands, Belgium

• They came up with the fictitious figure that represented St. Nicholas but called him Sinterklaas

• Sinterklaas was named that because of the language difference from Turkey to the Germanic countries

• He had the same qualities of St. Nicholas as he gave presents and joy to the world

Santa Clause

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#origins-of-santa-claus

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#evolution-of-santa-claus

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#babe-ruth-santa

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree• The Norse Vikings in the 2nd

Century would bring Evergreen branches into their homes to liven their homes

• When Christianity spread through Europe many other cultures began putting up Christmas Trees

• In 1848 the Christmas Tree went viral when Queen Victoria insisted on having a Christmas tree in the Royal Home and soon everyone had to have one

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree• It became popular and

people would have contests on who could decorate their Christmas Tree the best

• They put little apples (representing the apple of the garden of Eden) and light candles and put them in the tree (dumb)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#the-christmas-tree

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#the-life-of-a-christmas-tree

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#crafting-glass-ornaments

The Christmas Carol• Origanally a Carol was a song

for holidays, birthdays, weddings, important events not just Christmas

• In about the 12th century it took on a Christmas look and people didn’t sing carols except for at Christmas

• There were not many Christmas Carols for many centuries

The Christmas Carol• In the 1800’s Charles

Dickens wrote the book The Christmas Carol motivated many people to write more & more Christmas Carols

• During this span We Three Kings of Orientar, Jingle Bells, O Little Town of Bethlehem, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

• http://www.history.com/topics/santa-claus/videos#history-of-the-christmas-carol

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#north-pole-deconstructed

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/videos#bet-you-didnt-know-christmas

• http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/interactives/christmas-facts