What Is Christmas?

Hohoho! It’s that time of the year again when all children and adults come together to sing carols and exchange presents, and finally, mark off the twenty-fifth of December! Christmas is widely recognized as a holiday in the winter season, but does it still live up to its name in many countries? 

Essentially, Christmas is the literal word for “Mass of Christ”, the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ in the Christian religion. The time period of forty days before Christmas -usually the period when Christmas-themed events take place- is called the “Advent”, derived from the Latin word “adventus” which means “coming”. Thus come the concepts of the advent calendar, advent wreath, and other practices labeled with the word. This time is the preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, both for his nativity and second coming-when everyone would be judged by Him to either enter heaven or fall to hell. The Advent season is supposedly a time for solemnity, penance, and prayer to prepare for the most beloved guest baby Jesus in the Christian tradition. Christians were excited and hopeful for the coming of Christ but at the same time, anxious about the judgment they were to face when he came. This leads them to practice fasting and pray so that they may be cleansed before the final judgment.

It seems that in the modern world, only the excitement remains as most people only know the joyful face Christmas. Many countries that do not widely practice Christianity still celebrate different festivals and events under the name of Christmas. The romanticization of Christmas has made it a holiday ideal for dates for lovers or parties among friends. While such attribution has its advantage of serving happiness to people around the world, it would also be nice to return to the roots of this tradition and pay tribute to the true meaning of Christmas.

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