Christmas | Wikipedia audio article
Channel: wikipedia tts
Date: 2018-12-15

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Christmas


00:03:03 1 Etymology
00:04:08 1.1 Other names
00:04:57 2 Nativity
00:06:03 3 History
00:08:23 3.1 Introduction of feast
00:11:14 3.2 Choice of December 25 date
00:12:20 3.2.1 Solstice date
00:14:14 3.2.2 Calculation hypothesis
00:17:44 3.2.3 History of religions hypothesis
00:21:28 3.3 Relation to concurrent celebrations
00:23:54 3.4 Post-classical history
00:26:33 3.5 Modern history
00:26:42 3.5.1 18th century
00:31:22 3.5.2 19th century
00:36:22 3.5.3 20th century
00:38:47 4 Customs and traditions
00:40:21 4.1 Church attenance
00:41:22 4.2 Decorations
00:47:33 4.3 Nativity play
00:48:30 4.4 Music and carols
00:52:43 4.5 Traditional cuisine
00:54:43 4.6 Cards
00:56:17 4.7 Commemorative stamps
00:56:50 4.8 Gift giving
00:57:45 4.8.1 Gift-bearing figures
01:03:59 4.9 Date according to Julian calendar
01:06:24 4.9.1 Listing
01:06:32 5 Economy
01:09:46 6 Controversies
01:12:27 7 See also



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SUMMARY
=======
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an octave. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.
The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then further disseminated the information.Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid fourth century the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date that was later adopted in the East. Today, most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, some Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. This is not a disagreement over the date of Christmas as such, but rather a preference of which calendar should be used to determine the day that is December 25. Moreover, for Christians, the belief that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than the exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, viewing a Nativity play, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, pulling Christmas crackers and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve h ...