Let us celebrate Christmas for paying tribute to Jesus Christ

If you ask a person what is Christmas, the answer would be; Christmas is a fun fair, merry making, exchanging gifts and having sumptuous meals which falls on 25^th December. This is how the world sees an even of great historical and social importance. The Christmas comes every year and its celebrations are world wide. The even is not restricted to Christians only, it is celebrated with zeal and vigor by the people of other faiths as well.

Every nation and religion has some special days which are celebrated with peculiar rituals and customs. Most of the festivals have a religious background which over the period of time, assume a national symbol and cultural status. It is also interesting to note that although the festival would be the same but it is celebrated in different tones and colors in different regions. The local culture always has a deep impression on the way a religious occasion is rejoiced. Here are some of the main traditions associated with Christmas

The Christmas Eve

The night between 24^th and 25^th December is known as Christmas Eve. The event marks the birth of Jesus Christ. Most of the social functions of Christmas are held in Christmas Eve.

The Christmas Tree

This tree is decorated with colorful papers and lighting bulbs. The Christmas gifts are also placed around the tree. It is decorated and brought in the house on 24^th December. At times the competitions are held for decorating the Christmas trees. The winner teams are given prizes.

Midnight Mass

This celebration starts on afternoon of the Christmas Eve and can continue till morning. The candle service is held in the churches and prayer services are conducted. At times in some of the churches a small play called the nativity play is also arranged which displays the event of birth of Jesus Christ.

Family Time

Christmas is taken as the the event of rejoicing and merry-making. The time is spent with the family members. Meals are arranged and music and dancing parties are organized.

Christmas Meals

This meal differs with the culture of different countries. However the chicken, fish and a variety of salads generally form part of the meal. The Christmas cake and puddings are also prepared in routine.

Exchanging Gifts

People call on each other and visit the homes of relatives and friends. During the visits they exchange gifts. Those who are far off, send the gifts through courier services. The traditional personality of Santa Claus is very popular among the children. Santa Claus brings the gifts during night and places them near fire places. The Christmas gifts are normally opened in the morning of 25^th December.

Is it all about Christmas?

Birth of a Prophet (Jesus Christ)

The question arises why do we celebrate Christmas after all? The answer is very simple; to pay homage to Jesus Christ, to celebrate the day of his birth. In order to fully comprehend the message of Christmas, we must understand the message of Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus Christ was a remarkable event in the history of the world. Unfortunately the birth, the life and the death of Jesus Christ has been shrouded in mystery, and so is his message. He was the prophet of God sent to the people of this earth according to His plan. This had become necessary as the people to whom Moses had been sent had forgotten his teachings and had strayed away from the right path. Moreover the ills like cruelty, slavery, corruption, exploitation of the weaker segments of society and usurpation of human rights by the use of coercion, oppression and brute force had become order of the day.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, like all other prophets of God, was a revolutionary of his time. He wanted to change the system. He wanted to give a code of life to be followed by people and implemented in the society-a society that should be free from all sorts of oppression, coercion and injustice, a society where every human being was to be treated with dignity and honor and where no one would sleep hungry and dismayed.

Jesus Christ created a group of persons who would promote his mission. They did so but with the passage of time the actual teachings of Jesus were shrouded. The one-to-one relationship of individual with God was converted into Papacy, where an intermediary was made a necessary between individual and God. The freedom of thought, tolerance of others’ beliefs, the courtesy and the spirit of forgiveness as taught by Jesus were muffled by the so called leaders of faith. The Christian empires which later assumed power were no different from the traditional monarchies and kingship. The monarch in collaboration with the Pope did worst to the poor people. The poor were exploited and coerced with impunity and the religious leaders would promise them of the ‘kingdom of God’ that was awaiting them in life hereafter. The result was obvious-people got fed up with Christianity and could only regain their freedom after Reformation and Renaissance, limiting the clergy within the four walls of the church.

Bible-The Word of God

Today we have the Christmas but without the spirit of Jesus Christ. The need of the time is that when we celebrate Christmas we must keep in our mind the message of Jesus. We should ask ourselves; is it really the way to pay homage to Christ, one of the greatest revolutionary, when large majority of the world population is suffering from hunger, poverty, oppression, injustice and exploitation? Is it appropriate to spend billions of dollars on merry making when majority of the people are not able to get clean drinking water and one meal? Is it feasible to rejoice in the comforts and luxuries of hotels, clubs and casinos when our brothers and children are being tortured in the land of Jesus Christ?

So let us celebrate the Christmas this year in the manner that would be in consonance with the will of God and Jesus Christ.