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Christmas

Christmas is a Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, whom the Christians believe to be the Messiah and Saviour of the world. Although it has its origins in pagan rites, its meaning and value has always been linked to the Christian faith. In Singapore, Christmas was initially a festivity brought in by the British colonialists and various Christian missionaries, then adopted by the Eurasians and Christian Peranakans. Today, although it has religious rites and rituals, it is also celebrated as a secular, commercialised event.

Significance
The meaning of Christmas is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ and the circumstances surrounding the event as encapsulated in Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 2:1-23 in the New Testament, the Holy Bible. Jesus Christ is recognised by Christians worldwide as the Saviour of mankind, God incarnated as man. His birth is marked by the miraculous virgin conception of Mary who was engaged to Joseph. A taxation decree led Joseph to return to his hometown, Bethlehem. As the town was overflowing with visitors returning because of the decree, Mary gave birth to her first born, Jesus, in a manger. Shepherds in the fields and priestly-scholars from the East (also known as Magi) were told of the birth of this special child by angels and through the sign of a bright star. Thus, it was that the extreme ends of the social spectrum paid homage to the child. However, King Herod, the Jewish puppet ruler in Roman-occupied Israel received news of the birth of a "King" and sought to kill the child rival who by then was close to two years old. He issued a command to execute all children below two years of age, an event often labelled as the Massacre of the Innocents. Warned by an angel, Mary and Joseph fled to Nazareth to escape Herod's murderous plans bringing with them the child Jesus.

History
Christmas is derived from pagan festivities which occurred during the Winter Solstice, stretching from the middle of December to the beginning of the new year. Winter Solstice celebrations included Saturnalia which was practised by the Romans and involved honouring Saturn, their Sun god for agriculture; in Persia, Mithra, the Sun god, was believed to have been born out of a rock on 25 December, and was celebrated as the Nativity of the Unconquered Sun whilst the Teutonic tribes in Northern Europe began their New Year festivities honouring their "All Father", Odin or Woden. Festivities included the exchange of gifts, honouring sacred trees and merry-making with a heavy dose of eating and drinking.

It was only in the 350 A. D., after the Roman Emperor Constantine had established Christianity as the national religion that Christmas was set on 25 December officially by Pope Julius I. In 336 A. D., we find the first record of the Feast of Nativity being celebrated in Rome on 25 December, its acceptance spreading quickly eastward. However, early Christians refused to recognise it as a Christian festival because of its strong association with pagan religions and only adopted it a century later. Some Christian sects have remained adamant about not celebrating Christmas including the Bible-Presbyterians in Singapore and the Armenians who have retained 6 January for commemorating the birth of Christ.

The word Christmas is derived from "the Mass of Christ", referring to the worship service practised by Roman Catholics. Sometimes the word is shortened to Xmas where "X" is Chi, the first letter in Greek for "Christ". It was commonly used from the 16th century onwards.

Variant Names
(1) Yule is derived from the Anglo-Saxon geol meaning "feast", a reference to the month of December which was often a period of feasting during the Winter Solstice.
(2) Noel is either from the Latin natalis meaning "birthday" or the Old English nowel meaning "news".
(3) Liturgical names include the original Latin Festum Nativitatis Domini Nostri Jesu Christi meaning "the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ" or a shortened version, Dies Natalis Domini, meaning "the Birthday of Our Lord"

Celebrations in Singapore
Various rites and rituals surround the celebrations. In Singapore, since 1984, the Christmas Light-Up organised by Singapore Tourism Board has been very much a part of the Christmas and New Year celebrations in Singapore. The stretch from Tanglin Road to Raffles Boulevard, through Orchard Road and the areas off Scotts Road, Penang Road, Bras Basah Road, North Bridge Road and Coleman Street turns into a fairyland of lights during this season. The Light-Up is launched with a special ceremony, often involving a community member of high status, turning on the main switch for the lights. The millions of fairy lights start to twinkle in November and extend to early January. Since 1988, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) has used the Light-Up as a platform to raise funds through corporate donations.

Another highlight is the "Best Decorated Building" competition. The heat of the competition is most evident amongst shopping complexes along the shopping haven of Singapore, Orchard Road. The building fronts are often elaborately decorated, shaped into fairy tale castles or having reindeers dance across its face. Decorations come up as early as October. Members of the public also partake in guessing the winner of this contest which is jointly organised by the Singapore Tourism Board, the New Paper and Lianhe Wanbao. To save costs, decorations have doubled-up to incorporate Chinese New Year figurines as the Chinese celebrations follow soon after Christmas.



Author
Suchitthra Vasu



References
Crippen, T. G. (1971). Christmas and Christmas lore (pp. 196, 204). Detroit: Gale Research Co.
(Call no.: 394.268282 CRI)

Del Re, G., & Del Re, P. (1979). The Christmas almanack (pp. p. 2, 3, 14, 17, 21, 69, 75, 82, 104-105, 122, 129, 151). New York: Doubleday.
(Call no.: R 394.268282)

Krythe, M. R. (1954). All about Christmas (pp. 1-13). New York: Harper & Row.
(Call no.: R 394.268282 KRY)

Weiser, X. F. (1958). Christian feast and customs (pp. 60-77). New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company.
(Call no.: R 394.26 WEI)

"Toyland Christmas" marks 15th annual light-up for Orchard area. (1998, November 11). Retrieved March 1, 1999 from www.stb.com.sg/media/press/19981111.stm 


Further Readings
Count, E. W. (1997). 4000 years of Christmas: A gift from the ages. Berkeley, Calif.: Ulysses Press.
(Call no.: 263.915 COU)

Golby, J. (1986). The making of the modern Christmas. London: Batsford.
(Call no.: q394.26828209 GOL)

Stevens, P. B. (1986). Merry Christmas!: A history of the holiday. New York: Macmillan.
(Call no.: Y 394.268282 STE)



The information in this article is valid as at1999 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Ethnic Communities>>Festivals and Celebrations
Christmas--Singapore
Festivals--Singapore
People and communities>>Customs>>Festivities

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