The Story of Christmas

By Rev. Dr. Emmanuel James

Celebrating Festivals

People of every religion celebrate festivals and holy days. Festivals occupy an important place in our lives because they serve a purpose.  Speaking of the religious significance of festivals, they are reminders of an important event in the life of the founder or an event of significance in a particular religious tradition. Festivals assert a sacred origin for the worth assigned to the person with a supernatural message.  It also has social importance because the celebration brings families and communities, friends and relatives together. It renews our commitment to our faith and traditions. They are joyous occasions. They are also a time for family get together and celebrations. Some festivals are important and are celebrated cheerfully with happiness, joy and grandeur. Other festivals are solemn such as Good Friday. For many people festival is a time of holiday or "vacation" from work. In earlier cultures annual festivals fulfilled a significant role in the life and history of a community. So it is a good thing to celebrate festivals. 

Christians also celebrate several festivals. Among them are three important festivals namely, Christmas (signifying the birth of Lord Jesus), Good Friday (signifying the death of Lord Jesus) and Easter (signifying the resurrection of Lord Jesus from the dead).

Festivals reaffirm the basic goodness of life, challenging the deprivation and hardship that come from entrenched social evil. Festivals are community celebrations of the positive aspects of life, not in a conceptual but in a corporeal way. That is, a feast is marked by the enjoyment of physical benefits such as food and drink, which are shared with other members of the community, family and especially those less fortunate.

Celebrating Christmas

About two billion Christians around the world celebrate Christmas along with their countless friends and neighbors.  Christmas is celebrated with great joy and festivities all over the world. Caroling, feasting, and gift giving along with the prayers and greetings form an integral part of Christmas celebrations.  Though the mode of celebration, the dates and the traditions vary, the main spirit of Christmas remains the same everywhere.

The Bible provides ample evidence that the marking of special times and seasons that enables us to enjoy the blessings of God. The New Testament records that both Jesus and His disciples took part in the Jewish festivals. No thoughtful observer can deny the value of observing the annual events in the life of Jesus Christ as a way to participate in history through which God has unfolded His plan for the redemption of lost humanity. All of these reasons underscore the importance of celebrating Christmas. Christmas is the most popular and most celebrated of the Christian festivals.