Christmas 2022: Americans Celebrate Christmas with Many Traditions: Christmas, which is observed by the majority of Christians on the 25th of December celebrates Christ’s birth Jesus from Nazareth. Americans as well as many other people around the world have come up with their own traditions for Christmas and customs. These have changed significantly over the years.
Today, the majority of Americans combine secular and religious traditions with their own family traditions, frequently including food, decorations, and customs from the places the ancestors or they once were a part of. Ham and roast turkey are among the most popular Christmas meals all over the world however, depending of the location, there are tamales roast goose, the red cauliflower, jambalaya of crawfish roast pork, and “seven seafoods” fish salad.
In the Southwest in the Southwest, luminariaslanterns made of brown paper bags weighed down with sand and lit with an ember of a candle are decorated at Christmas Eve. There are many Mexican Americans celebrate Las Posadas the procession that recreates Mary as well as Joseph’s quest for a suitable place to sleep in Bethlehem. Swedish Americans hold St. Lucia celebrations as well. In Puerto Rico there are parrandas that see people go from one home to the next , singing the traditional tunes, “surprising” their friends and then rousing them up by playing their tunes.
Although the Christmas season is to many Americans an event of religious significance the federal courts have upheld it as a legitimate holiday. According to one court “by offering federal employees an unpaid vacation day during the Christmas season, the federal government is doing nothing more than acknowledging the cultural value of Christmas.”
There are a few the non-Christian holidays observed at around the same time as Christmas, with the most notable being those of African descent like Kwanzaa as well as the Jewish Hanukkah Also, they integrate into a larger “holiday period.”
DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN CHRISTMAS
The Puritans of New England in the early days were not a fan of Christmas celebrations that were boisterous. In 1659 in 1659, the Massachusetts colonists temporarily banned the observance of the holiday, but Christmas was a normal working day in a lot of New England and Pennsylvania. Different regions in British North America, however were awash with celebrations with revelers dressed in costumes going from door to door, and receiving small presents of food and drinks.
The modern commercialized Christmas first appeared during the late 19th century, along with the new practice of purchasing gifts for children. The tradition of “Christmas shopping” started to gain significance in the economy.
Other Christmas traditions also began in the 18th century. Santa Claus — derived from the Dutch Sinter Klaas and the German Saint Nicholas — assumed the role of a cheerful gift-giver and the pilot of a reindeer-drawn Sleigh in some of the works, including the poem of 1823 “A Santa Claus’ Visit.” Saint Nicholas.”
Germany is believed to have started the Christmas tree tradition during the sixteenth century. According to legend it was Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther first added lighted candles to a tree in order to inspire his young children to remember the marvels that God’s work has created. Christmas trees began to be very popular in Britain as well as the United States in the 19th century. Nowadays there are many Americans purchase a new tree or a reused plastic and aluminum model and add lights and decorations. In certain families, Christmas presents are placed under the tree in day 25 December left there by family membersor, as little children think, they are delivered from Santa Claus after he lands his sleigh and reindeer on the roof before descending through the chimney.
The first mass-produced Christmas cards began be seen in the final third of the 18th century. These cards today may depict religious scenes or send out humorous, but often secular messages. On the Internet electronically-transmitted “e-cards” are becoming increasingly popular, but Americans will send 16.6 million Christmas greeting cards, messages, and packages during the holiday season.
CONTEMPORARY OBSERVANCES
The importance of Christmas shopping for certain retail stores, the Christmas season has evolved into an “season” that is its own. The day following the Thanksgiving holiday (the fourth Thursday of November) is now referred to in the industry as “Black Friday.” A significant day for shopping, it can propel certain companies into profitability which is also known as “in in the black” as well as influencing a significant portion of the annual profit.
The Christmas season is more than shopping. For many Americans it’s an occasion of general goodwill and a time for charity and volunteering.
For entertainment during the holidays There are numerous shows of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet as well as school holiday pageants and carolers from all over. On the television, viewers can enjoy old classics such as The Miracle on 34th Street (1945) and Miracle on 34th Street (1945) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) as youngsters (and nostalgia-driven parents) are captivated by classic animated shows like The Charlie Brown Christmas Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). A lot of radio stations change their programming to include Christmas songs. The season of Christmas movies is sometimes referred to as”the “Oscar season” due to the fact that a lot of hopeful candidates in the race for Academy Awards (or “Oscars”) are released in December.
However, the original significance for the religious community remains the most important aspect. Certain congregations make manger scenes, dioramas of the place in which Jesus has been believed to have been born with figures representing the baby Jesus as well as those who were present at the time of his birth. A lot of churches host the Christmas Eve candlelight service and midnight service. Some even include an Mass of the Nativity or a play about Christ’s birth. Jesus.
As with many other aspects in U.S. cultural life, Christmas in the United States reflects the values of a diverse and free population.