Friday, December 23, 2011
An Alternative Christmas
If you could do ANYTHING during the Christmas holiday, what would you do? If you didn’t have to prepare the Christmas meal, travel the country to visit relatives or watch far too much television or eat too much, would you spend it at home, alone, abroad, or perhaps helping others? Acknowledging your freedom to choose is the first step – and relatively easy. Deciding on what you would like to do is a little harder, and somewhat dependant on your timeframe and budget.
Singletons Unite!
If you are single, and would really like to spend it around people – firstly, get networking on your dating site. Spruce up your profile, send ice breakers and seek out single people who will also be on their own at Christmas. Identifying your interests on the site will also help attract other singles with like hobbies and interests. We have listed below a sample of the many events which take place across the country which you could meet at.
The National Trust have a number of activities at their properties across the country, where you can participate in craft and cookery workshops, take part in house decorating and enjoy Christmas meals.
Attending Church over Christmas can be a special experience. Take the time this year, to understand what the services are about, or for something a little lighter, attend a Carol Service, be moved by the music and atmosphere and have a good old sing song!
There is nothing like Horse Racing on Boxing Day – to get you off your armchair, and out about in a fantastic atmosphere. The races offer everything, from the excitement of the horses parading the paddock, the roar of the horses coming in over the line, the mix of people attending the event, the drinks in the bar before, during or after – plus the chance to WIN! Races take place all over the country, so head out with new friends, you never know, you may strike lucky!
Give something back, help a Charity
Being around others need not necessarily be about dating. Have you thought about giving time to Charity? Christmas is a time of both giving and receiving and if you have the time – then many charities would be exceedingly grateful for your help. Crisis is the UK National charity for single homeless people, and seeks 8,000 volunteers for Christmas, to support the 2,500 homeless guests they will receive at their centres in London between the 23–30th December.
For broader volunteering opportunities – try Do It.com – which will search your local area to find volunteering positions in all aspects of aid, from administration to counselling, children to elderly, shop work to field work. Not only will you make a valuable contribution, but will meet many other people at the same time. If you really fancy something different, give the Santa Dash a go. This is a gentle 5 – 6K run, dressed in a Santa suit, to raise money for Christian Aid. Do some good, and have lots of fun in the process!
Have fun learning something new
Farncombe Estate, based in the Cotswolds, offer a wide range of weekend leisure courses and day courses at the 300 acre estate and have an interesting catalogue of courses to long to mention here. Music appreciation, to Whiskey tasting.
The good old Women’s Institute also has a steady list of day and residential courses based at the Denman College near Oxford. For the Crafty among you, CraftandDesign has an interesting selection of courses across the country – there is bound to be something near you!
Whatever you have planned, or as yet, unplanned for Christmas 2010, we hope our guide gives some inspiration and we wish you a very happy Christmas.
Jesus Infant of Prague Catholic Church
Photo Courtesy of L. G. Rodriguez Photo Courtesy of L. G. Rodriguez
View facing almost due South Texas Historical Commission Plague
Jesus Infant of Prague Catholic Church
This church building was built in 1916 and still stands today. Up until a few years ago, Mass was
conducted on a regular interval at the church. Mass is now recited on some special occasions
only. A few years ago the building was damaged by high winds during a thunderstorm.
The church is a registered historical building.
Photo Courtesy of L. G. Rodriguez
The Altar decorated at Christmas.
La Virgin De Guadalupe at Christmas.
Photo Courtesy of L. G. Rodriguez
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
the 12 Days Of Christmas competition
Don’t wait ’til Christmas to get the beauty gift you really want – enter our competition instead! Fancy winning one of 3 Remington Multi-Styler or how about one of 12 OPI nail polishes? Now you can with our bonanza of a competition, starting tomorrow (December 1st). We’re using our poetic licence here at Latest in Beauty to bring you the 12 Days Of Christmas competition, where you can win a prize everyday for 12 days, excluding weekends. (Terms and conditions can be found at the end of this blog post). Plus, you’ve got even more chance of winning as every day there’ll be more than one prize; on the 12th day, we’re giving away 12 prizes, on the 11th day, 11 and so on.
Plus, enter every day of the 12th Days of Christmas and you’ll automatically be entered into prize draw to win a bumper beauty hamper worth £500!
It couldn’t be more simple to enter and there are three ways in which you can do so; leave a comment on the day’s blog post, ‘like’ that day’s competition on Facebook or retweet our daily competition tweet over on Twitter.
WINNERS
1st Day – TheO Volumiser Gift Set: Erini Kaldelis, London
2nd day – Dove For Him and For Her Set: Adam Rotherham, Liverpool; and Mrs Ribchester, Bolton
3rd day – Remington Multistyler: Karen Dunnell, Dagenham; Jennifer Kelly, Wirral; J Parrington, Burnley
4th day – Smooch Cosmetics: Victoria Langley, York; Heather Walsh, Bolton; Claire Trevor, Birmingham; Becky Morby, Sutton Coldfield
5th day – Headmasters Vouchers: Theresa Cribbin, Gabrielle Svensson, Susan Marsh, Natalie Wiltshire and Sammy Challenger.
6th day – W7 Nail Varnish sets: Emma Horan, Jayne Brown, Laura Anderson,
7th day – STORM Fragrance sets: Dee Dmonte, Jen Lou Stevenson, Fran Morgan, Emma Cella, Alison Wakefield, Graham Nichols and Hannah Louise Carroll.
8th day – Revitalash Mascara in Raven: Jill Appleton, Ali Thorpe, Kelly Romeo, Pavlina P, Nicole Punch, Michelle Hollingsbee, Jane Wright and R Shahsafdari.
General Giveaway Terms & Conditions
1. All prizes are as stated, with no cash alternative offered.
2. By entering, you agree to be contacted by LatestinBeauty.com.
3. Unless otherwise stated, all giveaways are open to readers in the UK only.
4. Each competition closes at 9am the day after it’s dated. Entries received after 9am will not be counted.
5. You can enter each giveaway 3 times, once per format (blog, facebook, twitter).
6. Retweets from people not following @LatestinBeauty will not be counted.
7. You must be a fan of Latest in Beauty on Facebook to ‘like’ our stories.
8. No registration is required to enter via the blog. You must leave an email address so we have a way of contacting you if you win. We will not share this with anyone.
9. Winners have 7 days to claim their prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
10. Where possible we and our partners will endeavour to send out prizes as soon as possible.
11. The total prize worth is based on RRP value of all combined prizes.
Antique Church furniture
Antique Church furniture Wanted: Old and antique church chairs, chapel chairs, oak pews, lecturns, stained glass, brassware, altar tables, reredos, kneelers, panelling, ironwork, bishops chairs, gothic carved oak, church salvage, all ecclesiatical antiques and antique church furniture etc wanted. Most items considered. We offer a discreet full clearance service at good rates.
Antique School Furniture Wanted: Old and antique school furniture, wooden chairs, tubular steel/ ply stacking chairs, old school desks, old school cupboards, vintage school lockers, coat racks, bookcases, ercol furniture, cabinets etc wanted. Most items considered. We offer a discreet full clearance service at good rates.
Business Clearance Wanted: Old and antique government and business clearance furniture, industrial antiques, surplus, old library furniture, bookshelves, vintage steel lockers, cabinets, used hospital furniture etc wanted to buy. Most items considered. We offer a discreet full clearance service at good rates.
Army surplus Wanted: Old military/ army surplus, lockers, tables, chairs, uniforms, etc wanted. Most items considered. We offer a discreet full clearance service at good rates.
House Clearance Wanted: Full or part house clearance, antiques collections, Antique Sterling silver, antique siver vases, trays, teasets, gold sovereigns, antique gold and silver jewellery etc. Also, early Engish oak furniture, coffers, housekeepers cupboards, oak refectory tables, wainscot chairs, lambing chairs, antique victorian and georgian windsor chairs, antique chests of drawers, oak press cupboards, antique oak dressers from georgian and victorian periods, oak joined stools, early oak gateleg tables, antique cricket tables, antique bookcases, oak settles, antique monks benches, good quality victorian furniture, good quality georgian furniture, bentwood chairs, ercol furniture including tables, chairs and sideboards, Arts and Crafts furniture, Mission, Art Deco and Art Nouveau furniture, antique and used leather sofas, chesterfield suites and anything interesting.
Gold and Silver Wanted: Best prices paid for gold sovereigns, krugerands, gold chains, antique silver, teasets, trays, vases etc.
We ship many of these items overseas for use in churches, schools, hotels, bars, restaurants etc. Our clients require a constant supply so we are able to clear your premises quickly and efficiently. We pay the best cash prices possible for quality items.
Church overload in Iloilo and Antique
The day after the conference, we visited the towns of Southern Iloilo and Antique, my 59th province. From the hotel, we took a van and stopped by the towns of Tigbauan and Guimbal, which I was not able to visit during my previous visit, to check out their churches. We then proceeded to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Miag-ao Church and the cemetery chapel, also in the same town.
In the next town was a National Cultural Treasure, the San Joaquin Church. But equally impressive was the well-preserved cemetery which has maintained its old and uncrowded look.From there, we drove down to Antique. But we stopped over first at the junction point called Tiolas to have lunch. I got myself an order of batchoy. From there, we took the road less traveled to the southernmost point of Panay Island, the town of Anini-y.
The Anini-y Church was very much intact and I hope that it is declared a National Cultural Treasure soon. It was most definitely worth the visit.
Our companions had to drive back to Iloilo City since they were leaving that night, but Archt. Richard Bautista and myself opted to stay behind to continue further up north to visit the other towns of Antique. Transportation was scarce and we had to wait for 30 minutes for the next jeep to arrive. Our next stop was the town of Hamtic since the cemetery chapel there was quite intact.
From Hamtic, we took another jeep to the capital of Antique, San Jose de Buenavista. After taking photos around the Antique Capitol, we rushed to get a jeep to Patnongon to check out more heritage structures there. Although in ruins, the church, casa real and an old bridge are still standing and I hope it remains that way. We had to rush back to San Jose to try to get a bus back to Iloilo City. If we got stranded in Antique, we were prepared to stay for the night. But good thing we were able to find a bus back and got back to Iloilo City.
The next day, it was raining hard so I was too lazy to get up. Our plan was to go around Central Iloilo. But we decided to continue our church and cemetery tour since it looked like the weather was improving.From the hotel, we took a cab to La Paz for lunch. Where else to try batchoy than where it was born! We ate at Deco's. From there, we took a jeep to Jaro, where we boarded another jeep to Cabatuan. We got off at the cemetery a few kilometers from town. The walls and chapel was still intact.
We then took a tricycle to the town proper. The church was gargantuan with two exaggeratedly large belfries on either side of the facade. Its stone retablo is said to be the tallest in Iloilo after the Oton Church was destroyed during the 1948 earthquake.From Cabatuan, we took another jeep to Janiuay. After visiting the ruins of the church, we took a tricycle to the cemetery. I've seen photos of this all the time but was quite disappointed when I got there. It was quite neglected. To me, the best cemetery I visited is the one in San Joaquin which I heard was recently restored.
From Janiuay, we took a jeep to Pototan and transferred to another jeep to Dingle to visit the church. Good thing there was English Mass.We were planning to visit Duenas but since we had a flight to catch, we took a jeep straight to Iloilo City. They sure know how to stuff the jeepney! There were three passengers in front plus the driver, thirteen on either side, plus about eight in the middle, and even some holding on outside!
In Iloilo City, I took some photos in Jaro before we proceeded for a quick dinner in one of the chicken inasal restaurants. It was then a mad rush to the airport and we got there just in time since I got my favorite front row seat. Hehe!Christmas/New Year
The best things to do in Alhama during the festive season are enjoy the lights and music in the square and treat yourself to eating out in style. You can book in advance for a five course feast at Pato Loco or Ventorro, the two best restaurants in the area, on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Christmas is pretty low key here so you can really escape the crush and pressure back home! We've had a couple of white christmases recently and it is an amazing time to take a trip up to the snow on the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains.
We spent Christmas
We spent Christmas in Santiago the Cuba trying to finish the never ending filmproduction “El Medico”! We also took some shoots for the upcoming Cuba photobook…
the eve of New Year 2012
Here comes the eve of New Year 2012 and you start planning your long tours to different tourist spots! It is the occasion when new resolutions are made and new business prospects open up for everyone to earn prestige and money. But, there is something extra which will keep you wandering for hours. Yes, the London Eye Fireworks and the Times Square celebration at New York are considered as the best celebrations on this earth for the upcoming year. You can really witness the show of Eiffel Tower by the Champs Elysees Paris on this New Year that is held annually. Moreover, Shanghai, Cape Town, London, Moscow and Sydney are also popular for attracting worldwide visitors and New Year lovers.
But, the real charisma and point of attraction lies with the huge festivities at Rio de Janeiro where millions of people hang up to witness the mammoth fireworks, thrilling festivities, samba dances and enjoy the great fun. The beach of Copacabana always organizes the biggest music concerts and dance shows to make people vibrant. The tourists and locals celebrate with full-night dance, brilliant & tasty cuisines, samba chores and Pagodes. So, if you are interested in getting the real blend of music, enjoyment and traditions, Rio is the best place to witness the New Year.
Spirit of Christmas.
The two week long St.Kitts Nevis carnival is held in St Kitts-Nevis in the month of December in Basseterre, the carnival village. St Kitts-Nevis is an east Caribbean island in West Indies and is situated in Leeward Islands. The carnival is a cultural celebration and is a spectacular one. The main highlights of the carnival are street parties, Mocko-Jumbies, clowns, dancers wearing bejeweled costumes and also calypso and comedic performances. With steel pan and pageants, the carnival is a great party. Cultural excitement as well as creativity is on display in the carnival.
The main events held are Spirit of Christmas. It is a celebration where the story of birth of Christ is retold through carols, dance and also music. Other events held are fashion show of the Carnival Queen, horse racing, J’Ouvert Jam, entertainment, boxing, Calypso show, Soca music, beauty pageants, Christmas day, teen pageant, a Carnival Parade and children’s carnival and a beach bash. There is a lot of enjoyment for the people.
Masquerades and traditional folklore dancers entertain people. The carnival is a great opportunity to know the culture, entertainment, folklore history of the island along with its musical talent. The carnival is a public attraction and contributes to the brand development of the island.
last Christmas as a novelty present
My wife gave me a Superheadz Demekin fisheye camera last Christmas as a novelty present.
I've written a full review of the camera here but I'll summarise here as follows:
The camera is small, light, with a very wide angle lens and is very simple to use. you can see from the examples show that the image quality is as good as you'd expect from a 110 film camera. Which actually is not too bad - it reminds me of the super 8 films my grandmother would take of my sisters and I when we were little children scampering about. The 110 film has the same vibrant colours and impressionist feel as Super 8 film.
This is a great camera for whipping out and taking a surreptitious photograph - you don't have to aim it and it's so small most people won't notice. That being said I was caught ought by a Moroccan street vendor in Marrakesh who harangued me saying that I was a very bad person for taking photographs without permission and obviously Jewish (!?). He looked confused when I told him I was a Roman Catholic.
110 film is rare these days though eBay seems to have regular supplies and there are labs that can process the format so the Superheadz Demekin is not impractical.
I don't normally push products but on this occasion I will - this camera is alot of fun and is small enough to fit in your pocket when you go travelling. The pictures are vibrant and reasonably sharp. The Superheadz Demekin would make a great gift to a friend or relative or for yourself.
Carnaval - the Christmas lights
Barely have the Ayuntamientos (Town Halls) in Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz taken down the Christmas lights than they’ve been back on their ladder trucks installing the carnival lights.
Aligned to Easter, Carnaval (Spanish spelling) is early this year and many of the run-up events have already started.
Visitors will find their evenings this week being impregnated with the sound of a-capella songs of interminable length and indeterminate tune accompanied by the occasional blast on toy trumpets.
Known as Murgas, these ornately costumed groups of clowns (groups can be 50 or more strong) belt out political satire in nightly competitions to determine the best. Singing to packed audiences of Canarios who apparently can’t get enough of this stuff, the appeal of the Murgas is a mystery to me. A novelty the first time I saw them, their attraction waned after roughly 20 minutes. Since then I’ve had 6 years of them filling the TV screen nightly for weeks before, during and after Carnaval. Someone told me that if you could understand what they were singing you’d think they were good; I disagree; I still find them slightly less entertaining than watching the traffic lights change. Still, each to their own and if you want to catch them you’ll find them appearing nightly all over the north of the island.
Next on the Carnaval agenda will be the election of the Carnaval Queens; a much more spectator-friendly event in my opinion.
I’m never entirely sure what the judging criteria is for these events; the girl, the costume or the combination of the two but in any case it makes for a fabulous spectacle. The scantily clad girls appear on stage one at a time, their goosebumps rapidly disappearing as they work up a (very feminine no doubt) sweat dragging their extraordinarily elaborate costumes to the front of the stage. Frequently they can’t manage to gather enough momentum to make the journey and have to be rescued by roadies who presumably have to undertake some sort of life-threatening knock-out competition to win a place on this gig.
The real hard core of Carnaval gets underway next weekend with the Opening Parades. Santa Cruz hold theirs on the Friday evening and Puerto’s is on Saturday evening.
For spectators, this consists of getting to a good spot at least half an hour before the procession is due to start and standing there for a couple of hours while endless diminutive Canarios push in front of you and then invite the other six members of their family to join them.
The parades are colourful, loud and exhilarating and if you’re not in the mood to slip into fancy costume, down a couple of measures of rum and salsa down the street at the end of it then maybe Carnaval isn’t for you.
Whatever else you do, please do not put your fingers in your ears and grimace as the drummers pass by; it’s annoying and downright rude.
After the parades it’s party, party, party every night until dawn and if you want to really understand what this stuff is all about, plunge headlong into the hedonism. On the other hand, if you’ve just booked a quiet, relaxing, away-from-it-all holiday anywhere near the centre of proceedings in Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz… try for a refund – quick.
Wednesday sees the Burial of the Sardine taking place. Thousands of ‘widows’ (most of them men) attired in black dresses, hats and veils with various naughty toys barely concealed in stocking tops and garters, follow a funeral cortège for a giant papier mâché sardine wearing red lipstick and false eyelashes. Did I mention that Carnaval was surreal?
The cortège ends with the sardine being set alight accompanied by a fantastic fireworks display.
The closing parades are on Tuesday in Santa Cruz (although the parties continue until Saturday) and on Sunday in Puerto de la Cruz.
Of course, after that there are still some parties and probably another month of Murgas on the TV.
When the main events have settle down, a mini version of Carnaval rolls out to the rest of the island, even to the south where you can catch events in Los Gigantes and Los Cristianos.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Celebration
Further information: Christmas worldwide
Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian countries, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan and Korea, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations and Christmas trees.
Notable countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include People's Republic of China, (excepting Hong Kong and Macao), Japan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Thailand, Nepal, Iran, Turkey and North Korea. Christmas celebrations around the world can vary markedly in form, reflecting differing cultural and national traditions.
Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures. For Christians, participating in a religious service plays an important part in the recognition of the season. Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance.
In Catholic countries, the people hold religious processions or parades in the days preceding Christmas. In other countries, secular processions or parades featuring Santa Claus and other seasonal figures are often held. Family reunions and the exchange of gifts are a widespread feature of the season. Gift giving takes place on Christmas Day in most countries. Others practice gift giving on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day, and January 6, Epiphany.
Date of celebration
For centuries, Christian writers accepted that Christmas was the actual date on which Jesus was born.[20] John Chrysostom preached a sermon in Antioch c. 386 which established the date of Christmas as December 25 on the Julian calendar since the conception of Jesus (Luke 1:26) had been announced during the sixth month of Elisabeth's pregnancy with John the Baptist (Luke 1:10-13) as dated from the duties Zacharias performed on the Day of Atonement during the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar Ethanim or Tishri (Lev. 16:29, 1 Kings 8:2) which falls in September–October.[6]
In the early 18th century, scholars began proposing alternative explanations. Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the winter solstice,[16] which the Romans called bruma and celebrated on December 25.[21] In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church.[17] In 1889, Louis Duchesne proposed that the date of Christmas was calculated as nine months after the Annunciation, the traditional date of the conception of Jesus, which itself was based on a traditional belief that he was conceived and crucified on the same date, 15 Nisan.[22][15]
In the early 4th century, the church calendar contained Christmas on December 25 and other holidays placed on solar dates: "It is cosmic symbolism...which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the winter solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the summer solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception. While they were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas," according to modern scholar S.E. Hijmans.[23]
However, today, whether or not the birth date of Jesus is on December 25 is not considered to be an important issue among mainstream Christian denominations;[24][25][26] rather, celebrating the coming of God into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity is considered to be the primary meaning of Christmas.[24][25][26]
Using the Julian calendar
Eastern Orthodox national churches, including those of Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem mark feasts using the older Julian calendar. December 25 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 7 on the internationally-used Gregorian calendar. However, other Orthodox Christians, such as the churches of Greece, Romania, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Finland and the Orthodox Church in America, among others, began using the Revised Julian calendar in the early 20th century, which corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar.[4]
These Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on the same day as Western Christianity. Oriental Orthodox churches also use their own calendars, which are generally similar to the Julian calendar. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the nativity in combination with the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. Armenian churches customarily use the Gregorian calendar, but some use the Julian calendar and thus celebrate Christmas Day on January 19, and Christmas Eve on January 18 (according to the Gregorian calendar).[4]
Commemorating Jesus’ birth
Main articles: Annunciation, Nativity of Jesus, and Child Jesus
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary as a fulfillment of the Old Testament's Messianic prophecy.[27] The Bible contains two accounts which describe the events surrounding Jesus' birth. Depending on one's perspective, these accounts either differ from each other or tell two versions of the same story [28] [29][30][31] These biblical accounts are found in the Gospel of Matthew, namely Matthew 1:18, and the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 1:26 and 2:40. According to these accounts, Jesus was born to Mary, assisted by her husband Joseph, in the city of Bethlehem.
According to popular tradition, the birth took place in a stable, surrounded by farm animals, though neither the stable nor the animals are specifically mentioned in the Biblical accounts. However, a manger is mentioned in Luke 2:7, where it states, "She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Early iconographic representations of the nativity placed the animals and manger within a cave (located, according to tradition, under the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem). Shepherds from the fields surrounding Bethlehem were told of the birth by an angel, and were the first to see the child.[32]
The Gospel of Matthew also describes a visit by several Magi, or astrologers, who bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus. The visitors were said to be following a mysterious star, commonly known as the Star of Bethlehem, believing it to announce the birth of a king of the Jews.[33] The commemoration of this visit, the Feast of Epiphany celebrated on January 6, is the formal end of the Christmas season in some churches.
Christians celebrate Christmas in various ways. In addition to this day being one of the most important and popular for the attendance of church services, there are other devotions and popular traditions. In some Christian denominations, children re-enact the events of the Nativity with animals to portray the event with more realism or sing carols that reference the event. Some Christians also display a small re-creation of the Nativity, known as a Nativity scene or crèche, in their homes, using figurines to portray the key characters of the event. Prior to Christmas Day, the Eastern Orthodox Church practices the 40-day Nativity Fast in anticipation of the birth of Jesus, while much of Western Christianity celebrates four weeks of Advent. The final preparations for Christmas are made on Christmas Eve.
A long artistic tradition has grown of producing painted depictions of the nativity in art. Nativity scenes are traditionally set in a barn or stable and include Mary, Joseph, the child Jesus, angels, shepherds and the Three Wise Men: Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar, who are said to have followed a star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, and arrived after his birth.[34]
Decorations
Main article: Christmas decoration
See also: Christmas tree, Christmas lights, Christmas stocking, and Christmas ornament
The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history. From pre-Christian times, people in the Roman Empire brought branches from evergreen plants indoors in the winter. Decorating with greenery was also part of Jewish tradition : "Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. " (Leviticus 23:40)
Christians incorporated such customs in their developing practices. In the 15th century, it was recorded that in London it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be "decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green".[35] The heart-shaped leaves of ivy were said to symbolize the coming to earth of Jesus, while holly was seen as protection against pagans and witches, its thorns and red berries held to represent the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus at the crucifixion and the blood he shed.[36][37]
Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint Francis of Asissi from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe.[38] Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources. The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children.[39] In countries where a representation of the Nativity Scene is very popular, people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family heirloom.
The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red.[40] White, silver and gold are also popular. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter.[37][40]
The Christmas tree is considered by some as Christianisation of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship.[41] The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835[42] and represents an importation from the German language. The modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century[41] though many argue that Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16th century.[43][44]
From Germany the custom was introduced to Britain, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of Queen Victoria. By 1841 the Christmas tree had become even more widespread throughout Britain.[45] By the 1870s, people in the United States had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree.[46] Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments.
Since the 19th century, the poinsettia, a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas. Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with garlands and evergreen foliage. The display of Christmas villages has also become a tradition in many homes during this season. The outside of houses may be decorated with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures.
Other traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels. Both the displaying of wreaths and candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an evergreen, make up Christmas wreaths and are designed to prepare Christians for the Advent season. Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate the fact that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.[47] Both of these antiquated, more subdued, Christmas displays are seen in the image to the right of Saint Anselm College.
Christmas lights and banners may be hung along streets, music played from speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.[48] It is common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured for the purpose of wrapping gifts.
In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5.
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