Why MOT History Inspections During Christmas Holidays?

History of Christmas

Christmas is a holy religious festival as well as a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon that takes place on December 25. People all across the world have been celebrating it for two millennia with religious and secular rituals and practises. Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the foundation of their faith, on Christmas Day. Exchanging gifts, decorating Christmas trees, going to church, enjoying meals with family and friends, and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive are all popular traditions.

What Was the Origin of Christmas?

Winter solstice has traditionally been a time of celebration for people all across the world. Early Europeans celebrated light and birth amid the darkest days of winter centuries before the arrival of the man known as Jesus. During the winter solstice, many people cheered, knowing that the worst of the winter was behind them and that they might look forward to longer days and longer hours of sunlight.

From December 21, the winter solstice, through January, the Norse celebrated Yule in Scandinavia. Fathers and sons would carry enormous logs home and light them on fire to celebrate the return of the sun. The villagers would feast until the log was completely consumed, which may take up to 12 days. Each spark from the fire was thought to signify a new pig or calf that will be born in the next year by the Norse.

In most parts of Europe, the end of December was a great time to celebrate. Most cattle were slaughtered at that time of year so they wouldn't have to be fed over the winter. It was the only time of year when many people could get fresh meat. In addition, the majority of the wine and beer produced over the year had finished fermenting and was ready to consume.

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During the mid-winter festival in Germany, people paid homage to the pagan deity Oden. Germans feared Oden because they thought he flew across the sky at night to survey his people and then decide who would succeed or perish. Many folks preferred to stay indoors due to his presence.

Christmas and Saturnalia

Saturnalia, a celebration honouring Saturn, the god of agriculture, was held in Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north. Saturnalia, which began the week before the winter solstice and lasted a month, was a hedonistic period when food and wine were plentiful and the usual Roman social order was flipped upside down. Enslaved persons were given temporary freedom and treated as equals for a month. Businesses and schools were closed so that everyone could enjoy the festivities of the occasion.

Romans also celebrated Juvenalia, a feast celebrating Rome's youngsters, around the time of the winter solstice. The birthday of Mithra, the deity of the unconquerable sun, was also honoured by the higher classes on December 25. Mithra, a newborn deity, was said to have been created from a rock. Mithra's birthday was considered the most sacred day of the year by certain Romans.

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Is Christmas the Day of Jesus' Birth?

Easter was the most important event in early Christianity; the birth of Jesus was not commemorated. Church leaders agreed to make the birth of Jesus a holiday in the fourth century. Regrettably, the Bible makes no indication of his birth date (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence shows Jesus was born in the spring (why would shepherds be herding sheep in the dead of winter?), Pope Julius, I selected December 25 as his birthday. It is widely assumed that the church picked this date in an attempt to assimilate and absorb the pagan Saturnalia festival's customs. The Feast of the Nativity was first celebrated in Egypt in 432, and by the end of the sixth century, it had extended to England.

Church authorities improved the odds that Christmas would be widely accepted by having it at the same time as traditional winter solstice holidays, but they relinquished control over how it was celebrated. Christianity had, for the most part, superseded pagan religion by the Middle Ages. Christians went to church on Christmas Day, then celebrated raucously in a carnival-like environment akin to today's Mardi Gras. Every year, a beggar or a student was anointed "lord of misrule," and excited celebrants acted as his subjects. The impoverished would go to the wealthy's homes and demand the greatest food and drink they could find. If the owners do not cooperate, their guests will most certainly terrify them and cause them harm. Christmas became a time of year when the wealthy might pay back their actual or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining the less fortunate.

When Christmas Had to Be Abandoned

The way Christmas was celebrated in Europe altered in the early 17th century due to a surge of ecclesiastical reform. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan armies conquered England in 1645, they swore to rid the country of decadence, and one of the first steps they did was to abolish Christmas. Charles II was returned to the throne by popular demand, and with him came the revival of the beloved holiday.

The pilgrims, who arrived in America in 1620 as English separatists, were even more rigid in their Puritan convictions than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas in early America was not a holiday. Christmas was indeed forbidden in Boston from 1659 until 1681. Anyone caught in the spirit of the season was fined five shillings. Captain John Smith, on the other hand, stated that Christmas was enjoyed by everybody and went off without a hitch in the Jamestown settlement.

English customs, including Christmas, went out of favour after the American Revolution. In reality, it wasn't until June 26, 1870 that Christmas was named a federal holiday.