Christmas is celebrated all over the world among Christianity. It indicates the birth of Jesus Christ. Most Churches celebrate Christmas on 25th December. Some Churches celebrate on 6th January.
Exactly the meaning of Christmas is Christ’s Mass. People of Kerala celebrate Christmas without any discrimination of religion, caste or creed. It is an occasion for the reunion of families. Christmas is not a mere festival, but a solemn occasion of renewal of the memory of Jesus’ birth, life and his sacrifice.
Christmas in Kerala
The religious belief doesn’t interpret the celebration of Christmas. The considerable percentage of Christians in Kerala celebrates Christmas very widely. They hang stars on the branches of a tree in front of the house. The stars indicate the arrival of Christmas. This star is made up of bamboo pieces and they cover it with various colored papers. After making star, they place a light in the star, and hang it on a tree or a staff fixed on roof. But now people use ready made stars. They are available in almost all shops. It is very interesting to children to arrange stars in their houses.
Various modes of celebration
Greeting cards
Sending greeting cards is another important device of celebrations during Christmas. People send them to relatives, friends, lovers and so on . But now it has given way to a new trend: people send messages in mobile phone as SMS, picture messages, or MMS. It has become a trend among students and the youth. Greeting cards are rather expensive and everybody cannot afford it. But even now they are aplenty in shops.
Carol
Christmas carol is another fascinating item of Christmas .Carol groups visit all houses in the neighborhood dancing and singing with Infant Jesus and Santa Claus. People contribute money and participate in the joyful occasion. Carol troops use musical instruments; Santa Claus give gifts to little kids. It is especially for the children and they enjoy it most. The gifts which they receive are usually for the pocket money to celebrate.
Crib
People even non Christians make Cribs in their houses. Usually it is the children who make Cribs very attractively and beautifully. Parents help them. Small icons of infant Jesus, Holy Mary, ST. Joseph, the shepherds with Lambs, singing Angels and so on give life & beauty to the Cribs. Stars and Electric bulbs add to the beauty.
Christmas tree
. It is also another important and attractive item in Christmas celebration. Children usually climb on the tree to cut the branches to make Christmas tree. The branches of Casuarinas are usually used to make Christmas tree. The tree is decorated with bulbs, stars, color papers, balloons and so on. Nowadays we get ready made Christmas trees from shops
Mass
It is the most important holy ceremony of Christmas. On the occasion of Christmas, there are midnight masses in all Churches. Before mass the priest brings out the image of infant Jesus and is accompanied by some children.
People pray and sing aloud when the curtain of Crib raises and the priest keeps infant Jesus in it. The Mass will be over by about midnight. After the Mass they share Christmas cakes in Church.
Food and drinks
Liquor has gained a major role in Christmas celebrations in Kerala. People drink and eat fully with joy. House wives make delicious food. This is an examine occasion for them in making delicious food. They make Cakes and so on. The most important delicious meals in Christmas day are Fish molly, karimeen pappas (a local fish delicacy) with appam. It is an excellent combination of meals. There will be three to five courses of foods at noon. Wine with cake, bread with fish molly, appam with beef curry and rice with all sorts of side dishes and so on are used in this occasion .Before taking food everybody pray to God together .
Visits
During Christmas people visit neighbors and relatives. Parties may be arranged there. Men make a company with drinks; Women share the kitchen; children get new dresses and toys to play. Apart from tasty food and the company of relatives, the most important thing is that they get freedom from study and work. They are allowed to enjoy and play with their friends. This memory will remain till their death.
The story of Jesus’ birth and Christmas
The story of Christmas may bring you to understand the whole story about Christmas and Jesus’ birth.
Foretelling of Jesus’ birth.
Mary, a Galilean lady living in Nazareth engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. An Angel announced to her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit and she would give birth to this child and should name him Jesus. When Mary heard these words, she was afraid and troubled. She started questioning the angel:
“How will this be”? The angel told that the child who is going to born is God‘s own son and ‘Everything is possible to God.’ Hearing these words, she became happy and rejoiced in God.
Jesus’ birth
Before marriage, Mary became pregnant by the power of Holy Spirit. When Joseph heard about it ,he was disgraced and unpleasant. So he decided to forgo her. Under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning. Though his decision was to break the engagement which is better for a man to do, he treated her with superior kindness. He did so because he did not want to make her ashamed.
In his sleep, there appeared an angel in his dream and told him the real story about the pregnancy
Of Mary. The angel told him that his marriage with her was God’s will. The angel also told that the child within Mary was conceived by Holy Spirit, and that child would be named Jesus. He is the ‘Messiah’, means God with us. When he woke up from sleep, Joseph believed everything even though that was in dream. He decided to take Mary his wife. As he was noble, God selected him to be the Messiah’s earthly father.
He wondered at the words which appeared in Isaih 7:14. It contained the foretelling of Jesus’ birth. “There fore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel’.
During that time, Caesar ordered to take the census. Joseph belonged to the line of David. So he had to go to Bethlehem taking Mary with him. On the way to Bethlehem, Mary delivered Jesus in a crude stable because all the inns were crowded and they had no other place of shelter. The baby was wrapped in clothes and was placed in a manger.
The shepherds worship the baby
An angel appeared to the shepherds while they were guarding the flocks of sheep , and announced that the saviors had been born in the town of David. Then there appeared a great host of angels and they began singing praises to God. When they disappeared, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem and praise the child.
When they arrived there, they saw the baby along with Mary and Joseph. They offered gifts to baby Jesus. On return they began spreading this news, praising and worshiping God.
The Magi’s gift
During the birth of Jesus, Herod was the king of Judea. At that time the Magi (wise men ) saw the star from east .This star was the symbol of Jesus’ birth . They came to the palace of Herod and asked about the birth of Jesus. The rulers replied:“in Bethlehem in Judea”. The Magi were ordered to collect news regarding Jesus and report to Herod. Herod wanted to kill the baby.
They found Jesus and Mary with the help of the star .They began to worship and praise the baby by offering treasures of gold, incense and myrrh. They did not go back to Herod .They had been warned in a dream of his plot to destroy the child.
author: Jayesh Kurian
Exactly the meaning of Christmas is Christ’s Mass. People of Kerala celebrate Christmas without any discrimination of religion, caste or creed. It is an occasion for the reunion of families. Christmas is not a mere festival, but a solemn occasion of renewal of the memory of Jesus’ birth, life and his sacrifice.
Christmas in Kerala
The religious belief doesn’t interpret the celebration of Christmas. The considerable percentage of Christians in Kerala celebrates Christmas very widely. They hang stars on the branches of a tree in front of the house. The stars indicate the arrival of Christmas. This star is made up of bamboo pieces and they cover it with various colored papers. After making star, they place a light in the star, and hang it on a tree or a staff fixed on roof. But now people use ready made stars. They are available in almost all shops. It is very interesting to children to arrange stars in their houses.
Various modes of celebration
Greeting cards
Sending greeting cards is another important device of celebrations during Christmas. People send them to relatives, friends, lovers and so on . But now it has given way to a new trend: people send messages in mobile phone as SMS, picture messages, or MMS. It has become a trend among students and the youth. Greeting cards are rather expensive and everybody cannot afford it. But even now they are aplenty in shops.
Carol
Christmas carol is another fascinating item of Christmas .Carol groups visit all houses in the neighborhood dancing and singing with Infant Jesus and Santa Claus. People contribute money and participate in the joyful occasion. Carol troops use musical instruments; Santa Claus give gifts to little kids. It is especially for the children and they enjoy it most. The gifts which they receive are usually for the pocket money to celebrate.
Crib
People even non Christians make Cribs in their houses. Usually it is the children who make Cribs very attractively and beautifully. Parents help them. Small icons of infant Jesus, Holy Mary, ST. Joseph, the shepherds with Lambs, singing Angels and so on give life & beauty to the Cribs. Stars and Electric bulbs add to the beauty.
Christmas tree
. It is also another important and attractive item in Christmas celebration. Children usually climb on the tree to cut the branches to make Christmas tree. The branches of Casuarinas are usually used to make Christmas tree. The tree is decorated with bulbs, stars, color papers, balloons and so on. Nowadays we get ready made Christmas trees from shops
Mass
It is the most important holy ceremony of Christmas. On the occasion of Christmas, there are midnight masses in all Churches. Before mass the priest brings out the image of infant Jesus and is accompanied by some children.
People pray and sing aloud when the curtain of Crib raises and the priest keeps infant Jesus in it. The Mass will be over by about midnight. After the Mass they share Christmas cakes in Church.
Food and drinks
Liquor has gained a major role in Christmas celebrations in Kerala. People drink and eat fully with joy. House wives make delicious food. This is an examine occasion for them in making delicious food. They make Cakes and so on. The most important delicious meals in Christmas day are Fish molly, karimeen pappas (a local fish delicacy) with appam. It is an excellent combination of meals. There will be three to five courses of foods at noon. Wine with cake, bread with fish molly, appam with beef curry and rice with all sorts of side dishes and so on are used in this occasion .Before taking food everybody pray to God together .
Visits
During Christmas people visit neighbors and relatives. Parties may be arranged there. Men make a company with drinks; Women share the kitchen; children get new dresses and toys to play. Apart from tasty food and the company of relatives, the most important thing is that they get freedom from study and work. They are allowed to enjoy and play with their friends. This memory will remain till their death.
The story of Jesus’ birth and Christmas
The story of Christmas may bring you to understand the whole story about Christmas and Jesus’ birth.
Foretelling of Jesus’ birth.
Mary, a Galilean lady living in Nazareth engaged to be married to Joseph, a carpenter. An Angel announced to her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit and she would give birth to this child and should name him Jesus. When Mary heard these words, she was afraid and troubled. She started questioning the angel:
“How will this be”? The angel told that the child who is going to born is God‘s own son and ‘Everything is possible to God.’ Hearing these words, she became happy and rejoiced in God.
Jesus’ birth
Before marriage, Mary became pregnant by the power of Holy Spirit. When Joseph heard about it ,he was disgraced and unpleasant. So he decided to forgo her. Under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning. Though his decision was to break the engagement which is better for a man to do, he treated her with superior kindness. He did so because he did not want to make her ashamed.
In his sleep, there appeared an angel in his dream and told him the real story about the pregnancy
Of Mary. The angel told him that his marriage with her was God’s will. The angel also told that the child within Mary was conceived by Holy Spirit, and that child would be named Jesus. He is the ‘Messiah’, means God with us. When he woke up from sleep, Joseph believed everything even though that was in dream. He decided to take Mary his wife. As he was noble, God selected him to be the Messiah’s earthly father.
He wondered at the words which appeared in Isaih 7:14. It contained the foretelling of Jesus’ birth. “There fore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel’.
During that time, Caesar ordered to take the census. Joseph belonged to the line of David. So he had to go to Bethlehem taking Mary with him. On the way to Bethlehem, Mary delivered Jesus in a crude stable because all the inns were crowded and they had no other place of shelter. The baby was wrapped in clothes and was placed in a manger.
The shepherds worship the baby
An angel appeared to the shepherds while they were guarding the flocks of sheep , and announced that the saviors had been born in the town of David. Then there appeared a great host of angels and they began singing praises to God. When they disappeared, the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem and praise the child.
When they arrived there, they saw the baby along with Mary and Joseph. They offered gifts to baby Jesus. On return they began spreading this news, praising and worshiping God.
The Magi’s gift
During the birth of Jesus, Herod was the king of Judea. At that time the Magi (wise men ) saw the star from east .This star was the symbol of Jesus’ birth . They came to the palace of Herod and asked about the birth of Jesus. The rulers replied:“in Bethlehem in Judea”. The Magi were ordered to collect news regarding Jesus and report to Herod. Herod wanted to kill the baby.
They found Jesus and Mary with the help of the star .They began to worship and praise the baby by offering treasures of gold, incense and myrrh. They did not go back to Herod .They had been warned in a dream of his plot to destroy the child.
author: Jayesh Kurian
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