Christmas

Christy-Jessica Okolo

Honors English

Period 5

14 December 2011

"From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other." ("Christmas Quotes", Matthews) Christmas is a national holiday and is celebrated by many people around the world. For many people, Christmas is a special time of year. It originated from the religion of Christianity. The true meaning of Christmas is to cherish the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas was first celebrated and declared a federal holiday on June 26, 1870 in the United States. Many people celebrate and acknowledge this holiday in various ways. For instance, in America many citizens celebrate Christmas by decorating their houses with lights and other things pertaining to Christmas .People also use Santa Clause as a major figure in ordaining this annual event.

Cultures and religions celebrate Christmas in unique akin and contrasting ways such as, Nigerians. Before Christmas, different groups of people prepare a dance that they are to perform for others on Christmas day. Moreover, they go caroling and sing at their neighbors houses. Most families perform masquerades which is a type of entertainment that requires large, beautiful costumes. As you can see, there are unique and abundant techniques in which Christmas is celebrated.

In Nigeria, people that live abroad return to their hometowns to be with their families; this is called "mass return". To most Nigerians, Christmas needs to be deeply acknowledged and honored. They do this in different ways. For instance, considering the fact that the majority of Nigerians are Christians, they attend a mass early in the morning at around 8'oclock and a another mass in the evening. This represents their faith.("Motherland Nigeria")

According to many Christians, today's movies and magazines have enabled young minds to develop a new understanding towards...