Christmas custom

Christmas, also known as Christmas and Jesus' birthday, translated as "Christ Mass", is a traditional western festival, which originated from Christianity and lasts for 65,438 years on February 25th every year. Mass is a church service. Christmas is a religious festival, because it is celebrated as the birthday of Jesus, hence the name "Christmas".

Christmas originated in the west, but since19th century spread in Asia, China has also been influenced by Christmas culture. People pay more and more attention to Christmas, and they have to follow some Christmas customs to make this festival more meaningful. Traditional Christmas customs include: decorating the Christmas tree, distributing Christmas candy, exchanging Christmas cards, giving gifts to relatives and friends, singing Christmas songs, roasting turkey, cooking Christmas salmon, smoking ham and drinking red wine. I think there are four customs worth mentioning at Christmas. Let's take a look:

? One of the customs of Christmas: decorating the Christmas tree?

Decorating the Christmas tree has become an indispensable custom for Christmas. Most people decorate the Christmas tree with colored lights, candy and gifts.

Christmas tree is almost the most important winter culture and scenery in Europe and America. Many people may think that decorating Christmas trees is an ancient and long-standing culture in Britain, but the history of Christmas trees is actually much shorter than people think, and this custom is not original in Britain.

The earliest Christmas tree actually came from Germany. It is said that the first document about Christmas tree in history was an annual publication of Bremen Industrial Association at the end of 1570, which recorded a novel promotion method of a shop: transplanting an evergreen tree in front of the shop of the industrial association and hanging beautiful decorations such as apples, nuts, biscuits and paper flowers on it to attract children shopping at Christmas.

Later, with the development of commercial trade, beautiful Christmas tree decoration gradually became popular in Germany and became a popular holiday custom in the17th century. Then the custom of Christmas tree spread all over Europe, and then all over the world.

They usually use colorful lights, wax, gifts or angels to install Christmas trees, especially people living in the northwest of the United States. Because the local forest resources are rich, they will choose a real tree as a Christmas tree with their whole family. There are many kinds of Christmas trees, including natural pine and cypress trees, artificial Christmas trees and white Christmas trees. Every Christmas tree is covered with dazzling decorations, but there must be a very big star at the top of each tree, just like the star that guided the Magi to find Jesus. Moreover, in traditional customs, only the head of the family can hang this star of hope, and no one else can intervene.

There must be many friends who think that since we are in Europe, we can also bring the Christmas tree to our home. We can not only buy real trees, but also decorate the Christmas tree bit by bit with our friends and pile gifts under it. It's warm to think about it

? The second custom of Christmas: giving gifts to relatives and friends?

This custom originated from a legend: three wise men gave presents to the baby Jesus at Christmas. Every Christmas, friends and relatives, especially children, will give gifts to each other. The story of Santa Claus also comes from this tradition.

Americans also pay attention to giving gifts during the New Year in China, especially at Christmas. It is human nature for relatives and friends to walk around giving gifts. Of course, gifts also depend on who sent them, and gifts from close friends, especially relatives, are heavier. Americans don't give gifts like China. They don't give much money, even between relatives. Instead, give the other person something they like and practical, such as jewelry and clothes. Of course, I also send computers, fishing rods and other things that the other party especially likes. These gifts are a little more expensive, usually around one hundred dollars, depending on your income. You don't have to come to your house to give gifts to your relatives. There is also a courier to your home far away.

Every year, 65438+February 25th is the day when Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus, which is called Christmas. During the festival, Christians from all over the world will hold grand commemorative ceremonies. Christmas was originally a Christian holiday. Because people attach great importance to it, it has become a national festival. The biggest festival of the year in China can be compared with the Chinese New Year, which is similar to the Chinese New Year. ?

As the saying goes, Christmas Eve is Christmas Eve. That night, the whole family will gather in the living room, sing Christmas songs around the Christmas tree, exchange gifts, share the joys and sorrows of life in the past year, and express their inner blessings and love. On this night, I will see a group of lovely little boys or girls, playing guitars with poems in their hands, singing poems one after another, bringing good news. Christmas is an exciting day, especially for children. Once upon a time, there was an old man named Nicholas who loved to help poor families all his life. Once he helped three poor girls and gave them three bags of gold, which saved them from being sold. When Nicholas secretly gave a bag of gold to one of the women, he threw the gold out of a window and fell into a sock hanging on the wall. As a result, the gift-giving method of putting gifts in Christmas socks has spread to this day.

? The third custom of Christmas: eating roast turkey?

This custom has a history of more than 300 years. It is said that on Christmas Day in 1620, a large number of immigrants from Britain arrived at Plymouth Mountain in the American continent. At that time, there were only turkeys in Shan Ye, so they grabbed turkeys as the main course of the festival.

Therefore, apart from ham, sweet potatoes, vegetables, raisin pudding, fruitcake and cocktails, of course, turkey is indispensable for Christmas dinner! From a nutritional point of view, turkey is big and fleshy, delicious, nutritious and low in cholesterol, which makes sense for westerners to like it.

Roasted turkey is an indispensable dish on the traditional Christmas table. In some Asian countries, it may be eaten only at Christmas every year to celebrate this festival; But in Europe and America, especially in the American continent, turkey is a very common meat and a traditional food for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What to eat at Christmas: roast turkey Why do you eat turkey at Christmas? It is said that on Christmas Day in 1620, a large number of immigrants from Britain arrived at Mount Primus in the United States. Because there is almost no food here, except turkeys everywhere, they have to roast turkeys for the festival. Turkey is big and fleshy, delicious, nutritious and low in cholesterol, so it is favored by westerners. Since then, eating turkey at Christmas has become a tradition.

Turkey is a specialty of America and was domesticated by Indians before Europeans came to America. The English name of Turkey is "Turkey". Because Europeans think it looks like Turkish clothing: black head and red body. Europeans like roast goose very much. After immigrating to the United States, there was a requirement to eat geese before raising them, so I ate turkey and found that turkey was more delicious than goose. There are many turkeys in North America. So roast turkey has become a big dish for Americans and an essential food for important festivals.

? The fourth custom of Christmas: hot wine?

? The reason for the formation of this traditional custom is that meat symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ and red wine represents his blood. We should remember Jesus' suffering for others and his crucifixion. Christmas red wine has a special drinking method: add brown sugar, orange peel, meat orange, orange core, raisins and other ingredients to the wine, then stir while heating on the fire (be careful not to boil), and finally pour in a little vodka. Have a drink after taking the pot. It's really fragrant and warm. ?

Hot red wine is made by heating red wine and adding cinnamon, orange peel, lemon and syrup. Christmas red wine is special: add brown sugar, orange peel, meat orange, orange core, raisins and other ingredients to the wine, then heat it over the fire and stir it (be careful not to boil), and finally pour in a little vodka, which is mellow.

The Gospel of John records the miracle that Jesus turned water into wine at his wedding in Canaan. At the last supper, Jesus also entertained his disciples with wine, saying, "bread is my flesh and wine is my blood." Therefore, red wine is also called "holy blood".

In the 2nd century A.D., Rome was in the era of five wise emperors of Antoine Dynasty, with rich material resources and strong national strength. With the continuous expansion of the emperor's ambition, the territory includes the Mediterranean Sea and reaches the Persian Gulf, covering an area of about 6.25 million square kilometers. The Romans were engaged in prosperous trade while they were fighting in the north and the south. At that time, wine began to spread, and the collision of many national cultures collided in the Rhine and Danube rivers, resulting in an alternative wine fragrance-hot red wine.

Moreover, the development of wine has a great relationship with the spread of Christianity. Missionaries not only spread this delicious wine all over the world, but also invented the "hot red wine" necessary for Christmas. The reason for the formation of this tradition is that meat symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ and red wine represents his blood. We should remember Jesus' suffering for others and his crucifixion.

With the passage of time, hot red wine has gradually become one of the hot drinks that must be drunk at Christmas, and now it is called "Christmas red wine". Drinking at Christmas has become a traditional custom. Just as people in China celebrate the Spring Festival, Christmas in western countries also needs reunion and dinner. Although the contents of Christmas dinner are different all over the world, reunion and drinking are essential items.