CHRISTMAS, derived from the.mediaival Ch•istes Masse, the Mass of Christ; the feast commemorating the birth of Jesus, observed by the Christian Church annually 25th of December. It was, according to many authori ties, not celebrated in the first centimes of the Christian Church, as the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remark able persons rather than their birth. The death of the martyr Stephen, and the massacre of the innocents at Bethlehem, had been already long celebrated, when, perhaps in opposition to the doctrine of the Manichmans respecting the birth of the Saviour, a feast was established in memory of this event in the 4th century. In the 5th century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, as no cer tain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth ex isted. Among the German and Celtic tribes the winter solstice was considered an important point of the year, and they held their chief fes tival of Yule to commemorate the return of the burning-wheel. The holly, the mistletoe, the Yule log and the wassail bowl are relics of pre-Christian times. In the East Christmas was celebrated on 6 January. • As told in the Gospel of Saint Luke, Christ was born during the night, and therefore divine service was per formed in the night of 24-25 December, from which circumstance Christmas is called in Ger man Weihnachten, a contraction of the old German ze wih nahten, on the holy or conse crated nights. The feasts of the martyr Stephen and the evangelist Saint John were united with it, and a feast of three days' cop tinuance was thus formed. In the ecclesiastical
year this festival gives name to a period ex tending from the first Sunday of Advent to the feast of Epiphany, 6 January. In the Roman Catholic Church priests are allowed to cele karate three masses against the rule which pre vails every other day in the year. In the Greek and Roman Catholic churches the manger, the holy family, etc., are sometimes represented at large and before them are sung the carols and manger songs which are musical features of Christmastide. Most Christian churches celebrate this great festival in some way, and practically, the entire community in Christian countries, including Jews and non-churchgoing people classed with Christian popula tions, join in its social observance. In the United States, England and other countries business is commonly suspended, although in Scotland this is only partially die case. The custom of making presents at Christmas is derived from ancient usage; but it has become consecrated by ages, and contributes greatly to make this festival an interesting event to families. (See BEFANA). The sending of Christ mas cards by way of greeting and re membrance has grown up since about 1860. The Christmas-tree has been traced back to the Romans. It went from Germany to Great .Britain, and is almost universal in the United States, where the customs of so many national ities meet and gradually blend into common usage.