Christmas, the biggest festival of Christians all over the world, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas comes from the words 'Cristes maesse,' or 'Christ's Mass.' Most historians trace the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336 AD.

Like elsewhere in the world, Christians in India too celebrate Christmas on a grand scale. And off late thanks to the hype surrounding it, other communities in India too celebrate Christmas. The Christmas season in India lasts for ten days. In the homes of the celebrators, beautiful cribs are made and Christmas tree are brightly decked up. A star is hung outside the house, and inside the making of sweets and cakes keep everybody busy.

Shops and main commercial centres are gaily decorated. People go shopping for gifts, new clothes and greeting cards to send to their loved ones. Santa Claus'es will be seen standing outside some stores inviting people on streets to come in while delighting little kids with their appearance.

Celebration of Christmas begins on the eve of the festival, on the 24th night with a mid night mass. The twelfth hour is waited upon with carols and praises of baby Jesus. Once the clock strikes twelve, bells outside the church start ringing and fireworks are burst in celebration. 25th is spent meeting friends and relatives. Sweets are exchanged, wine is served and delicious plum cake is gobbled down. Well a day of fun, love and laughter!

History of Christmas Tree

Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Ancient people hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows in the belief that it would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness.

The early Romans celebrated a feast called the Saturnalia in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture, by decorating their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe, the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life.

In the fourteenth century churches held "miracle plays" to tell the people in villages and towns stories from the Bible. Special plays were held at special times of the year, in accordance with the early Christian Calendar of Saints. The play that was held every December 24 was about the Garden of Eden.

The time of year that the play was held created a problem for the actors and the organizers of the play. How do you find an apple tree with fruits in the middle of winter? In Germany, someone solved the problem by cutting down an evergreen tree and tying apples onto it. The idea of a Christmas tree hung with apples caught people's imagination and soon became popular all over Europe. Ever since, red and green, the colours of apples hanging on a pine tree, have been the official colours of the festive season.

As the years passed, the trees were loaded with many more things to eat in addition to apples. Gilded nuts, gingerbread cookies, candies shaped like fruits and vegetables, were hung from the boughs. Brightly decorated eggshells, cut in half and filled with tiny candies, were set in the tree like bird nests. With time, the edible decorations were replaced with those made out of thin, painted metal. And that is how the present day Christmas tree was born!

Decorating the tree is a special job that is shared by everyone in the family. Nowadays glittering glass ornaments, electric lights and shining tinsel have replaced the gilded fruits, pine cones, sweets, apples and candles that were once used as decorations. But the ceremony itself has changed little over the centuries. Colourful and bright, topped with a star or radiant angel, the Christmas tree, green and lush in the winter, is a symbol that life is eternal. The presents below the tree are reminders of the love, joy and close ties that are shared by families and friends.

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