圣诞节的由来
“圣诞节”这个名称，其实是“基督弥撒”的缩写。弥撒，指的是教会的一种特定礼拜仪式。所以，圣诞节本质上是一个宗教节日，旨在庆祝耶稣的诞生。这一天，世界各地的基督教堂都会举行特别的礼拜仪式。不过话说回来，如今许多圣诞节的庆祝活动，其实已经与宗教关联不大了。像交换礼物、寄送圣诞卡这些习俗，早已成为全球共庆圣诞的现代方式。
耶稣诞生的故事
故事要从加利利的一座城——拿撒勒说起。一位名叫马利亚的童女，已经许配给了约瑟。就在他们成婚之前，马利亚因圣灵而怀了孕。她的未婚夫约瑟得知后，本想暗中将她休弃。正当他思虑此事时，主的使者加百列在梦中向他显现，告诉他不必害怕，只管迎娶马利亚为妻。因为马利亚将要生一个儿子，要给他起名叫耶稣，寓意他将把自己的百姓从罪恶中拯救出来。
在耶稣即将诞生之际，当时治理叙利亚的居里扭颁布命令，要求众人各归故城进行登记。约瑟于是从加利利的拿撒勒城，前往犹太地区大卫的城，也就是伯利恒，因为他是大卫家族的后裔。与他同去的，是他已订婚且身怀六甲的妻子马利亚。他们到达伯利恒时，马利亚产期已到，生下了头胎的儿子。她用襁褓将婴儿包裹好，安放在马槽里，因为客店里已经没有他们的地方了。
节日的演变
圣诞节，作为纪念耶稣诞生的节日，定在每年的12月25日。但一个有趣的事实是，其实并没有人确切知道耶稣出生的具体日期。圣诞节成为今天这样广受欢迎的全球性节日，其进程与一些现代元素的出现密不可分：圣诞卡的概念在1846年问世，而那位欢乐的圣诞老人形象，则是在19世纪才开始流行起来的。
The name Christmas is short for “Christ's Mass”. A Mass is a kind of Church service. Christmas is a religious festival. It is the day we celebrate as the birthday of Jesus. There are special christmas services in Christian churches all over the world. But many of the festivities of Christmas do not ha ve anything to do with religion. Exchanging gifts and sending Christmas cards are the modern ways of celebrating the Christmas in the world.
The birth of Jesus had a story: In Nazareth, a city of Galilee. The virgin's name was Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was minded to put her away secretly. While he thought about these things, Gabriel, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him did not be afraid to take Mary as wife. And Mary will bring forth a Son, and he shall call his name, Jesus, for he will sa ve his people from their sins.
Before Jesus births, Joseph and Mary came to Quirnius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up out of Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of Da vid, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and of the lineage of Da vid, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to bedelivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And that, Christmas is the feast of the nativity of Jesus, is on 25th, December every year. But nobody know the actual birthday of Jesus. And the Christmas has become popular when Christmas cards appeared in 1846 and the concept of a jolly Santa Claus was first made popular in nineteenth Century.
