About 2000 years ago, on the evening of December 25, Jesus Christ was born into the world. This was foretold by Jewish prophets hundreds of years before His birth. This Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, an obscure village in Palestine. He would be the Messiah that would come and save mankind from their sins.
Throughout the centuries, the story of Christ’s birth has been told from generation to generation. Along the way, this tradition has evolved based on culture and history. Studies have shown that September, during the annual Feast of Tabernacles, was the most probable month when Christ was born. This is due to the fact that the setting of the Nativity as told in the Bible states that flocks of sheep were in the surrounding fields at that time. This occurrence could only be plausible during spring or autumn and not during the wintry month of December. Winter would also be a particularly difficult time for an expecting mother, Mary, to travel the long distance of 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There are also many other speculations concerning the time of Christ’s birth.
Choosing December 25 as Christmas Day was the first tradition established by the Catholic Church in the fourth century. About this time, the popular Roman feast of Saturnalia — an orgy of food and wine, was celebrated wantonly. The Church then wished to replace this pagan festival with a Christian holiday, which will be as festive but more holy and acceptable to the community.
Due to the forcible conversion to Catholicism by the Spanish friars on Filipino pagans, the Philippines started celebrating Christmas similar to the way we do today. It involved a gathering of family members that share sumptuous meals called Media Noche which is partaken on Christmas Eve and Noche Buena on Christmas Day. There was also an exchange of gifts among members of the family so that they can share the blessings they have received among their loved ones. Christ’s birth was distinctly commemorated with belens featuring the Nativity in many homes and the farol hanging outside their houses. Farols were local versions of the Mexican luminaria, a lantern made of clay with holes shaped like stars, which are put outside homes to show everyone is welcome. When the Americans came, the idea of Santa Claus was introduced. Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”, firmly established the Christmas-Santa Claus connection. This introduced custom ruined the unique Filipino-Spanish Christmas tradition. Instead of the Nativity, Santa Claus became the focus of Christmas. Christmas carols featuring sleigh bells ringing and jingle bells, Frosty the Snowman and chestnuts roasting on an open fire became the more popular themes. Now, most of the customs associated with Christmas were those invented in America about 150 years ago, including the notion of families caring for happy children around a fire.
Today, the Christmas holy day has been inevitably corrupted by commercialism that is cloaked in generous to worldly gift-giving instead of the spirit of sharing. But it is the time of the year when the less fortunate feel their hunger and want comfort more ardently, as they witness their fellow brethren partake of lavish feasts and splurge on material gifts. The challenge of the faithful is to never forsake the true meaning of the greatest present that God has given us. He sacrificed the human life of His only son Jesus, so that man will have the gift of eternal life. May our children and grandchildren bear in mind this sacred message of unconditional love, kindness and charity toward others not only during the Christmas season, but also throughout the entire year.