Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual festival
commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December25 as
a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the
season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of
Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates
on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an Octave.
Christmas
Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated
culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part
of the holiday season.
The celebratory customs associated in various countries
with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and
origins.
Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing
an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a
Christingle, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal,
and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees,
Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.
In
addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as
Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated
with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own
body of traditions and lore.
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