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Christmas Traditions: Celebrations
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The variations of the Christmas traditions of USA equal the number active cultures that have settled in the land. These cultural contributions were given a new lease of life by creative artists, authors, poets and songwriters, and it was melded together by the power of secular and commercialized media in record companies, radio stations, television, cinemas and now the internet. The unwritten law of media is the presentation of a seemingly uniform celebration of the Christmas traditions of USA. This is responsible for the world wide acceptance of a universal Christmas image which they get from the media. Nevertheless, the celebrations are peculiar to each region.
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Christmas traditions and celebrations at UNI have come and gone over the years. Some, such as the Messiah performance and the Tree Lighting Ceremony, have had remarkable staying power. Some have arisen suddenly and disappeared quickly. Just about all of them have evolved in the light of their own times and circumstances. In recent years there seems to have been a trend away from large, community gatherings and toward smaller celebrations. Perhaps the sheer size of the campus community makes this necessary.
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Christmas Day is traditionally celebrated on December 25 in most of the Western world. Theologians have not agreed on the actual date of Jesus’ birth; calculations based alternately on the reign of Herod and the time of the census as recorded in the New Testament book of Luke have created discrepancies. The ancient celebrations of the day have their origins in neo-paganism. Despite its godless origins, parents are encouraged to celebrate the greatest gift of all -- Jesus Christ.
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Many of these traditions began with the Mesopotamian celebration of the New Year. The Mesopotamians worshipped many gods, the chief of whom was Marduk. Each year as winter arrived, it was believed that Marduk would battle the Monsters of Chaos. In order to assist Marduk during his struggle, the Mesopotamians held a festival for the New Year. They called this celebration Zagmuk and the festivities lasted for twelve days.
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