Christmas festival celebration
Christmas , Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus . The English term Christmas (“mass on Christ’s day”) is of fairly recent origin. The earlier term Yule may have derived from the Germanic jell or the Anglo-Saxon Goel , which referred to the feast of the winter solstice . The corresponding terms in other languages — Navidad in Spanish , Natale in Italian , Noël in French —all probably denote nativity . The German word Weihnachten denotes “hallowed night.” Since the early 20th century, Christmas has also been a secular family holiday , observed by Christians and non-Christians alike, devoid of Christian elements, and marked by an increasingly elaborate exchange of gifts. In this secular Christmas celebration, a mythical figure named Santa Claus plays the pivotal role. Origin and...