born on the 25th of December, all join to participate in the Christmas celebration. Apart from the festive aspect of Christmas, Christmas in Nigeria is also a time of great joy when families get together and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, a time of re-union when cities and urban areas become virtually empty as people travel to their villages and hometowns from various parts of the country and even outside the country to celebrate the holidays with their families and kinsmen. The exodus usually begins one week before the Christmas day which usually experiences increase in road traffic and a noticeable hike in transport fares. These days, some State governments in the predominantly Christian areas of Igboland usually provide free transportation for their citizens travelling home from far areas of the country.
It is a time when children expect new clothes, “afe Christmas”, in Igboland, from their parents, which they adorn on Christmas day as they go from house to house in the neighborhood receiving Christmas gifts, usually in the form of small amounts of money which most of the children use to buy firecrackers.
During Christmas, many towns and cities are emptied as most Nigerians who have moved to the cities return to their ancestral villages to be with family and to bless those who are less fortunate. The major gift shared during Christmas in Nigeria is either money or materials; Christmas is also a time of sending “Christmas greetings”(cards) to personal and family friends and well-wishers to wish them happy Christmas and a prosperous new year in advance. The Christmas day proper features exchange of oral Christmas greetings in the respective languages of various parts of the country. While Igbos mostly use the English language version of “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Christmas, other tribes use their native respective languages, like ‘barka dà Kirsìmatì’ in Hausa language, ‘E ku odun, e ku iye’dun’ in Yoruba land; among the Fulani, ‘Jabbama be salla Kirismati’, among the Ibibio, ‘Idara ukapade isua’, ‘Iselogbe’ among the Edo and so on.
In most countries of the world, Christmas Day, 25th December, is usually held as a public holiday, (work free day by the respective governments, while most businesses are closed on that day in most parts of the world.
To most Christians, Christmas means “Christ-mass, an annual Christian festival believed by most Christians to be celebrating Christ’s birth, held on December 25 in the Western Church. The tradition of observing date of December 25 for Christmas goes back as far as A.D. 273.
Two pagan festivals honouring the sun were also celebrated on that day and it is possible that December 25 was chosen to counteract the influence of paganism. Because of this connection, to this day, some people feel uncomfortable with Christmas because they think it is somehow tainted by the pagan festivals held on that day. However Christian denominations, notably the Roman Church, have long believed that the gospel not only transcends culture, but also transforms it. In A.D. 320 one theologian answered this criticism by noting, “We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it.”
The story of Christmas continued after the ancient celebrations were adopted by the Catholic Church. The church does not deny it. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome. This theory finds support in some of the Church Fathers contrasting the birth of Christ and the winter solstice. Though the substitution of Christmas for the pagan festival cannot be proved with certainty, it remains the most plausible explanation for the dating of Christmas” (1967, Vol. 3, p. 656).
Two Theories
There are two specific theories for why the date of December 25th is used for Christmas. One theory has it that people and religions of the day celebrated some sort of holiday around that time. From Jewish Chanukah to Pagan Winter Solstice to Germanic Yule to Roman Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birth of the Unconquered Sun); the sheer number of celebration days with trees, decorations, yule logs, mistletoe and feasts seem to point to a season of celebration to which Christians added the birth of Jesus as a counter-cultural event and possibly even an escape from the pagan holidays for early believers.
December 25th was the Saturnalia Festival of emancipation, gift giving and the triumph of light after the longest night. Under the influence of the church, Christian traditions replaced pagan solstice festivals throughout Europe. Often the more innocent pagan practices (such as bringing in a Yule log, decorating with holly and the like) were carried over into the Christmas observance, transfigured with new meaning. The Christian sees the truth implicit in this pagan tradition that reflects: Christ the Light of the world, His triumph over the night of sin in Luke 1:78-79.
The second theory centers around the date “accepted” by the Western Church of March 25 as the Annunciation or Immaculate Conception of Jesus in Mary’s womb. December 25 is 9 months later and thus celebrated as the birthday of Jesus. Regardless of the possible reasons for the date, the church calendar was set in the West during Constantine’s reign while the Eastern Church held onto the date of January 6 for some time.
The Origin of Christmas Eve
For centuries, Christmas was celebrated not as a single day, but as a whole season in parts of the world, beginning with this day, December 24, Christmas Eve. Perhaps the practice of celebrating the evening before the big day is an echo from ancient Jewish reckoning. Among earlier Jews, a day began at six in the evening and ran until six the following evening. Had not Moses written: “An evening and a morning were the first day”?
The Origin of the Christmas Tree
Among the many accounts claiming to explain the origin of the Christmas tree, the three most popular are from Germany making it the likeliest place of origin. The stories span from the 8th to the 16th century. All three have some element of historical fact, and they may even loosely connect from one to another.
1. The first story is about St. Boniface. In the 8th century, he was a missionary to some of the remotest tribes of Germany. He is probably best known for what is called the “Felling of Thor’s Oak.” It is said that upon entering a town in northern Hesse (Hessia), Boniface learned that the people worshiped the god Thor who they believed resided in a great oak tree among them. Boniface determined that if he wanted to earn an audience with the people, he would have to confront Thor. He announced before the people that he was going to cut down the oak, and he openly challenged Thor to strike him down. Miraculously, as Boniface began to chop the oak, a mighty wind blew and hurled the tree to the ground. Tradition holds that a fir tree was growing in the roots of the oak, and Boniface claimed the tree as a symbol of Christ. Needless to say, the people readily accepted Boniface’s message, and the tree eventually came to be associated with the birth of Christ and a celebration of the day when the mighty God (who could hurl a gigantic oak to the ground) chose to humbly enter the world as a babe.
2. Another possible source of the Christmas tree (and probably the most likely) comes from medieval religious plays in Germany. Among the most popular of these plays was the “Paradise” play. It started with the creation of man, acted out the first sin, and showed Adam and Eve being expelled from Paradise (the Garden of Eden). It closed with the promise of a coming Savior, which made the play a particular favorite during the Christmas season. In the play, the Garden of Eden was most often represented by a fir tree hung with apples and surrounded by candles.
3. A third tradition about the origin of the Christmas tree attributes it to Martin Luther, an influential leader of the Reformation. Some say that on Christmas Eve, Luther was walking through the woods near his home. He was struck by the beauty of how the snow shimmered in the moonlight on the branches of the trees. In an effort to re-create the magnificent sight for his family, he cut down the tree, placed it in his home, and decorated it with candles.
Christians Who Don’t Celebrate Christmas and Why
While Christmas is a global phenomenon, there are many people as well as some churches who do not participate in the global event based on various reasons, most of them anchored on the anti-Christian or biblical origin and significance of Christmas. By this reason, most of the anti-Christmas Christians do not share the belief that Christmas is a commemoration of the birth of Christ or any of beliefs linking Christmas with Christianity.
Some of the anti-Christmas proponents argue that hey cannot find Christmas in the Bible, nor can they find in the Bible that Jesus Christ told his Apostles or other followers to observe Christmas. For these reasons, they regard Christmas as false since it has nothing to do with Christ or His birthday.They attribute the popularity of Christmas to business people across the globe, who have increasingly promoted Christmas they make most of their income during this time of the year. During Christmas, many people go in debt to buy various items for celebration or to give gifts to other people, which in turn motivates other people to give gifts to them. For them, it makes no sense to keep a religious holiday that is not biblical, that Christ never sanctioned, that promotes lying to children, that puts people in debt and that blinds people to what Christ really taught.”
The major points used by opponents of Christmas can be articulated in the points listed by BrainnewsRadio.com
1. Jesus Christ was NOT born on December 25th
2. Jesus did NOT celebrate his Birth
3. Jesus did NOT command us to celebrate His birth
4. Christmas is of pagan origin
5. Christmas is NOT in the Bible.
Christmas is an addition to God’s word
7. Christmas has made its partakers liers (that Christ was born on December 25th)
8. There is division as regards the date of Christmas celebration (some observe Dec. 25th, January 6th, etc.)
9. Many evils are associated with Christmas
10. Many of the activities connected with Christmas are idolatory
11. None of the inspired apostles ever celebrated Christmas
Prominent among the Christian denominations opposed to the celebration of Christmas include the Jevohah’s Witness organization. The organization used to observe Christmasas until 1928, after further study by the organization. According to spokesman J.R. Brown from the church’s Brooklyn, New York, headquartehers, this findings led to the church dropping the holiday when she found that it is based on“false religious beliefs or activities” that had pagan roots..
The major reason why they do not celebrate Christmas is because they believe the Bible would have said something if Christmas observance was important. In Brown’s words, Witnesses now ask themselves “does this please God, when it is not mentioned in the scriptures?” In the same vein, Jehovah Witnesses shun birthdays, Halloween, Easter, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Day, and Valentine’s Day because of their pagan origins.
However, the organization does not prevent others from honouring the day. Brown says, “If someone is dealing with you and they say, ‘Merry Christmas,’ we do not go into a sermon about the pagan origins. You don’t make an issue of it every time because we have to face the fact that they mean well when they say ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Another church that is also against the celebration of Christmas is Seventh Day Adventist Church. A publication from the group that goes to church on Saturdays says that “We do not celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ per se since Christ was not born in December. He did not want us to celebrate His birth or He would have told us when He was born. It has become a money-making celebration with Christ mixed in. It is a pagan ritual.
“We join in to be with the Family or friends to celebrate their friendship and love as a family gathering and for the Children. Easter too is a pagan holiday and we do not celebrate the Name but we honour Christ’s Resurrection and keep the day in mind on what He has done for us. We do not make an issue out of it but quietly honour Christ….it’s a gathering also for the Children. It is a personal Choice.”
Deeper Life Church, headed by Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, is another Christian denomination that does not celebrate Christmas. Explaining why, Pastor Kumuyi said: “We don’t celebrate Christmas nor sing Christmas carol because Christmas is of idolatrous background.”
God’s Kingdom Society (GKS) is another church that is anti-Christmas. According to the church’s official website, they believe that there is no single evidence in the Bible that Jesus Christ was born on the 25th of December. Rather, they believe that He was born in October and that Christmas originated from “a noisy pagan festival in honour of the god of the sun”. While other Christians celebrate Christmas in December, this church celebrates the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ in October on a day called the Freedom Day.
Also in the list of Christian groups against Christmas celebration is Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. This church believes that “every day is a holy day,” so there is no need to single out just one day to celebrate. Another reason why they do not celebrate Christmas is that some Quakers are trying to go back to the ways of early Christianity. Chris Pifer, a spokesman for the Friends General Conference, says, “There’s an effort within aspects of Quaker practice to try and explore and find primitive Christianity, the church before it became a political entity. “In very early Christianity, there weren’t holidays like Christmas anywhere close to the form it is today.”
Wikipedia reports that 52% of the group around the world can be Africans. Kenya reportedly has the largest number of Quakers in this continent. According to the church’s website, fwccafrica.org, the Nigerian branch started as a small worship group in Lagos in the early 1990’s.
Another Christian denomination, Mountain of Fire Ministries (MFM) doesn’t celebrate Christmas too. According to the founder, Pastor D.K. Olukoya, “We don’t celebrate Christmas because the root is demonic.”
Regardless of what these churches believe, billions of Christians and non Christians around the world continue to mark December 25 each year as Christ’s birthday.
Christmas or Xmas?
Christmas is also sometimes known as Xmas. Some people don’t think it’s correct to call Christmas ‘Xmas’ as that takes the ‘Christ’ (Jesus) out of Christmas. (As Christmas comes from Christ-Mass, the Church service that celebrated the birth of Jesus).
But that is not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced ‘kye’ – it rhymes with ‘eye’) which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos. The early church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet ‘chi’ and ‘rho’ to create a monogram (symbol) to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top:☧
The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians (you might see a fish sticker on a car or someone wearing a little fish badge). This comes from the time when the first Christians had to meet in secret, as the Romans wanted to kill them (before Emperor Constantine became a Christian). Jesus had said that he wanted to make his followers ‘Fishers of Men’, so people started to use that symbol.
When two Christians met, one person drew half a basic fish shape (often using their foot in the dust on the ground) and the other person drew the other half of the fish. The Greek word for fish is ‘Ikthus’ or ‘Ichthys’. There are five Greek letters in the word. It can also make up a sentence of Christian beliefs ‘Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r’ which in English means “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour”. The second letter of these five letter is X or Christos.
So Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced ‘Christmas’ rather than ‘ex-mas’.
In an article by R. C. Sproul, he explained that the X in Christmas is used like the R in R.C. “My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me by my initials, R.C., and nobody seems to be too scandalized by that.
X can mean so many things. For example, when we want to denote an unknown quantity, we use the symbol X. It can refer to an obscene level of films, something that is X-rated. People seem to express chagrin about seeing Christ’s name dropped and replaced by this symbol for an unknown quantity X. Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, “Put Christ back into Christmas” as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ.
First of all, you have to understand that it is not the letter X that is put into Christmas. We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X. That X has come through church history to be a shorthand symbol for the name of Christ. We don’t see people protesting the use of the Greek letter theta, which is an O with a line across the middle. We use that as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the word Theos, the Greek word for God.
A Christmas Without Fear
Nigerian Christians and other lovers of Christmas in Nigeria may banish the fear of insecurity as they travel to their various home for this year’s Christmas celebrations, including those traveling home from abroad. Reason being that the Nigerian army has vowed to ensure that this year’s Christmas is celebrated without any incidence of crime of any sot, including armed robbery and kidnaping.
This assurance was given a few weeks ago by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai while explaining the rationale behind the on-going military exercise across the country, code-named Atilogwu Udo, which kicked off on November 1st across Nigeria which he said was targeted at a peaceful Yuletide celebration, saying it is not targeted at any individual or group.
The exercise kicked off with a summit on civil-media-military relations, which was held in Enugu for journalists, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the zone, with the theme ‘Galvanizing citizens’ support for military operations through the media, which Buratai said was meant to sharpen the operations of men of the military and also help curb crime during the period.
According to Buratai: “This summit is held in line with our desire to keep members of the public informed on military activities, exercises and operations that are routinely conducted in the country and especially in the South East zone. This summit is to ensure that the media will be able to inform the people correctly especially on the operations of the military as it relates exercise Atilogwu udo 1.
“As you know, our brothers abroad dread coming home for Christmas for fear of kidnap. The peak of it was in 2015, when many people were kidnaped during the Yuletide. This informed the reason for exercise Egwu eke. This exercise has been helping to curb kidnaping, abduction, robberies and other violent crimes, and allows Ndigbo to come home and celebrate in peace and even invest.”
“The summit is intended to create a civil, media and military relationship and cause the media to orientate the people on what exercise Atilogwu Udo was all about. This exercise which started on November 1 will check cattle rustling, kidnaping, robbery and other violent crimes. It is not targeted at any individual, but to consolidate on the successes of exercise Python dance one and two.”
THE ECHO 