我想要聖誕節的由來 (eng)!quick~

The Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear his faithfulness to the god. The traditions called for the king to die at the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side.

To spare their king, the Mesopotamians used the idea of a "mock" king. A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was given all the respect and privileges of a real king. At the end of the celebration the "mock" king was stripped of the royal clothes and slain, sparing the life of the real king.

The Persians and the Babylonians celebrated a similar festival called the Sacaea. Part of that celebration included the exchanging of places, the slaves would become the masters and the masters were to obey.

Early Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls. As the Winter Solstice approached, with its long cold nights and short days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun.

In Scandinavia during the winter months the sun would disappear for many days. After thirty-five days scouts would be sent to the mountain tops to look for the return of the sun. When the first light was seen the scouts would return with the good news. A great festival would be held, called the Yuletide, and a special feast would be served around a fire burning with the Yule log. Great bonfires would also be lit to celebrate the return of the sun. In some areas people would tie apples to branches of trees to remind themselves that spring and summer would return.

The ancient Greeks held a festival similar to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals to assist their god Kronos who would battle the god Zeus and his Titans.

The Roman's celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival was called Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended January 1st. With cries of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits).

The Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel and green trees lit with candles. Again the masters and slaves would exchange places.

"Jo Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan Saturnalia.

But as Christianity spread they were alarmed by the continuing celebration of pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the Church forbid this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail. Eventually it was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a celebration fit for the Christian Son of God.

Some legends claim that the Christian "Christmas" celebration was invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism was one of Christianity's main rivals at that time. The Church eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from the Saturanilia festival and bringing them to the celebration of Christmas.

The exact day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpointed. Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance of Christmas.

聖誕節的由來
聖誕節是基督徒紀念耶穌誕生的一個重要節日，這一天，全世界所有的基督教會都會舉行特別的禮拜儀式，聚會、唱詩歌…
延續到後來，也衍生出許多和宗教並無半點關聯的聖誕節歡慶活動，比如交換禮物、寄聖誕卡、參加耶誕 Party等，使聖誕節成為一個普天同慶的日子。
「聖誕節」( Christmas)這個名稱是「基督彌撒」( Christ's Mass)的縮寫，根據「聖經」記載，耶穌誕生在猶太的一座小城～伯利恆，而耶蘇是因著聖靈成孕，由童女瑪利亞所生的。
Christmas day origin
Christmas day is the Christian commemorates for an important
holiday which Jesus is born, this day, the world all Christian church
can hold the special week ceremony, the meeting, sings the poetry...
Continued afterwards, also grew many and religious and the non- least
bit connection Christmas day joyfully celebrates the activity, for
instance the exchange gift, sent the Christmas card, participates in
Ye birth Party and so on, caused the Christmas day to become a
worldwide celebration the day.
"The Christmas day" (Christmas) this name is "the Christ mass"
(Christ's Mass) the abbreviation, according to "the Holy Bible" the
record, Jesus is born in a Judea's xiaocheng Bethlehem, but Jesus
is because the Holy Ghost is becoming is pregnant, lives by virgin
female Mary.
聖誕節的起源

教會在開始三個世紀中，除了每個主日及每年的逾越節慶祝主的死亡與復活外，並沒有其他慶節。但到了第四世紀初，這種情形就有了改變。此時期出現一種趨勢，即基督救贖的行為，藉一種以史實為基礎的表達方式，透過不同慶節表現出來，將基督救世奧跡（救恩史）的各階段、層面以獨立的慶節來慶祝。
Christmas day origin
The church in starts in for three centuries, oversteps the festival
besides each Lord's day and every year to celebrate the main death and
reactivating, certainly other have not celebrated the festival. But
arrived the fourth at the beginning of century, this kind of situation
had the change. This time has one kind of tendency, namely Christ
redeems the behavior, the affiliation one kind take the historical
evidence as the foundation expression way, penetrates does not rejoice
alike the festival to display, Christ salvation Austria mark (救恩
history) various stages, the stratification plane celebrate the
festival by the independence to celebrate.