By Naveena Prsad M.
Christmas has so many tales to tell. It is celebrated around the world on December 25 every year.
Christmas is celebrated as a religious festival. It is the day on which Jesus Christ was born. But in many parts of Europe, there were celebrations for different reasons.
One reason was that the harsh half of winter was coming to an end. Thus they celebrated to welcome longer and warmer days.
In Scandinavian countries, the celebrations started on December 21. The fathers and sons would collect huge logs and burn them. It would burn for twelve days.
According to German tales, this was the time God Odin made his nocturnal flights to decide who needs to prosper and who needs to perish.
In Rome, this was a time of joy and merriment. During these days, the people involve in festivities as a tribute to Saturn. This one month, the people are treated as equals, eating and drinking plentiful.
Christmas customs include giving gifts, sharing meal with family, decorating the Christmas trees and attending the Church.
It was in 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday in US.