While it is a Christian holiday , Christmas traditions have become so popular that today it is celebrated in many countries and homes around the world . It is common for many people who are not Christians , but do not celebrate all traditions and rituals , at least get together with friends or family to share a Christmas table. Beyond the decorations and Christmas cards , gifts and the Christmas table , carols and popular religious rites or celebrations , there is a reason why the rituals and traditions are celebrated .
Obviously , as a Catholic holiday Christmas is an important celebration. The Catholic Church believes that Easter is the most important celebration of the Catholic calendar , but Christmas is a popular festival , bringing together several traditions and requires more preparation and participation, especially by the children of the family.
Childhood memories
The most beautiful Christmas memories from my childhood were the preparations. My two families , paternal and maternal , like many Argentines were of European origin. My father's family was of German and Polish - a mixture of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish converts - Swiss origin , while my mother's family were all Italian and deep Catholic belief . Therefore, we had the best of all worlds. The food and desserts delicious German and Polish and Catholic religious traditions.
A few days before Christmas to celebrate , we went to the house of my maternal grandmother who had a large collection of crib figures . As I recall, they were probably 25 to 30 pieces. Because it is so large, we installed on the floor. We put the Christmas tree in a corner of the entrance hall and my grandmother pulled a chair to accommodate the large manger.
Then the older arming a series of mountains and valleys paper - wood resembling the landscape of Bethlehem , mirrors lined with small pebbles that looked like lakes or water holes for animals to calm down their thirst , and trees and small pine - though not native place . There my sister, my cousins and we placed the figures that made up the crib, while my grandmother told us the story of the birth and as the child had come to save us all .
The whole scene was wonderfully uneven roads with sand and my aunt was getting from a nearby square . At the highest elevation , we placed the barn , a small wooden building and paper mache with a star hanging on top of the altar , illuminated with a small light bulb that my uncle installed in the back of the scene. When the light was turned on, a star lit up the scene and was reflected in the faces of the ceramic figures . It was a moment that , as a child , left me breathless.
The rites and traditions, important components of culture
I realize now that these were years in which there was no time for the family to collaborate on a joint project , that the elders had enough time to find the materials , and the patience to let kids help in the project.
The task of the biblical accounts grandmother were adapted to children's ears with great fondness and a hint of authority, the authority given to the traditions and rituals . We listened enraptured .
As a young man and has long believed that the rites and traditions were the rules of society necessary for others to live by them , the rules needed to break them or disobey them. But now that I have spent many Christmases in my life, I recall those moments.
Beyond the religious meaning , rites and traditions of Christmas , like many other times in life , are there to remind us that we are a global community, we depend on each other to recognize and know who we are . The rituals and traditions bring us together and apart , no matter what or why we celebrate , for God has many faces .
The important thing is re- meet as part of a larger human community at the time to share a table, light a candle , in the light of a star that illuminates the manger or the invocation of our ancestors. The rituals and traditions help us understand that achieving unity always involves a commitment and a sense of community and common purpose must take precedence over personal egoism .
Finally , rituals and traditions give us a time of reflection and memory , not to miss a past that no longer exists or to agitate for a future that is uncertain, but to dwell on the present and think how we can be better parents, children, spouses , neighbors, citizens of this country and this world . In short, how we can become better human beings.
Obviously , as a Catholic holiday Christmas is an important celebration. The Catholic Church believes that Easter is the most important celebration of the Catholic calendar , but Christmas is a popular festival , bringing together several traditions and requires more preparation and participation, especially by the children of the family.
Childhood memories
The most beautiful Christmas memories from my childhood were the preparations. My two families , paternal and maternal , like many Argentines were of European origin. My father's family was of German and Polish - a mixture of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish converts - Swiss origin , while my mother's family were all Italian and deep Catholic belief . Therefore, we had the best of all worlds. The food and desserts delicious German and Polish and Catholic religious traditions.
A few days before Christmas to celebrate , we went to the house of my maternal grandmother who had a large collection of crib figures . As I recall, they were probably 25 to 30 pieces. Because it is so large, we installed on the floor. We put the Christmas tree in a corner of the entrance hall and my grandmother pulled a chair to accommodate the large manger.
Then the older arming a series of mountains and valleys paper - wood resembling the landscape of Bethlehem , mirrors lined with small pebbles that looked like lakes or water holes for animals to calm down their thirst , and trees and small pine - though not native place . There my sister, my cousins and we placed the figures that made up the crib, while my grandmother told us the story of the birth and as the child had come to save us all .
The whole scene was wonderfully uneven roads with sand and my aunt was getting from a nearby square . At the highest elevation , we placed the barn , a small wooden building and paper mache with a star hanging on top of the altar , illuminated with a small light bulb that my uncle installed in the back of the scene. When the light was turned on, a star lit up the scene and was reflected in the faces of the ceramic figures . It was a moment that , as a child , left me breathless.
The rites and traditions, important components of culture
I realize now that these were years in which there was no time for the family to collaborate on a joint project , that the elders had enough time to find the materials , and the patience to let kids help in the project.
The task of the biblical accounts grandmother were adapted to children's ears with great fondness and a hint of authority, the authority given to the traditions and rituals . We listened enraptured .
As a young man and has long believed that the rites and traditions were the rules of society necessary for others to live by them , the rules needed to break them or disobey them. But now that I have spent many Christmases in my life, I recall those moments.
Beyond the religious meaning , rites and traditions of Christmas , like many other times in life , are there to remind us that we are a global community, we depend on each other to recognize and know who we are . The rituals and traditions bring us together and apart , no matter what or why we celebrate , for God has many faces .
The important thing is re- meet as part of a larger human community at the time to share a table, light a candle , in the light of a star that illuminates the manger or the invocation of our ancestors. The rituals and traditions help us understand that achieving unity always involves a commitment and a sense of community and common purpose must take precedence over personal egoism .
Finally , rituals and traditions give us a time of reflection and memory , not to miss a past that no longer exists or to agitate for a future that is uncertain, but to dwell on the present and think how we can be better parents, children, spouses , neighbors, citizens of this country and this world . In short, how we can become better human beings.
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