Christmas Day #1

by Kathy Bassett

Title

Christmas Day #1

Artist

Kathy Bassett

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Photo Painting - Digital Art

Description

Wanting an impressionist feel, and a want for lots of movement and texture, my photograph on a snowy foggy day was thus rendered, mothers and daughters, presents and special moments as the sun sets on a perfect day, heading back to the barn and then home for Christmas dinner! When is Christmas Day?
Christmas Cards available at discounts for larger orders.
Christmas Day celebrates the Nativity of Jesus which (traditionally, but unlikely in reality) took place 25 December 1 BC. 25 December will be a public holiday in most countries around the world. If 25 December falls on a weekend, then a nearby week day may be taken as a holiday in lieu. For a list of countries who have holidays over the Christmas period, check our 2015 Christmas dates list.
Not all countries celebrate Christmas on 25 December, and it is not a public holiday in many countries. Read 'Christmas Day around the world' for more details.
History of the holiday
Whilst the holiday has a strong grounding in the story of the birth of Jesus, many of the traditions we associate with Christmas have evolved from pre-christian beliefs and certainly the traditions have evolved beyond purely a Christian holiday to have a wider secular significance.
The celebration of Christmas in late December is certainly as a result of pre-existing celebrations happening at that time, marking the Winter Solstice.
Most notable of these is Yule (meaning 'Feast'), a winter pagan festival that was originally celebrated by Germanic people. The exact date of Yule depends on the lunar cycle but it falls from late December to early January. In some Northern Europe countries, the local word for Christmas has a closer linguistic tie to 'Yule' than 'Christmas', and it is still a term that may be used for Christmas in some English-speaking countries. Several Yule traditions are familiar to the modern celebration of Christmas, such as Yule Log, the custom of burning a large wooden log on the fire at Christmas; or indeed carol singing, which is surprisingly a very ancient tradition.
Did you know?
22% of men leave their Christmas shopping until the last two days before Christmas. Only 9% of women do the same. And 12% of us don't even start our Christmas shopping until the January sales.
More Christmas Day facts

Uploaded

August 31st, 2016

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