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Christmas Festivals Page| Christmas| Easter| Good Friday | Maunty Thursday
The story of Christmas can be found in two Gospels of the New Testament, the books of St. Matthew and St. Luke. It is from these accounts that many of the symbols and traditions of the holiday grew. According to the 1994 Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, there are 1.8 billion Christians in a total world population of 5.5 billion, making it the largest religion worldwide. In America, 241 million out of a total population of 281 million people are Christians -- that's 85 percent. Because Christians follow Jesus, the birth of Jesus is important to them The Story of ChristmasAlmost two thousand years ago, there lived a young couple who were engaged to be married. They lived in a town called Nazareth in Galilee. One night the young woman, Mary, was visited by an angel named Gabriel, who told her that God had a plan for her. She had been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. She was a little afraid, but the angel reassured her, so she felt that this was true and good. Right before she was to give birth to her baby, she and her husband, Joseph, had to travel to Bethlehem in Judea. The King had ordered everyone to return to their home town to take part in a census. By the time Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, she was about to give birth, and all of the inns were full. They settled in a barn for the night, and Jesus was born and put in a manger for his bed! There were shepherds in a nearby field that night, and an angel came to tell them that the Son of God had been born nearby in a barn. They were a little afraid, but soon many angels sang a beautiful song, and they felt reassured. When they found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the barn, they realized that the angels were right, and they were amazed. Meanwhile, there were three wise men who were also searching for Jesus. These men had seen a special star in the sky, and they knew that it was a sign of the Son of God. They followed the star, and it lead them to the barn. When they found Mary and Joseph, and Jesus, they fell on their knees and worshipped the baby, and presented him with special gifts of gold and incense. More... |
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