As students are taking their final exams for the Fall 1999semester, people all over the world are preparing to celebrate thefinal Christmas of the century.

Butwhat is it that people celebrate with such grandeur? The arrival ofSanta Claus? Not exactly.

Christmas is one of the most significant holidays of the year forChristians.

It is a celebration honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, whomChristians believe to be the son of God born to be savior of theworld.

It is believed that Jesus was actually born in the springtime, butDec. 25 was chosen by Pope Julius I in the fourth century tocelebrate Jesus’ birth. This was done to incorporate a Christianelement into the long-established winter festivals held for weeks inDecember.

These festivals have been celebrated since prehistoric times. Theancient Romans celebrated Saturn, their harvest god, with feastingand gambling. In northern Europe people celebrated the end of theharvest season by joining in religious rituals, singing and giftgiving, which have become integrated into the Christmas celebrationsof today.

The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, which is an earlyEnglish phrase meaning Christ’s mass.

The word “Xmas” is sometimes used in place of Christmas, atradition which started in the early Christian church. In Greek, X isthe first letter of Christ’s name and was often used as a holysymbol.

Christmas was declared a federal holiday in America on June 26,1870.

Thelegend of the candy cane

It is believed that a candy maker in Indiana wanted to invent acandy that was a witness to Christ. The result was the candy cane.

This hard candy was shaped to resemble a “J” for Jesus. He made itwhite to represent the purity of Christ. A red stripe was added torepresent the blood Christ shed for the sins of the world. Sometimesa green stripe is added as a reminder that Jesus is a gift from God.The peppermint flavor of the cane is similar to hyssop, a member ofthe mint family, and was used in the Old Testament for purificationand sacrifice.

The legend of the Christmas tree

It is believed that the Christmas tree originated in Germany inthe mid-700s. The Evergreen tree represents life, and at Christmastime it is decorated and taken into people’s homes. The tree is arepresentation of the life of Jesus Christ and was known as theChrist Tree.