Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that, for Christians, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on December 25, but this date is not known to be Jesus' actual birthday, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived  or the date of the northern hemisphere's winter solstice. Christmas is central to the Festive and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is 5 January, with the celebrations of Christmas traditionally ending on Twelfth Night and is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions the first day of the Epiphany and the twelfth day of Christmas overlap.

The Christmas period is also a celebration of family, one that many non-practising Christians and people of other religions are comfortable accepting as their own. Every family that celebrates Christmas practices its own customs. During these celebrations family members sometimes exchange presents. To lighten up the day, people decorate their homes with bright lights and, most importantly, with Christmas trees

The religious attend special masses and church services and after it many South Africans choose to spend the day with their families enjoying home-cooked Christmas lunches, sometimes a braai, or out at a restaurants where someone else does the cooking.   Many can also be found soaking up the sun on the beaches.

No matter how you deem it neccesary to spend the Public Holiday, may you have a great Holiday Season.

And to all the people who do celebrate the Christian Holiday - Our Best wishes acompany you for a Happy Christmas and a magnificent New Year!

Regards,
SmartCape team.

Sources:

• Newadvent 

Page Updated: 23 December 2011