2023高中生作文500字篇9

Christmas, annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of JesusChrist. Most members of the Roman Catholic Church and followers of Protestantismcelebrate Christmas on December 25, and many celebrate on the evening ofDecember 24 as well. Members of the Eastern Orthodox Church usually delay theirmost important seasonal ceremonies until January 6, when they celebrateEpiphany, a commemoration of the baptism of Jesus. Epiphany also traditionallycommemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men of the East in Bethlehem (nearJerusalem, Israel), where they adored the infant Jesus and presented him withgifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The official Christmas season, popularlyknown as either Christmastide or the Twelve Days of Christmas, extends from theanniversary of Christ’s birth on December 25 to the feast of Epiphany on January6.

Christmas is based on the story of Jesus’ birth as described in the Gospelaccording to Matthew (see Matthew 1:18-2:12) and the Gospel according to Luke(see Luke 1:26-56). Roman Catholics first celebrated Christmas, then known asthe Feast of the Nativity, as early as 336 ad. The word Christmas entered theEnglish language sometime around 1050 as the Old English phrase Christes maesse,meaning “festival of Christ.” Scholars believe the frequently used shortenedform of Christmas—Xmas—may have come into use in the 13th century. The X standsfor the Greek letter chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ), and alsorepresents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.