Grottoes, mangers, stars, Christmas trees… are indispensable symbols every time Christmas comes.
>>> Why is there Christmas? (first)
The Advent wreath is a circle made of green branches and leaves that is often placed on a table or hung high for all to see during the 4 weeks of Advent. On leaves placed within 4 candles.
The round leaf wreath represents the eternal character and endless love of God. Green represents the hope that the Savior will come to save people. 4 candles include three purple ones, the color of Advent, the 4th tree is pink, the color of the third Sunday of Advent; or 4 red candles, every week of Advent burns 1 candle.
During the Christmas season, a manger placed in a cave (or wood) is erected indoors or outdoors, with images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, surrounded by angels, shepherds and cattle such as cows and donkeys to tell the story of Jesus’ birth in a manger.
Santa Claus is a symbol of kindness, always bringing good luck and peace to everyone. He often rode his reindeer in the sky, went to the house with the Christmas tree and climbed the chimney to bring presents to the sleeping children and often left the presents in stockings.
Every Christmas, people often buy a pine tree and decorate it with stars, pearls, glittering tinsel, flowers on top… The tree is considered a symbol of hope and vitality. new in the festival to welcome the new year.
The light of the candles is meant to light up hope, peace, love and joy.
The star is a meaningful symbol in the Christmas season and is always hung in the most solemn place in the synagogues, on the Christmas tree… The image of the star is the symbol of God’s promise from the past. God promised to send a savior to the world, and the star was the pledge of His promise. Christians believe that the star light is the powerful power of God, dispelling the darkness of the cold winter night, lighting up a warm and happy new spring for all peoples.
Christmas presents are gifts that show people’s love to family and friends. When Jesus was born crying in Bethlehem in a manger, three wise men from the East came to pay their respects. They brought three precious gifts, namely gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold means that Jesus is king, frankincense to confess Jesus as God and myrrh foretell the suffering and death of Jesus to redeem mankind.
The poor people with almost no possessions also brought whatever they could to pay their respects to the Child Jesus. The shepherds gave Jesus fruit and small toys of their own making.
Children hope to receive gifts the most. On Christmas Day, it is customary for children to hang socks by the fireplace to receive their dream gifts from Santa. Everyone in the family also took this opportunity to give gifts to the children with the hope that they would be obedient and study well.
The ancestors of Westerners used to gather firewood in the chimney of the house, they believed that the more the fire rattled, the evil spirits would stay away. Today, the custom is lost because not many houses have chimneys. Instead, on the initiative of a baker in France, in 1875, people made a cake shaped like a firewood tree for people to enjoy on Christmas Eve and handed down to this day.
A Christmas market is a traditional street market held at Christmas (usually starting about a month before Christmas) that originated in what is now Germany and Northeastern France. Beginning to appear at the end of the Middle Ages (about the 14th century), until now, Christmas markets are still a unique traditional culture of Germany, Austria and Northeast France during Christmas, as well as being popular. to many other countries around the world.