The Amazing History of Christmas | 5-Minute Videos | PragerU

How much do you know about Christmas—about its origins and its many beloved traditions? Do you know where the idea of stocking-stuffers comes from? Or how lights found their way onto the Christmas tree? Or why we all have the jolly, red-suited, white-haired image of Santa Claus in our heads? In this video, historian William Federer explores the holiday’s rich and unique history.

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[steveguti]

Wishing everyone a happy blessed merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ praise God praying for everyone Everyday God bless you all....

[steveguti]

Jesus Christ is the reason for the season praise the Lord praise God praying for everyone Everyday God bless you all

[mvtghcc]

In general, Christmas isn’t celebrated as beautifully and as reverently as it used to be but it is still and always be the celebration of Christ’s birth, my Lord!

[michaelburdi]

This is wonderful to know where these traditions come from! Thank you so much for this!

[mileslong]

I was surprised to find out that St Nicholas is from Bari, Italy. I went there last summer, and visited the cathedral. Bones of old St Nick are still there. A beautiful church, and a wonderful town to visit.

[steveguti]

Jesus Christ died for our Sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose Again the third day praise God praying for everyone Everyday God bless you all...

[rogermetzger]

Entirely accurate (so far as I know) except for the puritans’ reason for not celebrating Christmas. Yes, seventeenth century puritans not only “refused to celebrate Christmas”, they prohibited its celebration, not because they thought it trivialized the holiday’s religious message but because they insisted that only biblical instruction should be the basis of Christian faith and practice and they didn’t find any instruction in the Bible regarding Christmas. Not only that, but the puritans took Hebrews 10 to mean that the sacrifice of Jesus was once for all time and once for all the elect.*

The Scottish Reformation in the 1560s led to the celebration of Christmas being deemed too excessive. In 1640, the Scottish Parliament outlawed Christmas celebrations. Presbyterians in the United States didn’t celebrate Christmas until the mid nineteenth century - in some cases not until the twentieth century.

In 1647, the English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas and replaced it with a day of fasting. The ban, however, was very unpopular and it was ignored by most of the English.

I once saw a list of denominations that didn’t celebrate Christmas in the United States until the mid nineteenth century. It included methodists but I didn’t find that list when I looked for it just now. There were other denominations on that list but I think the methodists - and probably most of the others - began celebrating Christmas in the mid or late nineteenth century.

Clement Moore’s 1823 poem, A Visit From St. Nicolas may have had something to do with an increased interest in Christmas in the nineteenth century but Charles Dickens’ 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol, depicted Ebenezer Scrooge as the embodiment of all opposition to the celebration of Christmas. I think that novel had more to do with English-speaking people celebrating Christmas in the late nineteenth century and onward than any other one factor.

*My dad was born in 1905 and raised in the Roman Church. In his catechism classes, he was taught that the Mass was a sacrifice - a reenactment of the sacrifice of Jesus and that Christmas was “Christ’s Mass. When he discovered Hebrews 10 in the 1920s, he responded in much the same way as the puritans had - i.e. he stopped thinking of Christmas as a Christian holiday. Which is why dad, in the mid twentieth century, explained much of this history to me. Dad, however, strenuously objected to the puritans imposing civil penalties for the celebration of Christmas and Dad didn’t object to the use of Christmas trees or gift giving in December.

[walterdebnam]

I really, really like this Brother, and his teaching. Thank You for doing this 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[BoundyMan]

Whether you view Christmas as a Christian, Pagan, or Secular Holiday, we can all agree it's a celebration of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year, after which the days start to get longer. Let us use this day to remember that Jesus is the new light in the darkest times of our life.

[edz]

Jesus Christ the Savior was born to the Virgin Mary in fulfillment of the Scriptures (Old Testament) for all our sins.

[rlunnerstall]

Thank YOU Prager U and Thank YOU Bill Federer … You are one of a kind … St. Louis will forever miss you

[SpaceCowboy-uj]

*_“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”_*
*_-Luke 2:11_* ✝️

[ObieDobieZoomer]

The second time you've actually produced a video that was genuinely good. Thank you to whoever decided do make this. The last time I came across a good video from you was one celebrating veterans' day.

[RybauDlacius]

St nicholas didnt throw random people bags of gold
It was a family. A father a d his 3 daughters. St nicholas heard that the father was very poor and he couldn’t buy good clothes for their daughters so they can marry.
St nicholas. Heard this and one night he covered himself and walked by the home and threw one bag of gold coins through the window. The father the next day married the first daughter
Then another night. Another bag of gold appeared. Then the father married the second daughter. By the third night. The father stayed awake and caught st nicholas. Thank him and st nicolas said to him. Dont tell anyone about this
St nicolas also was the son of wealthy parents in turkey. When the parents died he had all the money from the parents and he took all that and gave it away.

[fritzenheimer]

Actually, most ancient civilizations, from Egypt to Assyria, Aztec and even Native American along with ancient Greeks worshiped a sun God. When the light of day became its shortest, a sacrifice be made( sometimes a person) and miraculously, the day began to lengthen. As the Roman Catholics began to expand, it ran into stiff resistance from the Pagan sun worshippers. So as to attempt to win them over, Christmas was invented. It actually doesn’t sound a bad idea. To slowly bring them in. But as warned to the Jews in Exodus NOT to mingle with the Pagans, because they would be led astray, most of Christianity now follows the Pagan celebration. Which has lead to so many incorporations of Pagan ways into western culture. Scripture calls it an abomination.
Whether one believes that or not, it is written there. Right in the New Testament. To not believe is to CHOOSE your own values. In essence, to do as the crafty serpent said -to be god.
And they ask-why does God allow evil? 🧐
PS. Most experts agree Jesus the perfect human was born in the fall. Probably September.

[alanstewart]

Gifts: You might wander this as the origin. Merry Xmas all. According to the Bible, the three wise men, or Magi, brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus

[Malohta]

Next: The history of Hanukkah told by a Catholic guy.

[pacarter]

According to a different version of St. Nicolas, he was a young or middle aged man- who made toys, but was said he delivered the gift through the fire place… but dressed in black not in red. But he was wealthy and gave money (secretly) when a situation was in need.
Then later tales of him became exaggerated and the concept of “magic” was eventually applied.
The tree came another time as well as gift giving.

[hotwax]

In actuality, there's a heated debate over whether "The Night Before Christmas" was written by Clement Moore or Henry Livingston.

[chatryna]

This was short and sweet. I would have liked to have seen a more robust video.