Christmas is a day celebrated by christians. It is the day Jesus Christ was born:
Matthew's gospel begins by telling the genealogy and bir
th of Jesus, and then
moves to the coming of the Magi (sometimes erroneously
translated simply as wise
men - some translations add the number three, although
the number is not actually specified)
from the East to Bethlehem. Matthew mentions no trek to Bethlehem
from Nazareth.
The Magi first arrive in Jerusalem and report to the king
of Judea,
Herod the Great that they have seen a star, now called the Sta
r of Bethlehem,
heralding the birth of a king. Further inquiry leads the
m to Bethlehem of Judea
and the home of Mary and Joseph. They present Jesus wi
th treasures of "gold,
frankincense, and myrrh". While staying the night, the Magi
have a dream that
contains a divine warning that King Herod has murderous de
signs on the child.
Resolving to hinder the ruler, they go home without tellin
g Herod of the success
of their mission. Matthew then reports that the family nex
t flees to Egypt to escape
the murderous rampage of Herod, who has decided to have a
ll children of Bethlehem under
the age of two killed in order to eliminate any local ri
vals to his power. After Herod's
death, Jesus and his family return from Egypt, but fearin
g the hostility of the new
Judean king (Herod's son Archelaus) they go instead to Galilee
and settle in Nazareth.
People think that Christamas is about Santa (a fictional old fat man in red that gives gifts) but it is truely about the birth of Jesus.
