节日的英语小短文

Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, an early English phrase that means Mass （弥撒） or festival of Christ. Scholars believe the frequently used shortened form of Christmas － Xmas － may have come into use in the 13th century. In Greek, X is the first letter of Christ's name, and also represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified （钉在十字架上处死）

In the 4th century the Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the Feast of the Nativity （耶稣诞辰） . The church chose December 25 for a Christian holy day in the hope of giving Christian meaning to existing pagan celebrations of the winter solstice （冬至） . As a result, many pagan customs gradually became part of the Christmas celebration.

By the 12th century, Christmas had become the most important religious festival in Europe. In the 19th century, two Christmas customs became popular － decorating Christmas trees and sendi