On This Day
336 – First documentary sign of Christmas celebration in Rome.
Christmas is an annual festival, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ,[8][9] observed primarily on December 25[4][10][11] as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.[2][12][13] A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night;[14] in some traditions, Christmastide includes an octave.[15] Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world’s nations,[16][17][18] is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians,[19] as well as culturally by many non-Christians,[1][20] and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.
The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies.[21] When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then further disseminated the information.[22]
Although the month and date of Jesus’ birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid fourth century the Western Christian Church had fixed the date of Christmas as December 25,[23] a date that was later adopted in the East.[24][25] Today, most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, some Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. This is not a disagreement over the date of Christmas as such, but rather a preference of which calendar should be used to determine the day that is December 25. Moreover, for Christians, the belief that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than the exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.[26][27][28][29]
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins.[30] Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, viewing a Nativity play, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, pulling Christmas crackers and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.[31] Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.
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Born On This Day
1889 – Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher and philanthropist, co-founded Reader’s Digest (d. 1984)
Lila Bell Wallace (December 25, 1889 – May 8, 1984) was an American magazine publisher and philanthropist.
Wallace co-founded Reader’s Digest with her husband Dewitt Wallace, publishing the first issue in 1922.
Early life and education
Born as Lila Bell Acheson in Virden, Manitoba, Canada, her father was a Presbyterian minister who brought his family to the USA when she was a child, and she grew up in the Midwest.
In 1917, she graduated from the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, taught at schools for two years, and then worked for the Young Women’s Christian Association. She also studied at Ward–Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]
Marriage and career
In 1921, she married DeWitt Wallace. The couple co-founded the Reader’s Digest magazine. For many years, Reader’s Digest was the best-selling consumer magazine in the United States.
Philanthropy
In her lifetime, she made philanthropic contributions estimated at $60 million.
Legacy and honors
The Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Writers Award was given in her memory from 1990 to 2000.[2]
On January 28, 1972, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon.[3] In 1992, she was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Arts.[4]
Death
She died from heart failure, age 94, in Mount Kisco, New York.[5]
FYI
Vector’s Wolrd: Merry Christmas and more ->
By Elizabeth Werth: Rallying’s Most Tenacious Driver Was A Woman
Michèle Mouton (born 23 June 1951) is a French former rally driver. Competing in the World Rally Championship for the Audi factory team, she took four victories and finished runner-up in the drivers’ world championship in 1982. She is still the last woman to compete in top-level rallying.
Mouton debuted in rallying as a co-driver but quickly moved to the driver’s seat, steering an Alpine-Renault A110 in national rallies. In 1975, she competed in circuit racing and won the two-litre prototype class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After being signed by Fiat France for 1977, Mouton finished runner-up to Bernard Darniche in the European Rally Championship. She went on to win the 1978 Tour de France Automobile and record consistent results in her home events in the WRC; the Tour de Corse and the Monte Carlo Rally. For 1981, Audi Sport signed Mouton to partner Hannu Mikkola. In her first year with the Audi Quattro, she took a surprise victory at the Rallye Sanremo.
In the 1982 World Rally season, Mouton finished a close second overall to Walter Röhrl, after wins in Portugal, Brazil and Greece, and helped Audi to its first manufacturers’ title. Her campaign the following year resulted in fifth place. With the team having four top drivers for 1984, Mouton’s participation on world championship level became part-time. In 1985, she won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, setting a record time in the process. In 1986, she moved to Peugeot and won the German Rally Championship as the first female driver to win a major championship in rallying. Soon after securing the title, Mouton retired from rallying due to the ban of Group B supercars. In 1988, she co-founded the international motorsport event Race of Champions in memory of her former rival Henri Toivonen. Mouton became the first president of the FIA’s Women & Motor Sport Commission in 2010 and the FIA’s manager in the World Rally Championship in 2011.
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Atlas Obscura: When the Christmas plant was a pepper, not a poinsettia, Horseback Falconry Pine Bark Bread and more ->
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Open Culture Josh Jones: When Christmas Was Legally Banned for 22 Years by the Puritans in Colonial Massachusetts
Open Culture Colin Marshall: What Makes Music Sound Like Christmas Music? Hear the Single Most Christmassy Chord of All Explained
Open Culture Ayun Halliday: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Emily Blunt Take You Through 22 Classic Musicals in 12 Minutes
Ideas
Jen Panguluri Hometalker Cincinnati, OH: Using Latex Paint To Tint DIY Cement Decor
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for October 15 October 15, 2024Picture of the day Purple sea urchin (Sphaerechinus granularis), Garajau Marine Nature Reserve, Madeira, Portugal.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for October 14 October 14, 2024Picture of the day Panorama of the Holy Trinity Church in Zinkiv, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine
Recipes
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