The Nativity

The Nativity refers to the birth of Jesus Christ as it is written in the Gospels of the New Testament and various other writings.

In the Gospel of Matthew and of Luke of the New Testament we find detailed accounts of the birth of Jesus Christ. These Gospels both tell the story that Jesus was born of Mary who was given to be married to Joseph and that he was a descendant of King David. They also tell of his heavenly conception, that an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to tell her that she was to be the mother of the savior of the world. All this while she was a young maid soon to be wed to Joseph. Once Joseph found out Mary was with child, he was going to call off the wedding, but an angel of the Lord told him that Mary was carrying the Messiah and for him to go thru with the wedding, both were obedient to the word of the Lord.

At Christmas time many people show their remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ by having Nativity re-enactments which helps to show that they believe Jesus is the Christ, the God of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the world. All this is done during the celebration of Christmas to reinforce that Jesus is the reason for the season! Jesus gave his life for all of us, so during the celebration of his birth people give gifts to others in remembrance of his gift to all of us.

Nativity Scene

The Nativity scene is a portrayal of the birth of Jesus Christ as it was given in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament. Nativity scenes can be small and simple or large and elaborate or even living nativity scenes, which use real people. The minimum nativity scene would have baby Jesus, his mother Mary and Joseph, they can be in a stable, cave or free standing. Many individuals like to make it a bit larger, by adding some animals that might have been in the stable and by adding other people mentioned in the Gospels, like the magi, shepherds and angels.

The first known Nativity scene was a living scene to help inspire devotion to Jesus Christ, it was created by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223. The idea quickly caught on and soon communities all over Europe were setting up Nativity scenes. Today many of the figures are made of resin or fiberglass, which are placed in a Large Nativity Stable.
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Halloween

Halloween is a holiday that is celebrated every year on the last day of October. While today it is mainly a commercial or secular holiday it seems that its origins come from the Christian holiday All Saints Day and the Celtic, summers end celebration.

Today Halloween celebrations include a variety of activities, such as wearing costumes like a Witch to parties or while trick or treating. Others go to haunted houses or stay home and watch scary movies or carve pumpkins into jack o lanterns. While for others its all about the chance to decorate for another holiday.

History
While many people believed that Halloween began with festivals from ancient Rome or festival of the dead, which is held in several countries, it is mostly attributed to a Celtic festival called Samhain, which means end of summer. Briton had a similar festival that celebrated the end of the lighter half of the year and marking the start of the darker half of the year.

The ancient Celts thought that on the day of the end of summer festival, that the border between this world and the next became thin, this allowed good and bad spirits to pass through from the other side. This meant that bad or evil spirits had to be warded off which led to people wearing costumes and masks, making yourself appear as a bad spirit to blend in so they would not attack you. But good spirits or those of ancestors were invited home and honored. These festivals were also the time to make sure you had enough supplies for the coming winter months. 
Today the name Halloween comes from the Old English era, with many of the traditions having been added to from ancient days to modern times.

Origin of name 

The term Halloween is first recorded to have appeared in the sixteenth century and seems to have been a variant of the older term All Hallows Eve which is the night before All Hallows Day. The All Hallows Day is a direct tie in to the All Saints Day, where those who have passed on are praised for their good lives and good works.

Halloween Decorations 

Today a lot of research has been conducted, using many surveys in the United States and found that today 53.3 percent of consumers planned to buy a costume for Halloween. They were also expected to spend more than $5 billion in costumes and decorations, up significantly from just $3.3 billion the previous year.

Every year people all across the country will decorate their yards as well as their homes for Halloween. Thousands or Pumpkins are sold every year. Children and adults alike look forward to activities such as carving the pumpkin, putting up the Orange and Black Halloween Lights, making spider webs from rolls of cotton or hanging Witches that Fly and Cackle. These are just a few of the more traditional types of Halloween Decorations. There are many more available in stores and online. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. See more at Holiday Home Decor.