X-Mas in Nepal
Christmas is celebration of birth of Lord Jesus. It is believed that Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in the West Bank, some six miles south of Jerusalem, capital of Israel.
यशु जयन्ती
“X-Mass” is celebrated in Nepal in the Nepali way. Nepali Christians are busy going to the Churches and exchanging gifts and having feasts with their nearer and dearer. There is an official holiday in Nepal on the Christmas day. Christmas is celebrated on 25th of December every year.
How do people celebrate Christmas in Nepal
Christmas is celebrated more amongst the Christian communities in Nepal. However, other communities also participate in parties and non religious celebrations during holiday with Christians. In other words, people of Nepal celebrate Christmas as a national festival as they celebrate other festivals.
People start shopping from the beginning of December. Christmas trees are erected at homes with lots of decorations on it. Trees are decorated with bells, starts, reindeers, gift boxes, and many other decorations. The Christmas trees are lit up with twinkling lights. People attend services in the church during the mid night. In the morning people visit the houses of friends and convey their best wishes. Gifts are being exchanged. In the evenings the Christian homes host special Christmas feasts. The feast comprises roasted chicken, vegetable salad and other Nepali foods along with turkey, pumpkin pies and Christmas puddings. The foods and celebration depends upon the status of people, however, all celebrates the birth of Lord Jesus with zeal and enthusiasm.
There are so many functions organized in Thamel, Kathmandu. There are many decoration and lighting going on in Tamel. Music, concerts and many attractions to tourists are held in Thamel. Restaurants offer discounts and lots of food varieties during Christmas in Thamel and other towns in Nepal. There are big celebrations in Pokhara too.
What is Christmas and why is it celebrated
Christmas is an annual remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve days of Christmastide. Jesus was born between 7 and 2 BC. Actual date is unknown. In the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church first placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted also in the East. Theories advanced to explain that choice include that it falls exactly nine months after the Christian celebration of the conception of Jesus, or that it was selected to coincide with either the date of the Roman winter solstice or of some ancient winter festival.  The original date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in
 connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the celebration in Armenia, where it is a public holiday, and for the Armenian Apostolic Church. As of 2011, there is a difference of 13 days between the Julian calendar and the more generally used Gregorian calendar. Those who use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of people is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia celebrates Christmas, both as a Christian feast and as a public holiday on what in the Gregorian calendar is January 7.Many of the popular celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus, among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.
History of Christianity in Nepal
Protestant Christians came to Nepal primarily through the Nepalese who were living outside of Nepal during and prior to the Rana Regime. After the collapse of Ranas rule in Nepal in 1950, Nepali Christians living in India came in, along with some western missionaries. United Mission to Nepal, International Nepal Fellowship and others are a few earliest western mission agencies that came in and brought Christianity. According to the government data, Protestantism accounts for about 0.5% to 1% of Nepali population.
Merry Christmas to We All.
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