Merry Christmas 2024: Know the history, traditions, and significance behind the festival

It is a joyful time when families and friends gather to exchange gifts, create cherished memories, and enjoy festive decorations adorned with sparkling lights, embodying a spirit of generosity and kindness.

Christmas in India 2024: Date and Timings

Christmas is observed every year on December 25th to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In 2024, Christmas will be observed on a Wednesday.

The celebrations often kick off on Christmas Eve, with many participating in a midnight mass or church service starting around midnight on December 24th and continuing into the early hours of December 25th.

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On Christmas Day, various churches hold morning services to honour Jesus’s birth, with times typically beginning as early as 6:00 a.m. or 7:00 a.m.

Christmas in India 2024: Significance and Traditions

According to the Christian legend, a young lady, Mother Mary was visited by the angel known as Gabriel.

He announced that she would conceive and be having a baby despite being a virgin, betrothed to Father Joseph. This event came to be known as the Immaculate Conception.

Due to various reasons, Mother Mary and Father Jesus travelled to the city of Bethlehem where Jesus was born.

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People gather next to Christmas decorations. (Photo: Reuters/Representative)

However, without the presence of an inn to lodge in, Jesus Christ was born in an animal stable and laid in a manger which is used to feed animals.

Immediately after the birth, shepherds in Bethlehem were visited by an angel to announce that a Saviour was born.

Similarly, wise men from the west were guided by a star and came to meet the newborn king.

Since then, Christians across the globe have commemorated the day, remembering Jesus for his sacrifices.

It is also a day that they spend with family, celebrating the joy of Christmas.