The precise year of Jesus' birth, which some historians place between 7 and 2 BC, is unknown. His birth is mentioned in two of the four Canonical Gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, the WesternChristian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East.
The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with
the day exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived,as well as the date of the southern solstice (i.e., the Romanwinter solstice), with a sun connection being possible because Christians consider Jesus to be the "Sun of righteousness" prophesied in Malachi 4:2.
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 for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia, where it is a public holiday. As of 2012, there is a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the older Julian calendar.
Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus
celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of the
world is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of Moldova celebrate Christmas on what in the Gregorian calendar is January 7; the Church of Greece celebrates Christmas on December 25.
The popular celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, 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.
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
the nation celebrates HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 85th birthday today: 5 December
2012
DECEMBER 5: Thai people, wearing yellow, come to pay respect to Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej as he makes a rare public appearance on the occasion of his his 85th birthday, on December 5, 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. King Bhumibol took the throne in 1946, making him the world's longest reigning monarch and the world's longest serving head of state. Yellow represents Monday, the birthday of the King.
Hip-hop dance refers to street dance styles primarily performed tohip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. The television show Soul Train and the 1980s filmsBreakin', Beat street, and Wild style showcased these crews and dance styles in their early stages; therefore, giving hip-hop mainstream exposure. The dance industry responded with a commercial, studio-based version of hip-hop—sometimes called new style—and a hip-hop influenced style of jazz dance called jazz-funk. Classically trained dancers developed these studio styles in order to create choreography from the hip-hop dances that were being performed on the street. Because of this development, hip-hop dance is practiced in both dance studios and outdoor spaces.