正式但非普遍的聖誕節

關於對正式但非普遍的聖誕節的理解,我們特別翻譯外國網站的原文供大家參考。

以下翻譯自:http://didyouknow.org/christmas/

Christmas official, but not generally observed

In 325AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter). In 354AD, Bishop Liberius of Rome officially ordered his members to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December.

However, even though Constantine officiated 25 December as the birthday of Christ, Christians, recognizing the date as a pagan festival, did not share in the emperor’s good intentions. Christmas failed to gain universal recognition among Christians until quite recently.

In England, for instance, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas festivities between 1649 and 1660 through the so-called Blue Laws, believing that Christmas should be a solemn day.

When many Protestants escaped persecution by fleeing to the colonies all over the world, interest in joyous Christmas celebrations was rekindled there. Still, Christmas was not even a legal holiday until the 1800s. And, keep in mind, there was no Father Christmas (Santa Claus) figure at that time.

正式但非普遍的聖誕節

在西元325年,康士坦丁大帝,也就是第一位羅馬帝國君王,將12月25號定為固定的聖誕節。他還制定了星期天是七天一週的第一天,並推行了非固定的慶典(復活節)。在西元354年,羅馬萊比流斯正式命令他的教徒在12月25日這天慶祝耶穌誕生。

然而,即使康士坦丁大帝正式宣布12月25日這天為耶穌的誕辰,康士坦丁將此日期視為異教徒的慶典,並沒有分享帝國的善意。聖誕節在天主教直到近期才獲得普遍認定。

例如,在英國,奧利弗•克倫威爾在1649年到1660年間透過所謂的藍色法律,嚴禁聖誕節的慶典,認為耶誕節應該是莊嚴的日子。

當很多新教徒藉由逃往各國殖民地來擺脫迫害時,慶祝歡樂聖誕節的興致重新燃起。然而,直到1800年,聖誕節都還不是一個正式的節日。記住,那時候也還沒有聖誕節之父(聖誕老人)的存在。