It is important to highlight what Christmas is, when it began to be celebrated and some brief notes on the history. Christmas is one of the most important celebrations in Christianity. On December 25, the Church commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ since the 4th century BC, the … Son of God, and symbolizes values such as peace, love, hope, family and solidarity. The origin is in Bethlehem (present-day Palestine), where Jesus was born. The official celebration of Christmas began in the Roman Empire, particularly in Rome, and later spread throughout Europe and then to the rest of the world with the spread of Christianity. Western history cannot be understood without Christianity; It was its cultural, moral and institutional backbone, it gave cultural coherence to the West.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was fragmented. Without the Church, it is difficult to imagine European cultural continuity. He founded key institutions. Many Western institutions were born or developed under Christian influence: universities (Paris, Bologna, Oxford), hospitals, schools, canon law, which influenced civil law… The idea that knowledge deserves to be preserved and transmitted is profoundly Christian in the West.
Christianity has also shaped the vision of the human being. The intrinsic dignity of the person, moral equality before the law or the value of the weak and marginalized come largely from Christian anthropology and not from the classical Greco-Roman world.
He determined the calendar, art and language. The Western calendar revolves around Christmas and Easter. European art (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance) is predominantly Christian. Christmas is Christian and Christianity gave it to the world.
Borja de Bourbon Mateos. Madrid
in solitude
On these dates marked by celebration, the lights that illuminate the streets and the Christmas carols seem to remind us of the joy that many do not feel. Christmas can also be a time of silence: for those who live alone, for the elderly who have difficulty receiving visitors, for the young who cannot go home and for those who do not even have family with whom to share Christmas Eve or the Christmas table.
Solitude distinguishes neither ages nor places; This affects us all, especially in a society where social media only shows perfect parties. Faced with this, small gestures are enough, such as a call, a visit or a simple invitation. We must not forget that behind every window there is someone waiting for a little company.
This holiday could be more than gifts and decorations, an opportunity to reconnect with others and feel the warmth of companionship. Every little bit counts and can help someone feel less alone.
Julia Galera Alende. Madrid
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