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Christmas Day
December 25, 2020
Christmas is a public and government holiday. Many people in the United States celebrate Christmas Day on December 25. The day is set aside to honor Jesus Christ’s birth. Christmas is often combined with customs from pre-Christian winter celebrations.
Government offices, organizations, businesses and schools are closed, almost without exception. December 25 was declared a federal holiday in the United States in 1870.
The original meaning of Christmas is a special service, or mass, to celebrate the birth of Christ. The story of the Nativity or the events surrounding the birth of Jesus is particularly important in religious celebrations of Christmas. However, many traditions that are around today have their roots in pre-Christian winter festivals. These include the importance of candles and decorations made from evergreen bushes and trees symbolizing everlasting light and life.
