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Guidelines for a spiritually
correct celebration of Christmas
Over the many centuries, Christmas
has been observed through various traditions and practices.
In this section we will discuss the commonly followed traditions
and their spiritual relevance, to emphasize the steps of celebration
that would bring maximum spiritual benefit.
Gift Giving
History behind giving of gifts at Christmas
A tradition followed at Christmas is that
of giving gifts to family, friends and the needy. Santa Claus
is symbolic of this tradition of gift giving. Children look
forward to receiving presents from Santa. Families gather on
Christmas day to open the gifts which are traditionally placed
under the Christmas tree.
The giving of gifts may have originated
from the time when the Wise Men (Magi) or Kings ('King' meaning
spiritually
evolved) visited infant Jesus. They
offered Him gifts of gold, and frankincense and myrrh. While
one may wonder that these were strange gifts to give to an
infant,
the symbolic nature of these gifts were:
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Gold
|
Gold signified Kingship,
as Jesus was hailed to be a (spiritual) King - 'the Messiah'. |
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Frankincense
|
This is
an aromatic resin from the frankincense tree with a wide
range of use from religious to cosmetic to medicinal. The
significance of this gift was His divinity. |
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Myrrh
|
This was
used as a perfume in anointing and embalming of the dead.
It signified the death of Jesus and was used to prepare
His body after crucifixion. |
Jesus was in fact God's ultimate gift
to mankind – a Messiah – to show us the way back to
God.
Spiritual significance of giving gifts
The following table illustrates the types
of gifts that one may offer to others and their relative importance
based on the benefits that others derive out of the gifts.
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Type of gift
|
How long is it useful
to the recipient?
|
Importance
|
| Food
and drink |
Few days
|
5%
|
|
Blankets, clothes and other typical gift
items
|
Few months
|
5%
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| Shelter |
Few years
|
5%
|
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Knowledge about Spirituality
|
Lifelong
|
100%
|
From the above table one can see that the most beneficial, lasting gift is the
knowledge (that is, telling interested people) about Spirituality, its benefits
and the means to practice it in their daily lives.
The table below illustrates the attitudes
with which and to whom gifts are given and their relative
importance for one's spiritual progress:
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Type of giving
|
Explanation
|
Importance
|
| Not
giving |
This is the case of a self-centered person,
who does not like to give anything. |
0%
|
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Giving with expectation
|
This is the case of a person, who gives
but with expectation of getting a gift in return or with
strings attached to the gift and the act of giving. |
5%
|
|
Giving without expectation
|
This is the case of a person, for example
who gives to the needy without any expectation of praise
or appreciation. This is done with a sense of love and
non-doership
(absence of ego). |
30%
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Giving only to God's mission ( Sat) |
In this case the seeker gives to God's
mission, that is, to spread Spirituality. This is the
highest form of giving and results in rapid spiritual
progress. |
70%
|
|
Giving everything to God's mission (Sat)
|
As
per the above point. |
100%
|
The motive behind giving is important
from a spiritual viewpoint. Lord Jesus comments on this in the
Bible when He says in Matthew 6:24, "Be careful not to do
your acts of Righteousness before men to be seen by them. When
you give to the needy do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, so that your giving may be a secret. Then
your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Further, to derive maximum spiritual benefit
(that is, closeness with The Lord), the attitude while giving
should be of gratitude for the opportunity to serve The Lord and
His children. This will lead to one deriving a Blissful
spiritual experience
of the act of giving.
Such spiritual giving is borne out of
the faith that The Lord is more than capable of providing for
His Creation or Mission. Also the real benefactor of giving is
the giver because it helps detach the giver from material desires.
Practical guidance in giving of gifts
Below are some points that can be kept
in mind when giving gifts during Christmas season.
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If one has not been
practicing the act of giving during the Christmas season
one may begin to give gifts and think of others instead
of oneself. |
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Those who
give gifts may remember that giving gifts merely to fulfill
social obligations has no meaning, as compared to the giving
of gifts with love. Hence, the gifts can be well thought
of and not purchased just as an obligation. |
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When giving
unnecessarily expensive gifts one can keep in mind that
it has no greater spiritual value over gifts that are not
as expensive. |
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While giving
gifts one can try to practice divine qualities like spiritual
love and reduce shortcomings like jealousy, and pride etc.
In this way there is no rivalry in gift giving which makes
the act of giving a Blissful endeavor. |
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Those who
are spending their time, effort and money on selecting gifts
with love, for friends and family, can take the next step
of giving by offering their time, effort and money for a
spiritual cause or spiritual organization active in spreading
Spirituality. |
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·The
three kings were fortunate for the opportunity to express
their devotion by giving gifts to none other than Lord
Jesus Himself. Today, while do not have the opportunity
to give
to the physical form of baby Jesus, we can give to the
cause of spreading His teachings, viewing His teachings
as His
unmanifest form. |
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Christmas
can be a time to make a commitment to gift ourselves in
mind, body and wealth to The Christ's mission. |
Santa Claus
The original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas,
was born in Turkey in the 4th century. He was very pious from
an early age, devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely
known for his generosity for the poor and his love for children.
He is also the patron Saint of children. The Dutch kept the legend
of St. Nicholas alive. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as Sint
Nikolaas, which was modified to Sinterklaas, and finally, in Anglican
Churches, to Santa Claus. The significance of Santa during the
Christmas season is a symbol of giving to the needy.
Christmas Star
The Christmas star is customarily placed
atop the Christmas tree and outside Christian homes as a reminder
of the bright star that shone over Bethlehem the day Jesus was
born. It symbolizes the star that guided the shepherds and the
kings who traveled to worship the new born Jesus.
Today the star placed outside Christian
homes is a reminder of the same star that first shone in Bethlehem.
For Christians the star also signifies
the birth of the Christ Spirit within the homes where it is displayed.
When the star is displayed with such a spiritual emotion, spiritual
growth is assured. A simple but powerful tool that effectively
awakens that spirit in us is the chanting of The Lord's name as
per ones religion. For Christians repeating the Name of Jesus
or Mary prefixed with the word "Hail" for respect, is
the practice recommended by Saints in the current age.
We should put up the star with the attitude
and spiritual emotion that we are inviting visitors to come in
and share the birth of the Christ within the home.
Christmas meal
The Christian family traditionally
blesses the food on the table and gives thanks to the Lord for
the gift of food. On Christmas day family members make an effort
to come together for the Christmas meal, even from a distance.
This gathering is perhaps not so much for the meal but for the
family ritual as it draws the family members closer, uniting everyone
and strengthening warm family ties.
Family ties could be further strengthened
when each member of the family inculcates a closer union with
God and through God becomes spiritually united with other family
members.
Midnight Mass and Special Mass on the day of Christmas
Christians attend a midnight Mass
to bring in the Christmas Day. It is significant as the angels
gave the message of the birth of Christ
to the shepherds (common people, simple men) at night. Christians
keep watch at midnight mass, like the shepherds did in Bethlehem
two thousand years ago. During this Mass, the message and significance
of Jesus' birth is meditated upon.
Mistletoe and holly
Two hundred years before the birth
of Christ, the Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming
of
winter. They would gather this evergreen plant that is parasitic
upon other trees and used it to decorate their homes. They believed
the plant had special healing powers for everything from female
infertility to poison ingestion. Scandinavians also thought
of
mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony. They associated mistletoe
with their goddess of love, Frigga. The custom of kissing under
the mistletoe probably was derived from this belief. The early
church banned the use of mistletoe in Christmas celebrations
because
of its pagan
origins. Instead, early church authorities suggested the use
of holly as an appropriate substitute for Christmas greenery.
There is no spiritual significance in
the use of mistletoe or holly during Christmas.
Carol singing
At the time of Jesus' birth a multitude
of angels appeared to the shepherds and sang in unison praising
God and saying "glory to God in the highest." This was
considered to be the first Christmas carol.
In remembrance of this auspicious occasion
Christmas Carols are sung to praise God and celebrate Jesus' birth.
When singing, one should sing with reverence and with the feeling
that we are singing in the presence of God.
Holy verses and songs of praise are sung
so that the sound energy from their recitation increases the purity
(sattvikta)
of the atmosphere.
It is the spiritual emotion with which
one sings the hymns that spreads sattvikta.
Christmas tree
During the Christmas holiday Christians
set up an evergreen tree and decorate it in honor of the birth
of Christ. The evergreen tree symbolizes the everlasting Christ
principle. The tree is decorated in a festive manner, with a traditional
star or angel at the top. The Christmas principle in the Christmas
tree is 2% while in other trees it is mostly 0%; hence, this special
tree is used in the celebrations of Christmas.
In some cases, people cut down Christmas
trees and decorate them within their home for the period of the
festive season. After the festive season these trees are discarded
resulting in waste. One should avoid this by actually growing
a tree within ones back yard or garden.
Oak tree leaves (as used by Orthodox Christians)
On the morning of Christmas Eve,
a householder of an Orthodox Christian family goes into a nearby
forest to
cut a young oak tree branch. The tree branch is cut after performing
the ritual of praying and paying gratitude for its sacrifice,
making sure that the branch is cut, so as to fall towards the
East and the tree is not hurt through a haphazard cut. The oak
tree branch symbolizes the night when the shepherds were informed
by Archangels to go to the stable where Jesus Christ was to
be
born. The shepherds had cut some tree branches to make a warm
fire for the newborn Holy baby. Thus, the oak branch signifies
the Christ (God Principle). In the evening, the householder or
a young male in the family carries this oak tree branch into
the
house and sings Holy songs and prayers, requesting blessing for
all inhabitants. This signifies the importance of making way
for
the Christ (God Principle) in one's home and heart to receive
His blessings.
The crib (creche) or nativity scene
The crib (creche) is a small size representation
of the birth of the Christ
and is constructed by Christians in remembrance of that first
day. It includes the infant Jesus in a manger, Mary and Joseph,
the livestock in the stable, shepherds, kings and the angels.
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