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Christmas Free Ringtones

Christmas is a holiday on the Christian calendar, celebrating the birth of Jesus. Among those using the Gregorian calendar, it is observed on December 25. Some Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate it on December 25 on the Julian calendar, which currently is January 7 on the Gregorian calendar (see this article for information regarding the use of the Julian Calendar in the Orthodox Church). The date of celebration is merely traditional, and the great majority of scholars agree that the actual birthdate of Jesus is unknown.

The word Christmas is derived from Middle English Christemasse and from Old English Cristes m�sse.[1] It is a contraction meaning "Christ's mass". The name of the holiday is often shortened to Xmas because Roman letter "X" resembles the Greek letter Χ (chi), an abbreviation for Christ (Χριστός).

In Western countries, Christmas has become the most economically significant holiday of the year, celebrated also by non-Christians. The popularity of Christmas can be traced in part to its status as a winter festival. Many cultures have their most important holiday in winter because there is less agricultural work to do at this time. Examples of winter festivals that are believed by some to have influenced Christmas include the pre-Christian festivals of Yule and Saturnalia, and many of the traditions associated with the holiday have origins in these pagan winter celebrations.

In Western culture, the holiday is characterized by the exchange of gifts among friends and family members, some of the gifts being attributed to Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Basil and Father Frost). However, various local and regional Christmas traditions are still practiced, despite the widespread influence of American, British and Australian Christmas motifs disseminated by film, popular literature, television, and other media. by Wikipedia ...read more