Christmas

I've been celebrating Christmas for 21 years.. But then again.. It is only this year when i realise that i did not know the history of this celebration and how true it is that Jesus's birth is to be celebrated on the 25th of December...

Hence, i've browse on some sites and again.. i make my own summary of Christmas which i wish to share with my frens... No Christmas gift from me.. but i hope this will help~~ I'll make it as short as possible...

Pre-Christmas
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. In Scandinavia, the Norse (Norwegian) celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden (a God of death and wealth in gold) during the mid-winter holiday. In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. Members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

Origin of Date and Name
The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038, and Cristes-messe, in 1131.
It is unknown exactly when or why December 25 became associated with Christ's birth. The New Testament does not give a specific date. Thus, the date as a birthdate for Christ is traditional, and is not considered to be his actual date of birth.

In conclusion, Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various cultural customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. Although a Christian holiday, it is also observed as a cultural holiday by many non-Christians. The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne (Father of Europe) was crowned on Christmas Day in 800. Around the 12th century, the remnants of the former Saturnalian traditions of the Romans were transferred to the Twelve Days of Christmas (25 December - 5 January). Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival, incorporating ivy, holly, and other evergreens, as well as gift-giving.

Ok.. since Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, then why Santa Claus?

Santa Claus

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married. Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick's Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). However, the modern depiction of Santa Claus as a fat, jolly man (or elf) wearing a red coat and trousers with white cuffs and collar, and black leather belt and boots, became popular in the US in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. So, basically.. Santa Claus has nothing to do with Christianity..

Rudolph - the red nose reindeer

I'm sure everyone has heard of the song, 'Rudolph the red nose reindeer, has a very shiny nose...' But does Rudolph really exist? The red-nosed wonder was the creation of Robert L. May, a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward department store. In 1939, May wrote a Christmas-themed story-poem to help bring holiday traffic into his store. May told the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who was teased by the other deer because of his large, glowing, red nose. But, When Christmas Eve turned foggy and Santa worried that he wouldn't be able to deliver gifts that night, the former outcast saved Christmas by leading the sleigh by the light of his red nose. Rudolph's message—that given the opportunity, a liability can be turned into an asset—proved popular. Several years later, one of May's friends, Johnny Marks, wrote a short song based on Rudolph's story (1949). It was recorded by Gene Autry and sold over two million copies. So, sorry to have your fantasy broken~~

Nevertheless, Christmas is still widely celebrated, perhaps, another holiday is better than none. And several writers have wrote stories about Christmas to keep the spirit burning. One of the all time favourite is "The Christmas Carol" but Charles Dickens. I've found a website containing this story online. If you have the time, go read on it.. it really helps recharge your faith and hope... http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/christmas-carol/index.html

Lastly, i came across an article whose title was: Santa: The First Great Lie. It started with the line, "The basic cause of all mankind's flaws is a lack of trust. We have lost faith. We do not know who to believe. We do not know who to trust." but then, it ended with, "The Santa Claus conspiracy is the first conundrum we encounter on a lifetime journey of losing faith, and that's the only thing in life you can trust - the true and certain knowledge that you can't believe in anything."

Hence, never lose Trust, Faith and Hope...

~~MErRy CHrIsTmaS to ALL~~~

National Treasure 2

22nd December, i went for movie with hooi thing, pei xian, and a di... as mentioned.. we watched National Treasure 2: Book of Secret. This movie is directed by Jon Turteltaub (the same guy who directed NT 1), written by Gregory Poirier. This movie too reunites the cast in NT1, and added Ed Harris as well as Helen Mirren.

• Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates
• Justin Bartha as Riley Poole
• Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase
• Jon Voight as Patrick Henry Gates
• Harvey Keitel as FBI Agent Peter Sadusky
• Helen Mirren as Emily Appleton Gates
• Ed Harris as Mitch Wilkinson
• Bruce Greenwood as US President

The whole search's of this treasure was to clear Ben's ancestor's name. When a missing page from the diary of John Wikes Booth surfaces, Ben's great-great grandfather is implicated as the key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln's death.

There are a few things which i hope i had knew before i watched this movie.. coz i really felt like an idiot when they were discussing about the History of America.. Hence, i would like to discuss on the ppl and things you should knoe before heading off for this movie..

1. Abraham Lincoln

• the 16th President of USA
• serving period: March 4, 1861 - April 15, 1865 (assassinated)
• During his term, he helped preserve the US by leading the defeat of the secessionist Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. He introduced measures that resulted in the abolition of slavery, issuing his Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and promoting the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865.
• His assassination in 1865 was the first presidential assassination in U.S. history and made him a martyr for the ideal of national unity.

2. John Wikes Booth

• American Stage Actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
• Booth began devising a plan to kidnap Lincoln in exchanged for the release of around 10,000 Southern soldiers held captive in Northern prisons. recruited his old friends Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlin as accomplices.
  
• He later abandon the kidnap plan and began plotting for an assassination, which he succeeded by shooting him in the back of the head with a .44 caliber Derringer.
  

3. Édouard René Lefèvre de Laboulaye

• was a French Jurist
• careful observer of the politics of the United States, and an admirer of its constitution
• the intellectual creator of the Statue of Liberty.

4. Statue of Liberty

• Hundreds of smaller replicas of the Statue of Liberty have been erecter worldwide.
• The one shown in this movie is near the Grenelle Bridge on the Ile des Cygnes, an island in the river Seine
• it looks towards the Atlantic Ocean and hence towards its "larger sister" in New York Harbor

5. Resolute Desk

• It was a present from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879.
• Every President since Hayes, except Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford, has used the desk.
  
• President George H.W. Bush had the desk moved to the Treaty Room in the Executive Residence, but President Bill Clinton returned the Resolute to the Oval Office.

6. American Civil War (1861-1865)

• between the USA (the "Union") and the Southern slave states of newly-formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis.
  

7. JFK (John F. Kennedy)

• 35th President of the USA
• famous for saying, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
• He was assassinated

8. Cibola

• myth that originated around the year 1150 when the Moors conquered Merida, Spain.
• The legend says that these cities grew very rich, mainly from gold and precious stones. This idea fueled many expeditions in search of the mythical cities during the following centuries.

And so... after reading these 8 things/ppl.. i hope that you'll get wat those actors were conversing about... unlike me.. i really catch no ball :P

And about the book of secret.. i really wonder if it exists.. and wat's on page 47... Curious to noe... If the Book of Secret really does exist, then a lot of conspiracy and mystery will be solved.. But then again... it's human's nature to uncover the truth yet it's human's nature to choose to leave certain things unknown.. hmm.. human is just so contradicting~~

Btw, all the info i obtained were summarized from Wikipedia...

So.. lastly... enjoy the movie~~