!!!Weihnachtsbräuche

Christmas Customs: Christmas, Christian feast in celebration of the 
birth of Jesus Christ, originally celebrated on January 6 
(Epiphany), since the 4th century on December 25. Christmas and 
the beginning of the year were intermingled and it was not until 1582 
(Gregorian calendar reform) that the beginning of the New Year was 
given a date of its own. From the 6th century onwards Christmas was 
given a special liturgical standing in that three different masses 
were said (Midnight Mass, Angel Mass, and the festive mass on the 
morning of Christmas Day) the octave of the feast was celebrated on 
January 1. In Austria, a drastic change in Christmas 
celebrations, which were characterised by often coarse entertainments 
(Mass was interrupted by interludes with masquerades, puppet shows and 
the singing of gay, frequently rude, songs) was brought about by the 
Reformation. Both the birth of Christ and Christmastide as a whole 
(from Christmas to Epiphany) are characterised by many liturgical and 
non-liturgical customs. Customs on Christmas Eve, Christmas Night and 
Christmas Day form a coherent whole, but special importance attaches 
in the non-liturgical field to Christmas Eve (December 24) when 
the Christkind (Holy Child) - or Santa Claus (secularised successor to 
St. Nicholas) - brings presents. Up to the Biedermeier period, 
the presents were brought by St. Nicholas, either on his feast day 
(December 6) or occasionally on Christmas Day or New Year's Eve. 
The  Christmas Tree was popularised in the 19th century, relegating 
the crib or manger to the background. The Christmas manger has since 
been associated with the singing of Christmas (manger or shepherds") 
songs (documented since the 11th and 12th centuries) and also of 
Christmas carols and Epiphany songs ("Sternsingen"). The most popular 
Christmas songs date from the 18th and 19th centuries, including 
"O du froehliche", "O Tannenbaum", "Ihr Kinderlein 
kommet", "Alle Jahre wieder", "Es wird scho glei 
dumpa" and the world-famous carol  "Stille Nacht" 
(Silent Night) (1818). Catholic families celebrate Christmas by 
attending Midnight Mass (which has in some parishes been moved to the 
evening hours of Christmas Eve). Formerly the morning of Christmas Eve 
was a Catholic fasting day, while the evening meal developed into a 
festive occasion with meat or fish courses and Christmas cakes and 
biscuits (poppyseed cake, "Kletzenbrot", Zelten, Christstollen, 
gingerbread, biscuits). Christmas Day (December 25) is usually 
devoted to the family; the traditional Christmas dinner features 
poultry. The second Christmas day (December 26) is dedicated to 
St. Stephen ("Stephanitag").- Apart from the Christian feast 
celebrating the birth of Christ and the secular occasion for 
exchanging presents on Christmas Eve, Christmas has in recent decades 
developed into a favourite season for shopping, entertainments and 
travel, which industry and trade have put to good use. From early 
November onwards, advertising and business firms devote themselves to 
the promotion of Christmas shopping (Christmas decorations in shops 
and shop windows, Christmas lighting in streets and shopping malls, 
Christmas jingles, Advent and Christmas markets); in the post-war 
years shops were open on the 3rd ("Silver Sunday") and 4th ("Golden 
Sunday") Sundays in Advent; currently shops keep their doors open on 
the last four Saturday afternoons before Christmas. To counteract 
increasing commercialisation a number of welfare schemes have been 
introduced in recent years (including the annual "Licht ins 
Dunkel" ("Light up Darkness") campaign organised by ORF Austrian Radio 
and Television since 1973 for the benefit of handicapped children, the 
Catholic Men's Movement's "Bruder in Not" ("Brother in 
Need") campaign, and various schemes operated by Caritas Socialis). 
Since 1959 a lighted "Christmas Tree for All" (donated in rotation by 
one of the federal provinces) has been erected on Rathausplatz in 
Vienna, a custom that has been adopted by many other cities and towns.

!Literature
I. Weber-Kellermann, Das Weihnachtsfest, 1978; H. M. 
Wolf, Das Brauch-Buch, 1992.


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