Wanem Nao Main Important Samting Long Taem Bilong Christmas?

PLANDE million pipol ting long Christmas and New Year olsem taem for stap witim famili and olketa fren, and for strongim bak wei for fren gud tugeta. Staka narawan tingse Christmas hem taem for ting raonem taem wea Jesus Christ hem born and wei wea hem sevem olketa man. Russia hem difren from olketa nara kantri saed long diswan from olketa long Russia no free for celebratem Christmas bifor. Olketa long Russian Orthodox Church celebratem Christmas for plande handred year, bat, for staka year midolwan year 1900 go kasem year 2000 gavman bilong olketa stopem diswan. Wanem nao mekem diswan kamap?

No longtaem bihaen datfala Bolshevik Communist revolution long 1917, Soviet gavman hem strong for teachim hao no eni God hem stap. Gavman no laekem Christmas and New Year from tufala samting hia join witim religion. Olketa start for againstim wei for celebratem Christmas and New Year. Olketa barava tok againstim tu olketa samting wea join witim Christmas, olsem Christmas tree and Ded Moroz, wea minim Grandfather Frost. Long Russia, Grandfather Frost hem Father Christmas.

Long 1935, wanfala big change kamap wea affectim wei wea pipol long Russia celebratem disfala holiday. Soviet gavman hem letem wei for celebratem New Year and for garem Christmas tree and Grandfather Frost, bat, wei wea olketa celebratem hem barava difren. Olketa sei Grandfather Frost bae no tekem kam present long Christmas, bat bae hem tekem kam long New Year. And tu, bae olketa no garem Christmas tree, bat olketa bae garem nomoa wanfala New Year tree! So, bigfala change kamap long Soviet Union. Olketa no celebratem Christmas, bat olketa celebratem New Year.

Taem bilong Christmas and New Year hem kamap wanfala celebration bat hem no join witim eni samting saed long religion. Olketa no decoratem datfala New Year tree witim olketa lotu samting, bat olketa iusim olketa samting wea showimaot olketa change wea kamap anda long rul bilong Soviet Union. Wanfala magasin long Russia, Vokrug Sveta (Evriwea Long World) hem sei olsem: “Sapos man lukluk long olketa samting wea olketa iusim each year for decoratem olketa New Year tree taem Soviet gavman hem rul, bae hem savve lukim hao nao datfala Communist organization hem kamap and hao hem gohed. Olketa putim olketa samting olsem smol rabbit, ice, and raon bred, and tu, olketa wakem olketa decoration olsem naef wea olketa iusim for harvest, olketa hammer, and olketa tractor. Bihaen datwan, olketa mekem olketa samting olsem olketa man wea waka long mine and olketa man wea go long moon, samting for digim oil, rocket, and olketa smol trak wea olketa sendem go long moon for putim long tree.”

Waswe long Christmas Day? Soviet gavman no laek celebratem datfala day. Olketa mekem datfala day kamap day for waka nomoa. Sapos pipol laek for celebratem Christmas olketa mas duim diswan long wei wea haed bikos gavman stopem and trabol savve kamap from datwan. Tru nao, midolwan year 1900 go kasem year 2000, Christmas and New Year hem kamap wanfala celebration wea no join witim religion.

Narafala Change Moa

Long 1991 rul bilong Soviet Union hem finis and pipol free for duim plande samting. Wei wea gavman trae for mekem pipol no biliv long God hem finis nao. Plande niu sovereign state wea kamap no interest long religion, so olketa no mixim olketa samting saed long religion witim gavman. Plande pipol wea laekem religion feel olketa free nao for followim samting olketa bilivim. Long tingting bilong olketa, wanfala wei for duim diswan hem for celebratem Christmas long wei wea followim religion. Bat, no longtaem nomoa plande wea ting olsem olketa feel nogud. Why nao olsem?

Bikos wei for mek bisnis long Christmas hem kamap moa big evri year. Tru nao, olsem olketa kantri long Europe and America, taem bilong Christmas hem kamap wanfala best wei wea olketa bisnisman savve mek selen. Olketa putim olketa Christmas decoration front long olketa stoa. Olketa stoa savve pleim olketa Christmas music and carol bilong olketa kantri olsem Europe and America wea olketa long Russia no herem bifor. Olketa man for salem samting karem olketa big basket wea fulap long enikaen samting saed long Christmas and go salem olketa samting hia insaed olketa train and nara pablik transport. Long taem bilong Christmas diswan nao olketa samting wea savve kamap long Russia distaem.

Maet olketa wea acceptim nomoa kaen wei for mek bisnis olsem, feel nogud long nara nogud samting wea savve kamap long Christmas, olsem wei for ova tumas for drinkim alcohol and olketa nogud samting wea kamap from datwan. Wanfala doctor wea waka long emergency long wanfala hospital long Moscow hem sei: “Olketa doctor savve hao long taem bilong New Year bae staka pipol kam long hospital from olketa garekil. Samfala garekil hem smol nomoa bat samfala barava big, olsem garekil from samwan busarem olketa or sutim olketa long gun. Plande long olketa samting olsem kamap from famili hem raoa, man drunk, and from olketa accident long car.” Wanfala scientist wea waka long Russian Academy of Sciences hem sei: “Namba bilong pipol wea dae from olketa samting wea join witim alcohol hem kamap moa big, especially long year 2000. Namba bilong pipol wea suisaed and wea narawan killim olketa dae hem kamap moa big tu.”

Wanfala nara samting tu mekem olketa samting hia kamap moa big long Christmas and New Year long Russia. Wanfala story insaed niuspepa, Izvestiya, hem garem disfala title, “Olketa Long Russia Celebratem Christmas Tufala Taem.” Article hia sei: “Samting olsem 1-fala long 10-fala pipol long Russia celebratem Christmas tufala taem. Taem disfala sekson ROMIR duim survey, olketa lukim hao 8 percent long pipol wea olketa story witim sei olketa celebratem Christmas long December 25, wea followim Christmas kalenda bilong Catholic church, and long January 7, wea followim kalenda bilong Orthodox church. . . . Hem klia hao samting wea important long samfala nao, hem no for mekhae long Christ, bat for garem chance for celebrate.”a

Waswe, Wei for Celebratem Christmas Distaem Hem Really Mekhae Long Christ?

Tru nao, plande nogud fasin savve kamap long Christmas and New Year. Bat, nomata diswan mekem plande feel nogud, maet long tingting bilong samfala olketa mas celebratem Christmas mekem olketa showimaot respect long God and Christ. Hem nambawan samting for man laek mekem God hapi. Bat waswe, God and Christ really hapi long wei for celebratem Christmas? Tingim wei wea Christmas hem start.

Olsem example, nomata sapos man agree or nomoa long tingting bilong Soviet gavman saed long Christmas, bae hard for eniwan argue witim disfala tru samting long history wea stap insaed Great Soviet Encyclopedia, wea sei: ‘Olketa tekem Christmas from teaching bilong olketa heathen pipol wea worshipim olketa god wea “dae and laef bak.” Pipol wea duim agriculture nao biliv strong long diswan, and olketa savve celebratem diswan long datfala taem wea olketa kolem winter solstice wea hem long December 21-25. Long datfala taem olketa celebratem taem wea God bilong olketa wea savve sevem man hem “born” and wea savve mekem evri samting long earth hem laef moa.’

Maet iu interest long stret samting wea disfala encyclopedia hem talem: “Insaed olketa first tu-thri handred year bihaen Christ, olketa Christian no savve long disfala celebration bilong Christmas. . . . Winim thri handred year bihaen Christ, Christian religion hem tekem from worship bilong datfala god Mithra, datfala celebration bilong winter solstice and olketa mekem datwan kamap Christmas celebration. Olketa first pipol for celebratem Christmas hem olketa long Rome. Winim naen handred year bihaen Christ, Christmas witim Christian religion, hem spred go kasem Russia, and taem hem kasem there olketa joinim datwan witim celebration long winter wea pipol long Russia duim for mekhae long olketa spirit bilong laen dadi bilong olketa.”

Maet iu ask olsem, ‘Wanem nao Bible, Word bilong God, hem teachim abaotem wei wea Jesus born long December 25?’ For tok stret, Bible no talem day wea Jesus born, and no enitaem Bible talem hao Jesus storyim diswan, and tu, hem nating talem pipol for celebratem datwan. Bat, Bible hem helpem iumi for savve wanem taem long year nao Jesus born.

Long Gospel bilong Matthew long chapter 26 and 27 hem sei olketa killim dae Jesus long Nisan 14, klosap end long datfala day bilong Passover bilong olketa Jew wea start long March 31, 33 C.E. Gospel bilong Luke hem talem iumi hao age bilong Jesus hem samting olsem 30 year taem hem baptaes and startim ministry bilong hem. (Luke 3:21-23) Datfala ministry hem gohed for thri and haf year. So datwan minim age bilong Jesus hem samting olsem 33 1/2 year taem hem dae. Sapos hem laef kasem October 1, 33 C.E., bae hem 34 year. Luke hem sei taem wea Jesus born, olketa shepherd “stap long aotsaed and lukaftarem sheep bilong olketa long naet.” (Luke 2:⁠8) Olketa shepherd bae hard for stap aotsaed witim sheep bilong olketa long December wea hem coldfala taem tumas and wea samfala taem Bethlehem hem savve garem snow tu. Bat olketa fit for stap aotsaed witim sheep bilong olketa long samting olsem October 1, wea Bible showimaot hem nao taem wea Jesus hem born.

So, waswe long wei for celebratem New Year? Olsem iumi lukim finis, long datfala taem pipol duim enikaen nogud fasin. Nomata pipol trae for no joinim diswan witim religion, disfala holiday tu hem start kam from olketa heathen teaching.

Tru nao, taem iumi lukim olketa samting wea join witim taem bilong Christmas, kaen toktok olsem, Jesus nao reason for celebratem Christmas season, hem nating here stret. Sapos iu feel nogud long wei wea pipol mek bisnis long Christmas, no showimaot gud fasin, and wei wea Christmas hem kamaot from heathen teaching, no lus hope. Iumi savve duim samting wea fitim for showimaot iumi tinghae and honorim God and Christ, and tu, wea savve strongim famili for fren gud tugeta.

Wanfala Wei for Honorim God and Christ wea Moabeta

Bible talem iumi hao Jesus Christ hem kam for “givim soul bilong hem olsem ransom for baem bak plande pipol.” (Matthew 20:28) Hem letem pipol for killim hem dae from hem willing for dae for sin bilong iumi. Maet samfala laek for honorim Christ and olketa tingse taem bilong Christmas nao hem gud for duim datwan. Bat olsem iumi lukim finis, Christmas and New Year hem no really join witim Christ and hem start from olketa heathen celebration. And tu, taem bilong Christmas, nomata hem maet luk naes tumas, hem barava kamap samting for mek selen long hem. And nara samting moa, man fit for agree hao long taem bilong Christmas pipol savve duim barava nogud fasin wea nating mekem God and Christ hapi.

Wanem nao man wea laek mekem God hapi savve duim? Winim wei for followim nomoa olketa kastom bilong man, wea maet mekem iumi feel olsem iumi worshipim God bat wea really againstim samting wea Bible teachim, man wea barava lovem God bae lukaotem wei for honorim God and Christ. Wanem nao trufala wei for duim datwan, and wanem nao iumi shud duim?

Christ seleva talem iumi: “For kasem laef olowe, olketa mas kasem savve abaotem iu, datfala only tru God, and abaotem datwan wea iu sendem kam, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) Tru nao, olketa wea barava laek for duim datwan bae kasem stretfala savve abaotem hao for honorim God and Christ. Then bae hem savve followim datfala savve, no long wanfala taem long year nomoa bat long evriday. God hem hapi long wei wea man trae hard olsem, wea bae mekem man savve kasem laef olowe.

Waswe, iu laekem famili bilong iu for join witim olketa wea really honorim God and Christ fitim samting wea Bible talem? Olketa Jehovah’s Witness helpem plande million famili evriwea long world for kasem disfala barava important savve long Bible. Mifala hapi for invaetem iu for story witim Olketa Jehovah’s Witness long ples wea iu stap or raet go long eni address long page 2, wea klosap long ples wea iu stap.

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Start Bilong New Year Celebration

Wanfala Orthodox Priest Long Georgia Hem Tokaot

“New Year hem start kam from samfala heathen holiday long Rome bifor. January 1 hem holiday wea olketa mekem kamap for datfala heathen god Janus, and nem bilong datfala month hem kam from nem bilong datfala god. Image bilong Janus hem garem tufala feis, wanfala long front and narawan long bihaen, wea minim hem savve lukim samting wea kamap bifor and samting wea kamap distaem. Olketa sei sapos man hem hapi, laflaf, and kaikaim staka kaikai and drink long January 1, bae hem hapi and stap gud for full year. Olketa nara pipol long kantri bilong iumi tu garem disfala sem biliv saed long wei for celebratem new year . . . Taem olketa bifor celebratem olketa heathen holiday, pipol savve sakrifaesem olketa man long olketa idol. Olketa savve garem olketa barava nogud party, olketa savve duim adultery, and fornication. Samfala taem, olsem long holiday bilong Janus, olketa savve ova tumas for kaikai and drink, olketa savve drunk, and duim evrikaen dirty fasin. Sapos iu tingim hao iumi tu celebratem New Year bifor, then bae iumi luksavve hao iumi evriwan join insaed disfala heathen celebration.”—Wanfala niuspepa bilong Georgia.

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Olketa religion wea sei olketa Christian acceptim wei for worshipim Mithra

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Museum Wiesbaden

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Olketa shepherd hard for stap aotsaed witim sheep bilong olketa long December from hem cold tumas