Christmas Party Games -- How Did it All Begin?
There's no doubt that Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in America. But how did the Christmas celebration begin? This look at
Christmas from it's origins to the celebrations of today reveals an informative and eye-opening look at this popular holiday. Like many American
traditions, the Christmas holiday can be traced back to Europe. During the fourth century, Romans celebrated a "Feast of the Nativity" held on
December 17th. This celebration was based on the Christian observance of the birth of Jesus. Pagan feasts and rituals were also popular during this
time period. Many Romans paid homage to their deities during a week's long celebration held from December 17 through January 1st. Concerned by
the increasing popularity of pagan worship and the annual pagan festival, the Roman Church changed the official date of the Nativity Feast to
December 25th in an effort to curtail rampant pagan celebrations. Over the next thousand years, the observance of Christmas followed the expanding
community of Christianity. The spreading Christian community took the holiday far Northward into England. From the 13th century on, nearly all of
Europe observed Christmas. These Christmas celebrations involved heathen indulgences that were discouraged the rest of the year. The annual
celebration included over-eating, dancing, singing, card playing and gambling; pleasures which escalated to magnificent proportions over the years. In
1607, King James I insisted that a play be acted on Christmas night along with the playing of Christmas games. In another account of the secular
nature of the holiday a feast noted 16 different dishes for the first course. In 1626, the Duke of Buckingham charged the entire crew of three ships,
including the ship's captains, with abandoning their service in favor of Christmas revels, leaving their vessels preys to any enemy. As the magnitude of
the Christmas celebration grew, religious institutions of the day struggled to gain control of t