Christmas Traditions
Most of us have Christmas traditions, whether it’s gift giving, reuniting with family or a particular meal. My family’s traditions include saving all our Christmas songs and decorations for Thanksgiving night. Then, we pick out our live tree and decorate it. On Christmas day, us kids had to wait in our rooms until our parents woke up. Then we would rush downstairs and open our stockings. There are also religious traditions and beliefs surrounding Christmas, some of which are myths.
Below is a quiz about some of these:
1. How many wise men were there?
A. 3
B. 5
C. 7
This was a trick question. The Bible does not say how many wise men there were. It only lists the gifts they brought. The three gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - are probably where the tradition of the three wise men came from.
2. What time of the year was Jesus born?
A. Spring
B. Summer
C. Fall
D. Winter
A, B or C. The Bible says that the shepherds were out in the fields watching their sheep. Because shepherds only had their sheep out at pasture from spring through October, Jesus could not have been born in the winter, as is traditionally thought.
3. When did the wise men visit Jesus?
A. The night of Jesus’ birth
B. Within the first month of Jesus’ life
C. Up to two years later
C. It is often assumed that the wise men visited Jesus shortly after His birth. However, there is Biblical evidence to the contrary. When the wise men talked to Herod, Matthew says that Herod was careful to determine the exact time the star appeared. He then killed all children two years old and younger. This indicates that the wise men may have seen Jesus up to two years after he was born.
4. Jesus was an only child
A. True
B. False
C. Unknown
A. Yes, Jesus did have siblings. It is unclear if they were full or half brothers, but both Luke and Mark mention Jesus’ brothers.
While most traditions are fun and harmless it is important to be aware of how tradition affects views of religious matters.
Jade Covel is a junior studying religion.