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Saint Francis of Assisi
St. Francis was born in the Italian city of Assisi in 1181 or 1182 to a wealthy merchant family and baptized Giovanni di Pietro Bernardone. He was renamed Francesco by his father. After a wild and carefree youth, he was taken captive during a war between Assisi and the neighboring city of Perugia; he was imprisoned and ill for a year, and his mind began to turn to religion. Upon his ransom and release, he renounced his family's wealth and privilege, and took the Gospel as his rule of life, dressing in rough clothes, begging for his sustenance, and preaching purity and peace. Francis called for simplicity of life; poverty and humility before God. He began to attract followers, even in the materialistic culture of the day, and with papal blessing, founded the Order of Friars Minor or "little brothers" (Franciscans), based on a simple statement by Jesus: "Leave all and follow me." In 1212 Clare of Assisi became his spiritual student, which led to the founding of the Poor Clares. Francis expanded the order's ministry beyond Assisi, making missionary journeys preaching conversion and forgiveness, which he saw as the means of peacemaking. He traveled to Spain, France, Switzerland, Dalmatia, and even to Syria, the Holy Land, and Egypt during the Fifth Crusade. He tried to be a peace-maker between the Christians and Muslims, going so far as to enter the camp of the Sultan, again preaching conversion of heart and forgiveness. He reached out to and revered all created things, preaching to the animals and birds and fish with compassionate love. St. Francis died in 1226. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and Italy.
Christmas
Christmas is the annual feast commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, over 2000 years ago. For Christians, it is not just a single day (December 25), but an extended liturgical season of joy and celebration, involving many different symbols and traditions, special music and activities, which vary significantly among different countries and cultures. For religiously observant Christians, the Christmas Season begins at sunset on Christmas Eve, December 24, and lasts from 12 days to 40 days. In some ecclesial traditions the Christmas Season might end on January 6 (the traditional date of the Feast of the Epiphany); in others it might last until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (usually the Sunday after Epiphany), or might even last all the way to February 2 (the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 40 days after December 25). January 6, usually celebrated as Epiphany, carries different significance in various church traditions. Due to different calendars in use in various eras and locations of the church, some cultures and church traditions celebrate Christmas on January 6 (in the older Julian calendar still used as the religious calendar in Eastern Churches, January 6 corresponds to December 24 on the modern Gregorian calendar).
Although we cannot know the exact date of Jesus' birth, it has been celebrated on December 25 since the early fourth century, when most of the Roman Empire adopted the Christian religion. It replaced the mid-winter Roman festival of "the birth of the sun god" (sol invictus), celebrated just after the winter solstice.
Etymologically, the word "Christmas" derives from Old English "Cristes mæsse" (literally "Christ's festival"). It is similar to Dutch Kerstmis, but is significantly different in derivation and meaning in many other European languages: German Weihnachten ("Blessed Night"), Italian Natale, Spanish Navidad, French Noël (all ultimately derived from Latin natalis, "birth"), and Scandinavian jul (from which is derived the English yule).
The official liturgical color of the Christmas Season for most Churches is white or gold, not green and red, as many people assume because of their prevalence in secular celebrations.
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