For some people Christmas is one of the most important dates of the year, there are even those who have it as their “favorite”, so at least for many Colombians not celebrating the arrival of the Child God can become a reason for great sadness and even something “unthinkable”; but surprisingly, for a country in the region the same feeling is not generated.
Well then, Christmas is a date celebrated by the Christian religions to celebrate the coming of Jesus, son of God, to Earth. This time in the form of a man and the moment from which the promise of the Almighty to his people is fulfilled, sending the Savior of humanity through a virgin woman, Mary, according to the Bible.
However, For more than 100 years Uruguay has eliminated “Christmas” from its festivities, although this December 25 is considered a holiday, from the national government it was regulated that it is celebrated as Family Day, and not a religious tradition that is related to the “Child God” or “Santa Claus”.
Since 1919, when Uruguay eliminated religious holidays from its calendars, without removing some of the holidays, but changing the reason for the holiday, just when a secularization was established throughout the national territory, with which the north of its magna carta, a secular country, was maintained.
The truth is that one thing arises in the rule, and another is what is lived in the streets, since local media have indicated a “A large part” of Uruguayans do set aside this date to celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas this December 24 and 25, they even have Christmas lights and activities of the time in the houses and streets of the country, since, although this celebration is not established by the government, it is not prohibited either, but everyone is free to celebrate it according to their own conviction.
Even other religious dates that tend to be holidays in most Catholic countries, in Uruguay the reason for celebration was changed, but the day was kept free, for example: in Holy Week Tourism Week is celebrated, the day of the arrival of the Three Kings, in Montevideo Children’s Day is celebrated, and the day of the Virgin Mary, Uruguayans can celebrate the day of the Beaches, among others.
Despite all this, families do get together to celebrate Christmas Day, although in public spaces they do not have this particularity, it is part of a radical tradition that took place 103 years ago, from which time, even in the cemeteries a movement began to remove religious symbols from crypts, among other measures to maintain national secularization.
The origin of Christmas
According to some historians, December 25 became a day that began to be seen as the celebration of both pagans, that is, those who believed in multiple gods, and those who focused their belief in Christ.
By then, those who already knew themselves as Christians “andThey begin to discuss the origin and humanity of Jesus, and then it begins to be important not only to celebrate death and crucifixion, but also the birth.explained to the American chain CNNLorena Pérez, professor of History of Religions at the Carlos III University.
This medium refers to the fact that in the 3rd century different options began to be evaluated regarding the exact date on which Jesus Christ was born and that, later, they ended up focusing on two: December and January 6, attributed by the Orthodox in its eastern ‘wing’. However, that day represents, for the most part, the belief and conviction regarding the arrival of the three wise men who found the village of Bethlehem, guided by a star.
National Geographic draws a parallel between the celebration of the nativity and the festivals held by the Romans in tribute to Saturn, the god of agriculture, also known as ‘the Saturnalia’. These had their development between the 17th and 23rd of this month and arrived when the “darkest period of the year” known as the winter solstice occurred.
