Hirru

There wasn't much of a surprise for the hunter to get a message from time to time, but this one of the few times that the specifics cooperated with his current situation.  The hunter was just about to leave the floor when the notification blinked into his vision.   A young player was requiring assistance with the Traveller quest, which took place on this very floor. 

Some place to have your first quest at, though.  The hunter remembered the first time that he came to this floor, he had already tackled many quests from the first four floors before.  To be a lvl 1 AND come to this hell hole.  The hunter thought that this player must be very ambitious to gain proper health regen or was quite stupid.  Either way, they asked for help and he would give it.

Quote

Reply,

I would be happy to escort you through the great desert.  Meet me at the main city gate.  You will know it is me from my unique green hair.

After sending the reply, the hunter took to setting up his arsenal.  Taking off his white armor in favor of equipping the dual charms Favor and Spirit on his wrists.  The armor was replaced by a shredded red cloak that he wore over his black sleeveless turtleneck sweater.  On his sword belt, he kept Loyalty on for safety reasons.

When he was done, he waited for his client to come by.

(Stats to be posted soon.)

Following the Trail

The fifth floor; a large mountain range that enclosed one of the most nightmarish places of all Aincrad.  Many people have their adventures end in this very place all due to the random aspect of its very nature.  Some days will be calm with little activity, while others will bring storms that rip the skin from ones bones.  If that was ever a problem to begin with.  The heat of day would scald and the cold of night would freeze one faster than the fourth floor's winter wonderland.  Winds could turn up the terrain to reveal ancient tombs and horrid beasts.  Barely any water in sight.

This was the Great Desert of Aincrad.

How long has it been since the hunter last planted his feet in the hostile sands that covered 87% of the fifth floor.  Not long enough, he wagered as the jade green haired man walked over to the bulletin board of Fortaleza.  His half plate armor shown bright white against the heavy sun that graced this floor.  There was no real intention to remove the armor, although he wasn't on the guild's time.  The wasn't much time to worry about appearance as the front lines needed constant training. 

He was replacing his "Hunter for Hire" poster that he kept on every floor from the 1st to the 21st floors.  Though, no one really wants to hire someone that is such a high level now-a-days.  Unless their name is known for generousity, or were a tank that could successfully protect others, hunters were not needed anymore.  Everyone seemed to be able to fend for themselves, mostly.

In all, the hunter was glad that this change was finally coming along, but that also meant that his own business would suffer, as well.  He sighed heavily.

"Wonder what I should do, since I'm here."

The hunter pondered as he looked out of the gates to the city into the heat wave covered sands that blanketed the rest of the floor.

@Tressa

The Jade Hunter will be helping @Tressa through these treacherous  sands.

The last blip of yellow health was flashing in the second to last health bar of the obsidian dragon.  One successful strike would bring the raid into the final stretch, and the most chaotic part.  Three knights were about to be unleashed, and it would be Team 1 that would initiate it.  There was no doubt about it.  With the current damage that the hunter could figure from each strike that everyone could manage, either Jomei, Shield, or the hunter would deal that decisive blow.  The real action was, to attack and spend energy, or rely on Tesseleth's and Shield's 'magnetic bond'

"Roger that!"

The hunter called out to Jomei while following a distance behind.  When the green clad dagger user stepped back, the jade haired hunter moved in for the strike.  It would either be him, or Shield's "defenses" that would break the second to last health bar.

"Switch!"

"On it!"

Pushing past the fleeting green blur, the Jade Hunter flashed forward before...

*ping*

"Huh!"

Just as the blade was about to come into contact with the scales of the dragon, the sword art failed and bounced off of the creatures armor.  If anything, the hunter still wasted energy, but at least the events were still playing as they should.  Shield should have enough negative evasion and Tesseleth having enough accuracy to hit him regardless special factors.  Though, there is always the possibility to miss.

"Shield!  I hope your thorns are heavy today!  Cause they are going rip that last bit!"

ID 93920
BD 1

• Sit and look pretty [-2 EN]

Quote

Profession: Merchant

Name:  Phoenix Requiem

ID: 87636 [LD: 20] = MITIGATION
ID: 87637 [BD: 10] [CD: 10] [LD: 12] = [UNIQUE] FLAME THORNS

Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/11476-merchant-unknown-the-travelling-flame-open/?do=findComment&comment=522934

Item Type: Shield

Quality: T3 Rare

Enhancements:  Mitigation (+27 mit), Flame Thorns (+21 unmit dmg on enemy 6~10, w/ +6 burn dmg for 2 turns on enemy 9 or 10)

Description:    Either a relic from an age gone past, or a very convincing replica, this shield has been said to be wielded by an unstoppable soldier.  Whether or not the rumors are true, this shield will not show anyone respite.

Phoenix Requiem @ 10K Col

@Sey

The hunter watched carefully as the final health bar was nearing.  The creature was already well into its second to last health bar, and it was beginning to show new patterns that it didn't have before.  Especially, when Calrex's team was up.  The hunter kind of forgot about Ariel, but when a near similar attack almost happened to Calrex, the result nearly clicked.  It was almost like what was happening to the knights before they awoke:  frozen in crystal.  That was Tesseleth's game breaker!  Every attack was an anti-tank attack.  Made to get the tanks out of the way, and focus on the teams themselves.

With energy running low, and the end drawing near, they either had to burst the last of this things health, or play it slow and recover a bit now.  The hunter figured that once that last health bar was red, the last three knights would have a field day with them.  He was going to have Zandra heal everyone in the party, but anger had already taken her, and the "Berserk Healer" was already causing massive damage.  Damage, while not appreciated, would have been more suited for the knights when they came out.

"Hold strong everyone!  Recover what you can!  Once that health bar drops, we'll have those last three knights to deal with, if patterns still matter."

He shouted out before uncorking a masterpiece of his own appraisal.  A weird little bottle that swirled with silver and red liquid.  Chugging down the contents, he could have sworn that that was the worst tasting thing that he had ever had.  Why did it taste like a sandwich?

[Used Potion of Blessed Intervention (T3 Rare) = +120 HP / +27 MIT]
[-50 HP from Burn]
[+1 EN Passive Regen]

Yes, that Rare T1 weapon would have +2 dmg, which would add to your Base 1 equaling 3 dmg.  If you have weapon skills, it will be more.

Quality =/= Tier

The tier will be the one that you discovered the item on.  That is to say, Tier 1, since you are just beginning.

Quality can change depending on how it was made/how it was found/or any upgrades made to it.  Upgrading quality is possible, but one must use a special item that one can get in a specific quest.  Unfortunately, one can not upgrade quality past Perfect (3), pretty much making that the max that most anyone can make / find.  Demonic (4) quality items are EXTREMELY RARE, to the point that one can only find one as Floor Boss drops, or event drops.  Some people still call these "Uniques", but that is mostly because they hold unique enhancements, but we can skip past that for now. 

Now there is something to understand: equipment and items do not shoot up in tier when you unlock the next tier.  Equipment are locked to the tier that they were found/created in.  So a Rare T1 Weapon will stay a T1 weapon, even when you unlock T2.  You will have to find a new weapon for the new tier, or better yet, have one made for you.  Of course, there are items that can upgrade Tier, but those are also VERY RARE.  Mostly event items, but still just as hard to get.

So for example:  That Rare T1 weapon with 2 can become a Perfect T1 weapon with 3 slots, with a special item. 

Items and the materials (mats) can be found within respective tiers upon that tiers floor range.

• Tier 1 items and materials can be found on floors 1~10
• Tier 2 can be found on floors 11~20
• Tier 3 on floor 21 and on, once we unlock more floors.

The various shops can create the equipment/items that you need in.  Depending on the level of the shop owner, they can create nearly any item that they physically can.  They can create any quality (except Demonic) and in any tier.  The main problem with that is that you can't use an item that is outside your Tier level.  Just like any RPG that has level progression, equipment will come up with higher level requirements, but instead of levels, it requires a correct tier.

For example: You can use the Rare T1 weapon, but you get a new T2 weapon.  Unfortunately, you're still below the requisite level for T2, so you can't equip it.

I think I explained a little more than you asked, but are you still with me on this?

I'll explain this as simply as I can.  For a beginner (lvl 1) player, you have a choice from a few special packs.  Each one depends on what role you wish to fulfill. (Basic, DPS, tank, support). Since you're looking towards DPS, I would guess that you would choose that.

As for Tiers.  Tiers are basically level caps for yourself and equipment.  You start at tier 1, and will stay there until you unlock tier 2, at lvl 25.  That continues until tier 3 at lvl 50.  There may be more as we unlock more floors.

Anyway, Tiers mostly set your maximum potential for equipment.  Tier 1 Damage is just (1*Tier) per slot.

Now I will talk about equipment quality and slots.  As you venture, you will come across various equipment.  Each one different than the last.  Though, all have something in common: quality.  An equipment item is based around five different qualities: Vanity (0), Uncommon (1), Rare (2), Perfect (3), and Demonic (4).  Notice that each quality has a number next to it.  That determines the amount of slots an item has.  Other than Demonic, all qualities can be created or found in the field.

Now, going back to that T1 Dmg (Tier 1 Damage).  If a T1 weapon that is Uncommon is slotted with Dmg, then it will have +1 Dmg for  attacks.

With me so far?

[ID: 92784][LD: 9+11=20]  Treasure Chest Found!

With most of his energy gone, the hunter wasn't feeling up to discussing profits.  All he wanted to do was rest his weary bones, if he even had any.  Without really using his eyes or anything, the hunter spotted a stalagmite that was slightly broken from who-knows-what.  It seems, from this distance, a good place to lay down for a few minutes.  The hunter yawned heavily and for a solid ten seconds.

"Alright, that sounds about right."

Walking over to the broken stalagmite, the hunter fell upon the flat edge of the broken piece.  Expecting to feel resistance, he closed his eyes.  Unfortunately, he was still in the air for longer than he thought possible.

"Wait, wha.."

Before he could finish his sentence, he fell upon something rather curved impacting his stomach.  Without any armor, it was a numbness that impacted him more.  Looking around him, the stalagmite shattered revealing a chest where it once was..

..with the hunter sprawled on top of it.

"I think.. I found something.."

Quote

Passive: [+1 EP]

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20)x9= 180 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 74/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:3] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP: 13/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP:  0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92778 results: BD: 8 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 2> HP:  0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92779 results: BD: 8 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 3> HP:  0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3
<Gem Golem 4> HP:  0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92780 results: BD: 8 [20x9= 180 dmg]

Loot Rolls
ID: 92781/ LD: 12+11=23/ CD: 4============== 6930 Col, 4 T3 Mats
ID: 92782/ LD: 12+11=23/ CD: 3============== 6930 Col, 4 T3 Mats
ID: 92783/ LD:  5+11=16/ CD: 6============== 3780 Col, 2 T3 Mats, 1 Uncommon T3 Consumable [Unverified]

As the Gem Golems neared their red markings, their many broken pieces seemed to glow more orange than ever before.  An erratic pattern could always be seen from within, if one could get close to a gash mark on an enemy, but once could somewhat still see it when looking at their own wounds.  Temporary as they are, they serve as a secondary link to ones health.  If one didn't constantly look at their parties health, they could always look at the gash marks upon them to see how they were doing.  It was said that they start to turn darker as the health bar reaches the red.  So far, the hunter hasn't really seen that to make any positive or negative hypothesis for them.

In the end, however, he was not caring for the gashes that were there, but the ones that he was making.  The end of his final Shadow Explosion came, and the last three Gem Golems shattered, but not before screeching aloud.  This was what all mobs did, but only now was the hunter really concentrating on that.  If all of them were linked by <<Cardinal>>, then was that the last of it from within them, or the final cry from their freed mind.

"Too much to think about..."  

He mumbled while scratching his chin.  Around this time, the loot screen would appear.  The hunter went into the party loot to see how much they accumulated.

Total Treasure
40,320 Col
32 Mats
1 Uncommon T3 Consumable [Unverified]

Quote

Passive: [+1 EP]

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20)x9= 180 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 77/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:3] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP: 22/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP: 108/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92770 results: BD: 10 [22x9= 198 dmg]
<Gem Golem 2> HP: 108/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92771 results: BD: 9 [21x9= 189 dmg]
<Gem Golem 3> HP:   0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92772 results: BD: 5+2 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 4> HP: 177/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92773 results: BD: 1 [Miss] 

Loot Roll = ID: 92774 / LD: 20+11=31 / CD: 4 ============ 3780 Col, 8 T3 Materials

Each time the hunter heard the word 'Cardinal' something in the back of his mind told him to 'search for it'.  It was definitely something new.  Something that the hunter had not heard of before.  This 'Cardinal' was supposed to be the "brains" of this world.  If that were so, then it would be the driving force between everything that was going on in this world.  Why all the mobs were heavily angry and easily aggroed, except for when the players are much higher leveled.  That also may explain some other phenomena that happens regularly in this world.

"Hmm.. Interesting."

If anything, that just gave the hunter a proper drive now.  If this Cardinal was the mother brain, then he would be its hunter.  Stopping the brain should calm all of the creatures of this world, and maybe the killing will end.

This thought process would be the only thing that the hunter could think of as he plunged into another area of effect attack against the golems. 

Quote

Passive: [+1 EP]

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20)x9= 180 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 81/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:2] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP: 31/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP: 393/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92758 results: BD: 4+2 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 2> HP: 384/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92759 results: BD: 10 [21x9= 189 dmg]
<Gem Golem 3> HP: 261/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92760 results: BD: 1 [Miss]
<Gem Golem 4> HP: 177/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92761 results: BD: 4+2 [20x9= 180 dmg]

Taking into consideration that their plan for the first group could still work, the hunter flanked around the their right side.  Hopefully, with this, they would not be able to see him coming and be more vulnerable as the last group was.  That would be the more positive maneuver, but there would always be that time where nothing goes right.  Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn't.  There wasn't much to really do about it, except do it.

Finding his way around to flank, the hunter performed a series of wild slashes in near all directions.  Most of which were aimed at the first two that he missed the first go around.  His luck would be with him as they all connected, except for one that seemed to be too far away for the AOE attacks to strike at it.  A small mistake on his part, but nothing more.  They would get them all in time.

It was around then that Shield said something strange.

"Who's Cardinal?"

Quote

Passive: [+1 EP]

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20+4)x9= 216 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 99/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:1] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP: 40/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP: 630/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92750 results: BD: 1 [Miss]
<Gem Golem 2> HP: 573/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92751 results: BD: 2 [Miss]
<Gem Golem 3> HP: 348/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92752 results: BD: 9 [25x9= 225 dmg]
<Gem Golem 4> HP: 357/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92753 results: BD: 8 [24x9= 216 dmg]

There would be no rest for the weary.  Going on to fight four more was their plan all along, even if one was already half tired.  It wouldn't do well to think that using only half of ones energy would require rest.  No one is a pansy in this group of fighters.  Especially with the decent haul that they were gaining from them.  Not that the enemies were going to let them have a rest either.  They too were relentless in their attacks and numbers.  Thinking on what Shield said, there may be a central nest nearby.  Hopefully, they could sneak a peek at some ecological discoveries while they were at it.

Charging into the mobs, the hunter found that the mobs were indeed smarter than the average golem.  The last two seemed to act as a shield for the others, effectively making themselves a literal stonewall against the two fighters.

"I'm beginning to think that these next few floors are going to be a test of mettle soon enough, if the mobs are getting to this level of awareness."

Quote

Passive: [+1 EP]

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20)x9= 180 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 99/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:4] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP: 57/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP:   0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 
<Gem Golem 2> HP:   0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92742 results: BD: 9 [21x9= 189 dmg]
<Gem Golem 3> HP:   0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3
<Gem Golem 4> HP:   0/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92743 results: BD: 3+2+1 [20x9= 180 dmg] [Concentration used]

Loot Rolls =
ID: 92744 LD: 6+11= 17 | CD: 3  ============ 5040 Col, 2 T3 Mats
ID: 92745 LD: 8+11= 19 | CD: 12 ============ 3780 Col, 4 T3 Mats

Following the death of the first one, another fell to the combination of Shield's flames and thorns.  A deadly combination that was perfect for all tanks.  It was no wonder that the legendary tank, Tristan, was such a formidable force in his active days.  Though, with certain people gone, I guess he just wants to live a peaceful life with his wife now.  The hunter really wanted to venture with the Twin Phoenix.  He guessed that that day would never come to pass now.  

Circling around Shield, this time, the hunter went in hard against the last two.  They had barely any health left, but that didn't mean that he could cut down on his energy usage.  Shadow Explosion was the only good AOE that he had except for a rank 2, which would be useless.  Instead, he went balls to the wall against the two, and finished them both.  As they shattered to nothing, they were given their first break from the battle.  It may have only taken a minute or so, but the hunter's energy was already halved.

"First group over with.  Let's see what we got?"

Total Treasure
18900 Col
14 T3 Mats
 

Quote

Passive: [+1 EP]

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20)x9= 180 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 102/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:3] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP:  66/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP:  36/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92733 results: BD: 9 [21x9= 189 dmg]
<Gem Golem 2> HP:  37/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92734 results: BD: 7 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 3> HP:  21/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92735 results: BD: 6 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 4> HP: 213/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92736 results: BD: 8 [20x9= 180 dmg]

With the current strategy in place, all the hunter had to do was continue with it.  The four gem golems were still trained on Shield, and would stay that way for the foreseeable future.  Unless, he missed any of them at this point, which could possibly happen.  He just hoped that he could keep himself in the proper mind set for it all.  He shouldn't get angry, or anything for missing one or three.  As long as one connects, he'll be fine.

The concentration against any negative emotions paid off.  Yet again, the hunter was able to circle around and deal a heavy blow against all of the golems.  He even took one of them down, which would bring the loot flowing in.  The golem seemed to fall to pieces revealing something unusual in its remains before it reassembled itself.  What was that thing in there?  They would have to check that out later on.  For right now, they still had three more left to kill.

"Well, that won't matter when they're slowly cut down to size."

Quote

Passive: +1 EP

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20)x9= 180 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1327/1330][EP: 111/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:2] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP:  75/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP: 225/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92725 results: BD: 6 [20x9= 180 dmg]
<Gem Golem 2> HP: 297/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92726 results: BD: 9 [21x9= 189 dmg]
<Gem Golem 3> HP: 288/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92727 results: BD: 10 [22x9= 198 dmg]
<Gem Golem 4> HP: 393/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92728 results: BD: 6 [20x9= 180 dmg]

Their attacks charged against the grand shield of the paladin, but nothing would get through his thick mitigation.  At least, nothing that could be bring bragging rights to any mob, if they were to live on another day.  No, this was little to nothing, it would seem.  That meant that the hunter didn't need to hold back.  Especially when the tank was also energizing him in the process.  There wouldn't be any sort of long process, unless that one golem kept getting really lucky, to which it was seeming so.

"Let's try a different angle of approach."

The hunter said more to himself as he circled around to try another AOE on the mobs.  This new angle allowed the hunter to bypass the first golem's defensive gaze and attack the other three with ease.  It may have even allowed him to gain the upper hand on one or two of them, as he heard the distinctive sound of a crit somewhere in that volley. 

"That should do it."

@Shield

Quote

Passive: None

Action: Attack AOE Shadow Explosion= (20+4)x9= 216 AOE, if hit. [-18 EP]

[H:4] Shield: [HP: 1326/1330][EP: 114/124][Dmg:  2][Acc: 0][Eva: -1][Mit: 196][BH: 66][THN: 87][REC: 6][LD: 5][PRO: 3][TNT]
[H:1] Hirru:  [HP: 1065/1065][EP:  84/102][Dmg: 20][Acc: 2][Eva:  1][Mit: -27][LD: 11][PRO: 3]

<Gem Golem 1> HP: 405/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92716 results: BD: 9 [(21+4x9= 225 DMG]
<Gem Golem 2> HP: 573/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92717 results: BD: 1 [Miss]
<Gem Golem 3> HP: 573/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92718 results: BD: 2 [Miss]
<Gem Golem 4> HP: 573/630 | DMG: 189 | ACC: 3 - ID# 92719 results: BD: 1 [Miss]

Venturing out into the dank cavern system that made up the majority, if not all of, the twenty first floor; the team of two set out to find the riches of the world.  Which in most cases was on specific mobs.  Fun thing about finding mobs:  you don't really have to find them, as they will always find you first.  That was the case as four giant rock golems that seemed to assemble themselves out of the gemstones and bio-metals of the floor.  It looked like they had hit a jackpot, but time would tell.  With the random chances increasing within the past few weeks, the world seemed to be a hard place to gain anything anymore.  The economy must be in a freefall by now.

As they attacked Shield, the hunter took this chance to strike out against them.  Charging in, he would try to catch all of them in his combo, but the first Gem Golem was very adamant on keeping the hunter's attention on it.  This was very odd behavior, as they should have all been seduced by Shield's voice.

"Extremely lucky, this one is."

@Shield

Looking through his own inventory, spacing out some things that he needed and some things that were not required.  He would figure that they may require some rations, so he brought some that he bought some time ago.  Though, knowing Shield, they probably didn't need them.  The guy would probably have every single mob going against him anyway, and they wouldn't be able to do much against the hunter.  With that in mind, he assumed the old equipment model by removing his armor and using the dragon bracelets Golden Favor and Jade Spirit to max his potential opportunities.

When Shield came by, the singular question from him as they began an exchange of items would make the hunter grumble slightly.

"Not so well, really.  It's kind of hard when the caravan moves from time to time.  Also doesn't help that people can only find it when either exhausted or intentionally trying to find me."

He sighed heavily.

"The Mysterious Merchant isn't> the best NPC to keep for a shop."

The hunter looked at the items that were being sent to him.  Several food items that could be used for high damage and loot chances.  Especially the protein that would boost his strength, but put his mit into the negatives.  Not that that really mattered.  In recompense, the hunter sent some col Shield's way.

Downing the food as fast as he could, the hunter would look on to his hunting partner.

"Sound the call, whenever."

Used all food items traded
-8000 Col to Shield

Stats have changed.

With more players coming to the middle floors and front lines, one could feel the urge to get more production done.  The time was coming when a raid would have more than three teams.  That day seemed so far away before, but the numbers are not lying.  Pretty soon, the newer players will have to come to the front to gain the best gear and levels.  That day was slowly coming to pass, but until then, there was something they had to do.  Work hard and play harder.

That seemed to be the case for the hunter.  Watching the junior players fight ever so hard to gain their freedom while observing them on the lower floors, it made him want to go out and hunt.  Lately, the hunter didn't seem to have the drive to do much anymore, except search for the labyrinths and get them that much closer to the end of this world.  Of his world.

Coming up to the twenty first floor, the hunter figured that he didn't want to go alone.  Not after the fiasco that happened last time he went solo through this floor.  It wouldn't take him long to know who to call up.

Quote

To: @Shield

From: Hirru

Title: Another round of hunting?

Howdy, Shield!  It has been some time since we have gone on a hunt.  It would be great to catch up and salvage some more materials from this floor.

How about it?

Stats:

On 12/20/2017 at 7:39 PM, Shield said:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ,^[7][8] observed most commonly on December 25^[4][9][10] as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.^[2][11][12]A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night;^[13] in some traditions, Christmastide includes an Octave.^[14] Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations,^[15][16][17] is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians,^[18] as well as culturally by many non-Christians,^[1][19] and forms an integral part of the holiday season. In several countries, celebrating Christmas Eve has the main focus rather than Christmas Day.

Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid fourth century the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25,^[20] a date that was later adopted in the East.^[21][22]Today, most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, some Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. This is not a disagreement over the date of Christmas as such, but rather a preference of which calendar should be used to determine the day that is December 25.

Although it is not known why December 25 became a date of celebration, there are several factors that may have influenced the choice. December 25 was the date the Romans marked as the winter solstice,^[23] the shortest and darkest day of the year, and the first day in which the days would begin to elongate and the Sun would have a longer presence in the sky; Jesus was identified with the Sun based on an Old Testament verse.^[24] December 25 is exactly nine months following the Crucifixion of Jesus, which, around the 3rd century, became associated with his conception based on understandings at the time of the way salvation is bound up in birth and death; some theories then had the date of the Crucifixion as his birthday, others took the date nine months later: Christmas day.^[25][26] Also, Ancient Romans had a series of pagan festivals near the end of the year, and Christmas may have been scheduled at this time to appropriate, or compete with, one or more of these festivals.^[27][28][29] Some scholars disagree with this latter interpretation and state that the Roman Emperor Aurelian placed a pagan celebration on December 25 in order to compete with the growing rate of the Christian Church, which had already been celebrating Christmas on that date.^[30]

The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins.^[31] Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, viewing a Nativity play, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.^[32] Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

 

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Etymology
  • 1.1Other names
• 2Nativity
• 3History
  • 3.1Choice of December 25 date
    • 3.1.1Solstice date
    • 3.1.2Calculation hypothesis
    • 3.1.3History of religions hypothesis
  • 3.2Introduction of feast
  • 3.3Relation to concurrent celebrations
  • 3.4Middle Ages
  • 3.5Reformation to the 18th century
  • 3.619th century
  • 3.720th century
  • 3.821st century
• 4Customs and traditions
  • 4.1Decorations
  • 4.2Music and carols
  • 4.3Traditional cuisine
  • 4.4Cards
  • 4.5Commemorative stamps
  • 4.6Gift giving
    • 4.6.1Gift-bearing figures
  • 4.7Date according to Julian calendar
    • 4.7.1Listing
• 5Economy
• 6Controversies
  • 6.1Secularization controversies
• 7See also
• 8References
• 9Further reading
• 10External links

 

Etymology

"Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038^[8] followed by the word Cristes-messe in 1131.^[33] Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos(Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah", meaning "anointed";^[34][35] and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form Christenmas was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal;^[36] it derives from Middle English Cristenmasse, literally "Christian mass".^[37] Xmas is an abbreviation of Christmas found particularly in print, based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), "Christ", though numerous style guides discourage its use;^[38] it has precedent in Middle English Χρ̄es masse (where "Χρ̄" is an abbreviation for Χριστός).^[37]

Other names

In addition to "Christmas", the holiday has been known by various other names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter",^[39][40] or, more rarely, as Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās below).^[39][41] "Nativity", meaning "birth", is from Latin nātīvitās.^[42] In Old English, Gēola (Yule) referred to the period corresponding to December and January, which was eventually equated with Christian Christmas.^[43] "Noel" (or "Nowel") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs) meaning "birth (day)".^[44]

Nativity

Main article: Nativity of Jesus

 

 

MENU

 

 

 

0:25

 

 

Gospel according to Saint Luke Chapter 2, v 1–20

 

Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst depicts the nativity of Jesus

The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew both describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a manger.^[45] It says that angels proclaimed him a savior for all people, and shepherds came to adore him. In the Matthew account, magi follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, born the king of the Jews. King Herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth.

 

Eastern Orthodox icon of the birth of Christ by Saint Andrei Rublev, 15th century

History

 

Nativity of Christ – medieval illustration from the Hortus deliciarumof Herrad of Landsberg (12th century)

The Nativity stories of Matthew and Luke are prominent in the gospels and early Christian writers suggested various dates for the anniversary. The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome in 336.^[46][47] Christmas played a role in the Arian controversy of the fourth century. In the early Middle Ages, it was overshadowed by Epiphany. The feast regained prominence after 800, when Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day. Associating it with drunkenness and other misbehavior, the Puritans banned Christmas in the 17th century.^[48] It was restored as a legal holiday in 1660, but remained disreputable. In the early 19th century, Christmas was revived with the start of the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church.^[49] Charles Dickens and other writers reinvented the holiday by emphasizing Christmas as a time for family, religion, gift-giving, and social reconciliation as opposed to the revelry that had been common historically.^[49]

 

Outdoor Christmas decoration

Choice of December 25 date

In the 3rd century, the date of birth of Jesus was the subject of both great interest and great uncertainty. Around AD 200, Clement of Alexandria wrote:

“

There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20] … Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21].[50]

”

In other writing of this time, May 20, April 18 or 19, March 25, January 2, November 17, and November 20 are all suggested.^[8][51] Various factors contributed to the selection of December 25 as a date of celebration: it was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar; it was about nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox and a date linked to the conception of Jesus.

Solstice date

December 25 was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar.^[52][23] Jesus chose to be born on the shortest day of the year for symbolic reasons, according to an early Christmas sermon by Augustine: "Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase."^[53]

Linking Jesus to the Sun was supported by various Biblical passages. Jesus was considered to be the "Sun of righteousness" prophesied by Malachi: "Unto you shall the sun of righteousness arise, and healing is in his wings."^[54]John describes Jesus as "the light of the world."^[55]

Such solar symbolism could support more than one date of birth. An anonymous work known as De Pascha Computus (243) linked the idea that creation began at the spring equinox, on March 25, with the conception or birth (the word nascor can mean either) of Jesus on March 28, the day of the creation of the sun in the Genesis account. One translation reads: "O the splendid and divine providence of the Lord, that on that day, the very day, on which the sun was made, March 28, a Wednesday, Christ should be born.^[8][56]

In the 17th century, Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the solstice.^[24]

According to Steven Hijmans of the University of Alberta, "It is cosmic symbolism ... which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the southern solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the northern solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception."^[57]

Calculation hypothesis

The Calculation hypothesis suggests that an earlier holiday held on March 25 became associated with the Incarnation.^[58] Modern scholars refer to this feast as the Quartodecimal. Christmas was then calculated as nine months later. The Calculation hypothesis was proposed by French writer Louis Duchesne in 1889.^[59][25]

In modern times, March 25 is celebrated as Annunciation. This holiday was created in the seventh century and was assigned to a date that is nine months before Christmas, in addition to being the traditional date of the equinox. It is unrelated to the Quartodecimal, which had been forgotten by this time.^[60]

Early Christians celebrated the life of Jesus on a date considered equivalent to 14 Nisan (Passover) on the local calendar. Because Passover was held on the 14th of the month, this feast is referred to as the Quartodecimal. All the major events of Christ's life, especially the passion, were celebrated on this date. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions Passover, presumably celebrated according to the local calendar in Corinth.^[61] Tertullian (d. 220), who lived in Latin-speaking North Africa, gives the date of passion celebration as March 25.^[62] The date of the passion was moved to Good Friday in 165 when Pope Soter created Easter by reassigning the Resurrection to a Sunday. According to the Calculation hypothesis, celebration of the quartodecimal continued in some areas and the feast became associated with Incarnation.

The Calculation hypothesis is considered academically to be "a thoroughly viable hypothesis", though not certain.^[63] It was a traditional Jewish belief that great men lived a whole number of years, without fractions, so that Jesus was considered to have been conceived on March 25, as he died on March 25, which was calculated to have coincided with 14 Nisan.^[64]

A passage in Commentary on the Prophet Daniel (204) by Hippolytus of Rome identifies December 25 as the date of the nativity. This passage is generally considered a late interpellation. The manuscript includes another passage, one that is more likely to be authentic, that gives the passion as March 25.^[65]

In 221, Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) gave March 25 as the day of creation and of the conception of Jesus in his universal history. This conclusion was based on solar symbolism, with March 25 the date of the equinox. As this implies a birth in December, it is sometimes claimed to be the earliest identification of December 25 as the nativity. However, Africanus was not such an influential writer that it is likely he determined the date of Christmas.^[66]

The tractate De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae, falsely attributed to John Chrysostom, also argued that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated this as March 25.^[67][68] This anonymous tract also states: "But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December ... the eight before the calends of January [25 December] ..., But they call it the 'Birthday of the Unconquered'. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord...? Or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice."^[8]

History of religions hypothesis

The rival "History of Religions" hypothesis suggests that the Church selected December 25 date to appropriate festivities held by the Romans in honor of the Sun god Sol Invictus.^[58] This feast was established by Aurelian in 274.

An explicit expression of this theory appears in an annotation of uncertain date added to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote: "It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day." ^[69]

In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church.^[27] It has been argued that, on the contrary, the Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.^[26]

Hermann Usener^[70] and others^[33] proposed that the Christians chose this day because it was the Roman feast celebrating the birthday of Sol Invictus. Modern scholar S. E. Hijmans, however, states that "While they were aware that pagans called this day the 'birthday' of Sol Invictus, this did not concern them and it did not play any role in their choice of date for Christmas."^[57] Moreover, Thomas J. Talley holds that the Roman Emperor Aurelian placed a Sol Invictus on December 25 in order to compete with the growing rate of the Christian Church, which had already been celebrating Christmas on that date first.^[30]

In the judgement of the Church of England Liturgical Commission, the History of Religions hypothesis has been challenged^[71] by a view based on an old tradition, according to which the date of Christmas was fixed at nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox, on which the Annunciation was celebrated.^[67]

With regard to a December religious feast of the sun as a god (Sol), as distinct from a solstice feast of the (re)birth of the astronomical sun, one scholar has commented that, "while the winter solstice on or around December 25 was well established in the Roman imperial calendar, there is no evidence that a religious celebration of Sol on that day antedated the celebration of Christmas".^[72] "Thomas Talley has shown that, although the Emperor Aurelian's dedication of a temple to the sun god in the Campus Martius (C.E. 274) probably took place on the 'Birthday of the Invincible Sun' on December 25, the cult of the sun in pagan Rome ironically did not celebrate the winter solstice nor any of the other quarter-tense days, as one might expect."^[73] The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought remarks on the uncertainty about the order of precedence between the religious celebrations of the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun and of the birthday of Jesus, stating that the hypothesis that December 25 was chosen for celebrating the birth of Jesus on the basis of the belief that his conception occurred on March 25 "potentially establishes 25 December as a Christian festival before Aurelian's decree, which, when promulgated, might have provided for the Christian feast both opportunity and challenge".^[74]

Introduction of feast

As Christmas was unknown to the early Christian writers, it must have been introduced sometime after 300. Irenaeus and Tertullian omit it from their lists of feasts, and Origen writes that in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday. Arnobius can still ridicule the "birthdays" of the gods.^[8] The first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome in 336.^[46][47] The feast was introduced to the Eastern Roman Empire after the death of Emperor Valens, who favored the Arian heresy, in 378.

In 245, Origen of Alexandria, writing about Leviticus 12:1–8, commented that Scripture mentions only sinners as celebrating their birthdays, namely Pharaoh, who then had his chief baker hanged (Genesis 40:20–22), and Herod, who then had John the Baptist beheaded (Mark 6:21–27), and mentions saints as cursing the day of their birth, namely Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14–15) and Job (Job 3:1–16).^[75] In 303, Arnobius ridiculed the idea of celebrating the birthdays of gods, a passage cited as evidence that Arnobius was unaware of any nativity celebration.^[76] Since Christmas does not celebrate Christ's birth "as God" but "as man", this does not necessarily show that Christmas was not a feast at this time.^[8]

The fact the Donatists of North Africa celebrated Christmas suggests that the feast was established by the time that church was created in 311.^[77][78] The earliest known Christmas celebration is recorded in a fourth-century manuscript compiled in Rome.^[46] This manuscript is thought to record a celebration that occurred in 336. It was prepared privately for Filocalus, a Roman aristocrat, in 354. The reference in question states, "VIII kal. ian. natus Christus in Betleem Iudeæ".^[47] This reference is in a section of the manuscript that was copied from earlier source material.^[79] The document also contains the earliest known reference to the feast of Sol Invictus.^[80]

In Eastern Christianity the birth of Jesus was already celebrated in connection with the Epiphany on January 6.^[81][82] Epiphany emphasized celebration of the baptism of Jesus.^[83] December 25 celebration was imported into the East later: in Antioch by John Chrysostomtowards the end of the fourth century,^[82] probably in 388, and in Alexandria only in the following century.^[84] Even in the West, January 6 celebration of the nativity of Jesus seems to have continued until after 380.^[85]

In the East, early Christians celebrated the birth of Christ as part of Epiphany (January 6), although Christmas was promoted in the Christian East as part of the revival of Nicene Christianity following the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The feast was introduced at Constantinople in 379, and at Antioch in about 380. The feast disappeared after Gregory of Nazianzus resigned as bishop in 381, although it was reintroduced by John Chrysostom in about 400.^[8]

Relation to concurrent celebrations

Many popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of the commemoration of Jesus' birth, with certain elements having origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated around the winter solstice by pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity. These elements, including the Yule log from Yule and gift giving from Saturnalia,^[86] became syncretized into Christmas over the centuries. The prevailing atmosphere of Christmas has also continually evolved since the holiday's inception, ranging from a sometimes raucous, drunken, carnival-like state in the Middle Ages,^[87] to a tamer family-oriented and children-centered theme introduced in a 19th-century transformation.^[88][89] Additionally, the celebration of Christmas was banned on more than one occasion within certain Protestant groups, such as the Puritans, due to concerns that it was too pagan or unbiblical.^[48][90] Jehovah's Witnesses also reject the celebration of Christmas.

 

Mosaic of Jesus as Christus Sol(Christ the Sun) in Mausoleum M in the pre-fourth-century necropolis under St Peter's Basilica in Rome.^[91]

Prior to and through the early Christian centuries, winter festivals—especially those centered on the winter solstice—were the most popular of the year in many European pagan cultures. Reasons included the fact that less agricultural work needed to be done during the winter, as well as an expectation of better weather as spring approached.^[92] Many modern Christmas customs have been directly influenced by such festivals, including gift-giving and merrymaking from the Roman Saturnalia, greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year, and Yule logs and various foods from Germanic feasts.^[93] The Egyptian deity Horus, son to goddess Isis, was celebrated at the winter solstice. Horus was often depicted being fed by his mother, which also influenced the symbolism of the Virgin Mary with baby Christ.

The pre-Christian Germanic peoples—including the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse—celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period, yielding modern English yule, today used as a synonym for Christmas.^[94] In Germanic language-speaking areas, numerous elements of modern Christmas folk custom and iconography stem from Yule, including the Yule log, Yule boar, and the Yule goat.^[94] Often leading a ghostly procession through the sky (the Wild Hunt), the long-bearded god Odin is referred to as "the Yule one" and "Yule father" in Old Norse texts, while other gods are referred to as "Yule beings".^[95]

In eastern Europe also, old pagan traditions were incorporated into Christmas celebrations, an example being the Koleda,^[96] which was incorporated into the Christmas carol.

Middle Ages

 

The Nativity, from a 14th-century Missal; a liturgical book containing texts and music necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year

In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany, which in western Christianity focused on the visit of the magi. But the medieval calendar was dominated by Christmas-related holidays. The forty days before Christmas became the "forty days of St. Martin" (which began on November 11, the feast of St. Martin of Tours), now known as Advent.^[87] In Italy, former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent.^[87] Around the 12th century, these traditions transferred again to the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 – January 5); a time that appears in the liturgical calendars as Christmastide or Twelve Holy Days.^[87]

The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned Emperor on Christmas Day in 800. King Edmund the Martyr was anointed on Christmas in 855 and King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.

 

The coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas of 800 helped promote the popularity of the holiday

By the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so prominent that chroniclers routinely noted where various magnates celebrated Christmas. King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep were eaten.^[87] The Yule boar was a common feature of medieval Christmas feasts. Caroling also became popular, and was originally a group of dancers who sang. The group was composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that provided the chorus. Various writers of the time condemned caroling as lewd, indicating that the unruly traditions of Saturnalia and Yule may have continued in this form.^[87] "Misrule"—drunkenness, promiscuity, gambling—was also an important aspect of the festival. In England, gifts were exchanged on New Year's Day, and there was special Christmas ale.^[87]

Christmas during the Middle Ages was a public festival that incorporated ivy, holly, and other evergreens.^[97] Christmas gift-giving during the Middle Ages was usually between people with legal relationships, such as tenant and landlord.^[97] The annual indulgence in eating, dancing, singing, sporting, and card playing escalated in England, and by the 17th century the Christmas season featured lavish dinners, elaborate masques, and pageants. In 1607, King James I insisted that a play be acted on Christmas night and that the court indulge in games.^[98] It was during the Reformation in 16th–17th-century Europe that many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or Christkindl, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.^[99]

Reformation to the 18th century

 

Public notice in Boston issued by the Puritans deeming Christmas illegal and sacrilegious

Following the Protestant Reformation, many of the new denominations, including the Anglican Church and Lutheran Church, continued to celebrate Christmas.^[100] In 1629, the Anglican poet John Milton penned On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, a poem that has since been read by many during Christmastide.^[101][102] Donald Heinz, a professor at California State University, states that Martin Luther "inaugurated a period in which Germany would produce a unique culture of Christmas, much copied in North America."^[103] Among the congregations of the Dutch Reformed Church, Christmas was celebrated as one of the principal evangelical feasts.^[104]

However, in 17th century England, some groups such as the Puritans, strongly condemned the celebration of Christmas, considering it a Catholic invention and the "trappings of popery" or the "rags of the Beast".^[48] In contrast, the established Anglican Church "pressed for a more elaborate observance of feasts, penitential seasons, and saints' days. The calendar reform became a major point of tension between the Anglican party and the Puritan party."^[105]The Catholic Church also responded, promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. King Charles I of England directed his noblemen and gentry to return to their landed estates in midwinter to keep up their old-style Christmas generosity.^[98] Following the Parliamentarian victory over Charles I during the English Civil War, England's Puritan rulers banned Christmas in 1647.^[48][106]

Protests followed as pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities and for weeks Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans.^[48] The book, The Vindication of Christmas (London, 1652), argued against the Puritans, and makes note of Old English Christmas traditions, dinner, roast apples on the fire, card playing, dances with "plow-boys" and "maidservants", old Father Christmas and carol singing.^[107]

 

The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas, (1686), published after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England

The Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the ban, but many Calvinist clergymen still disapproved of Christmas celebration. As such, in Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of Scotlanddiscouraged the observance of Christmas, and though James VI commanded its celebration in 1618, attendance at church was scant.^[108] The Parliament of Scotland officially abolished the observance of Christmas in 1640, claiming that the church had been "purged of all superstitious observation of days".^[109] It was not until 1958 that Christmas again became a Scottish public holiday.^[110]

Following the Restoration of Charles II, Poor Robin's Almanack contained the lines: "Now thanks to God for Charles return, / Whose absence made old Christmas mourn. / For then we scarcely did it know, / Whether it Christmas were or no."^[111] The diary of James Woodforde, from the latter half of the 18th century, details the observance of Christmas and celebrations associated with the season over a number of years.^[112]

In Colonial America, the Pilgrims of New England shared radical Protestant disapproval of Christmas.^[90] The Plymouth Pilgrims put their loathing for the day into practice in 1620 when they spent their first Christmas Day in the New World working – thus demonstrating their complete contempt for the day.^[90] Non-Puritans in New England deplored the loss of the holidays enjoyed by the laboring classes in England.^[113] Christmas observance was outlawed in Boston in 1659.^[90] The ban by the Puritans was revoked in 1681 by English governor Edmund Andros, however it was not until the mid-19th century that celebrating Christmas became fashionable in the Boston region.^[114]

At the same time, Christian residents of Virginia and New York observed the holiday freely. Pennsylvania German Settlers, pre-eminently the Moravian settlers of Bethlehem, Nazareth and Lititz in Pennsylvania and the WachoviaSettlements in North Carolina, were enthusiastic celebrators of Christmas. The Moravians in Bethlehem had the first Christmas trees in America as well as the first Nativity Scenes.^[115] Christmas fell out of favor in the United States after the American Revolution, when it was considered an English custom.^[116] George Washington attacked Hessian (German) mercenaries on the day after Christmas during the Battle of Trenton on December 26, 1776, Christmas being much more popular in Germany than in America at this time.

With the atheistic Cult of Reason in power during the era of Revolutionary France, Christian Christmas religious services were banned and the three kings cake was renamed the "equality cake" under anticlerical government policies.^[117][118]

19th century

 

Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present. From Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, 1843.

In the UK, Christmas Day became a bank holiday in 1834, Boxing Day was added in 1871.^[119]

In the early-19th century, writers imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration. In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol that helped revive the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal merriment.^[88][89] Its instant popularity played a major role in portraying Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion.^[120]

Dickens sought to construct Christmas as a family-centered festival of generosity, linking "worship and feasting, within a context of social reconciliation."^[121] Superimposing his humanitarian vision of the holiday, in what has been termed "Carol Philosophy",^[122] Dickens influenced many aspects of Christmas that are celebrated today in Western culture, such as family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games, and a festive generosity of spirit.^[123]A prominent phrase from the tale, "Merry Christmas", was popularized following the appearance of the story.^[124] This coincided with the appearance of the Oxford Movement and the growth of Anglo-Catholicism, which led a revival in traditional rituals and religious observances.^[125]

 

The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, published in the Illustrated London News, 1848, and republished in Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia, December 1850

The term Scrooge became a synonym for miser, with "Bah! Humbug!" dismissive of the festive spirit.^[126] In 1843, the first commercial Christmas card was produced by Sir Henry Cole.^[127] The revival of the Christmas Carol began with William Sandys's "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern" (1833), with the first appearance in print of "The First Noel", "I Saw Three Ships", "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", popularized in Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

In Britain, the Christmas tree was introduced in the early 19th century following the personal union with the Kingdom of Hanover by Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King George III. In 1832, the future Queen Victoria wrote about her delight at having a Christmas tree, hung with lights, ornaments, and presents placed round it.^[128] After her marriage to her German cousin Prince Albert, by 1841 the custom became more widespread throughout Britain.^[129]

An image of the British royal family with their Christmas tree at Windsor Castle created a sensation when it was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848. A modified version of this image was published in the United States in 1850.^[130][131] By the 1870s, putting up a Christmas tree had become common in America.^[130]

In America, interest in Christmas had been revived in the 1820s by several short stories by Washington Irving which appear in his The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. and "Old Christmas". Irving's stories depicted harmonious warm-hearted English Christmas festivities he experienced while staying in Aston Hall, Birmingham, England, that had largely been abandoned,^[132] and he used the tract Vindication of Christmas (1652) of Old English Christmas traditions, that he had transcribed into his journal as a format for his stories.^[98]

 

A Norwegian Christmas, 1846 painting by Adolph Tidemand

 

The Christmas Visit. Postcard, c.1910

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem A Visit From St. Nicholas (popularly known by its first line: Twas the Night Before Christmas).^[133] The poem helped popularize the tradition of exchanging gifts, and seasonal Christmas shopping began to assume economic importance.^[134] This also started the cultural conflict between the holiday's spiritual significance and its associated commercialism that some see as corrupting the holiday. In her 1850 book The First Christmas in New England, Harriet Beecher Stowe includes a character who complains that the true meaning of Christmas was lost in a shopping spree.^[135]

While the celebration of Christmas was not yet customary in some regions in the U.S., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow detected "a transition state about Christmas here in New England" in 1856. "The old puritan feeling prevents it from being a cheerful, hearty holiday; though every year makes it more so."^[136] In Reading, Pennsylvania, a newspaper remarked in 1861, "Even our presbyterian friends who have hitherto steadfastly ignored Christmas—threw open their church doors and assembled in force to celebrate the anniversary of the Savior's birth."^[136]

The First Congregational Church of Rockford, Illinois, "although of genuine Puritan stock", was 'preparing for a grand Christmas jubilee', a news correspondent reported in 1864.^[136] By 1860, fourteen states including several from New England had adopted Christmas as a legal holiday.^[137] In 1875, Louis Prang introduced the Christmas card to Americans. He has been called the "father of the American Christmas card".^[138] On June 28, 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States federal holiday.^[139]

20th century

Up to the 1950s, in the UK, many Christmas customs were restricted to the upper classes and better-off families. The mass of the population had not adopted many of the Christmas rituals that later became general. The Christmas tree was rare. Christmas dinner might be beef—certainly not turkey. In their stockings children might get an apple, orange and sweets. Full celebration of a family Christmas with all the trimmings only became widespread with increased prosperity from the 1950s.^[140] National papers were published on Christmas Day until 1912. Post was still delivered on Christmas Day until 1961. League football matches continued in Scotland until the 1970s while in England they ceased at the end of the 1950s.^[141][142]

Under the state atheism of the Soviet Union, after its foundation in 1917, Christmas celebrations—along with other Christian holidays—were prohibited in public.^[143] During the 1920s, 30s and 40s, the League of Militant Atheistsencouraged school pupils to campaign against Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas tree, as well as other Christian holidays, including Easter; the League established an antireligious holiday to be the 31st of each month as a replacement.^[144] At the height of this persecution, in 1929, on Christmas Day, children in Moscow were encouraged to spit on crucifixes as a protest against the holiday.^[145] It was not until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 that the persecution ended and Orthodox Christmas became a state holiday again for the first time in Russia after seven decades.^[146]

European History Professor Joseph Perry wrote that likewise, in Nazi Germany, "because Nazi ideologues saw organized religion as an enemy of the totalitarian state, propagandists sought to deemphasize—or eliminate altogether—the Christian aspects of the holiday" and that "Propagandists tirelessly promoted numerous Nazified Christmas songs, which replaced Christian themes with the regime's racial ideologies."^[147]

As Christmas celebrations began to be held around the world even outside traditional Christian cultures in the 20th century, some Muslim-majority countries have banned the practice of Christmas, claiming it undermines Islam.^[148]

21st century

The United Kingdom has the highest Internet search interest for Christmas topics in the world.^[149]

Customs and traditions

Main article: Christmas traditions

 

Map of countries where Christmas is not a formal public holiday either on December 24/25 or January 6/7

Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees.

Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macao), the Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, the Sahrawi Republic, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen. Christmas celebrations around the world can vary markedly in form, reflecting differing cultural and national traditions.

Among countries with a strong Christian tradition, a variety of Christmas celebrations have developed that incorporate regional and local cultures. For Christians, participating in a religious service plays an important part in the recognition of the season. Christmas, along with Easter, is the period of highest annual church attendance. In Catholic countries, people hold religious processions or parades in the days preceding Christmas. In other countries, secular processions or parades featuring Santa Claus and other seasonal figures are often held. Family reunions and the exchange of gifts are a widespread feature of the season. Gift giving takes place on Christmas Day in most countries. Others practice gift giving on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day, and January 6, Epiphany.

Decorations

Main article: Christmas decoration

 

A typical Neapolitan presepe/presepio, or Nativity scene. Local crèches are renowned for their ornate decorations and symbolic figurines, often mirroring daily life.

The practice of putting up special decorations at Christmas has a long history. In the 15th century, it was recorded that in London it was the custom at Christmas for every house and all the parish churches to be "decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green".^[150] The heart-shaped leaves of ivy were said to symbolize the coming to earth of Jesus, while holly was seen as protection against pagans and witches, its thorns and red berries held to represent the Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus at the crucifixion and the blood he shed.^[151][152]

 

Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio is the site of this Christmas display with over 3.5 million lights.

Nativity scenes are known from 10th-century Rome. They were popularised by Saint Francis of Asissi from 1223, quickly spreading across Europe.^[153] Different types of decorations developed across the Christian world, dependent on local tradition and available resources, and can vary from simple representations of the crib to far more elaborate sets – renowned manger scene traditions include the colourful Kraków szopka in Poland,^[154] which imitate Kraków's historical buildings as settings, the elaborate Italian presepi (Neapolitan, Genoeseand Bolognese),^{[155][156][157][158]} or the Provençal crèches in southern France, using hand-painted terracotta figurines called santons.^[159] In certain parts of the world, notably Sicily, living nativity scenes following the tradition of Saint Francis are a popular alternative to static crèches.^{[160][161][162]} The first commercially produced decorations appeared in Germany in the 1860s, inspired by paper chains made by children.^[163] In countries where a representation of the Nativity scene is very popular, people are encouraged to compete and create the most original or realistic ones. Within some families, the pieces used to make the representation are considered a valuable family heirloom.

The traditional colors of Christmas decorations are red, green, and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter, and gold is the first color associated with Christmas, as one of the three gifts of the Magi, symbolizing royalty.^[152]

 

On Christmas Day, the Christ Candle in the center of the Advent wreath is traditionally lit in many church services

The Christmas tree is considered by some as Christianisation of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of evergreen boughs, and an adaptation of pagan tree worship;^[164] according to eighth-century biographer Æddi Stephanus, Saint Boniface (634–709), who was a missionary in Germany, took an axe to an oak tree dedicated to Thorand pointed out a fir tree, which he stated was a more fitting object of reverence because it pointed to heaven and it had a triangular shape, which he said was symbolic of the Trinity.^[165] The English language phrase "Christmas tree" is first recorded in 1835^[166] and represents an importation from the German language. The modern Christmas tree tradition is believed to have begun in Germany in the 18th century^[164]though many argue that Martin Luther began the tradition in the 16th century.^[167][168]

 

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York

From Germany the custom was introduced to Britain, first via Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, and then more successfully by Prince Albert during the reign of Queen Victoria. By 1841 the Christmas tree had become even more widespread throughout Britain.^[129] By the 1870s, people in the United States had adopted the custom of putting up a Christmas tree.^[130] Christmas trees may be decorated with lights and ornaments.

Since the 19th century, the poinsettia, a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas. Other popular holiday plants include holly, mistletoe, red amaryllis, and Christmas cactus. Along with a Christmas tree, the interior of a home may be decorated with these plants, along with garlands and evergreen foliage. The display of Christmas villages has also become a tradition in many homes during this season. The outside of houses may be decorated with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Mistletoe features prominently in European myth and folklore (for example the legend of Baldur), it is an evergreen parasitic plant which grows on trees, especially apple and poplar, and turns golden when it is dried. It is customary to hang a sprig of mistletoe in the house at Christmas, and anyone standing underneath it may be kissed. Mistletoe has sticky white berries, one of which was traditionally removed whenever someone was kissed under it. This is probably a fertility ritual. The mistletoe berry juice resembles semen.

Other traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels. Both the displaying of wreaths and candles in each window are a more traditional Christmas display. The concentric assortment of leaves, usually from an evergreen, make up Christmas wreaths and are designed to prepare Christians for the Advent season. Candles in each window are meant to demonstrate the fact that Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate light of the world.^[169]

Christmas lights and banners may be hung along streets, music played from speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places.^[170] It is common in many parts of the world for town squares and consumer shopping areas to sponsor and display decorations. Rolls of brightly colored paper with secular or religious Christmas motifs are manufactured for the purpose of wrapping gifts. In some countries, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down on Twelfth Night, the evening of January 5.

Music and carols

Main article: Christmas music

 

Christmas carolers in Jersey

The earliest extant specifically Christmas hymns appear in fourth-century Rome. Latin hymns such as "Veni redemptor gentium", written by Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, were austere statements of the theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to Arianism. "Corde natus ex Parentis" ("Of the Father's love begotten") by the Spanish poet Prudentius (d. 413) is still sung in some churches today.^[171]

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas "Sequence" or "Prose" was introduced in North European monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a sequence of rhymed stanzas. In the 12th century the Parisian monk Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional Christmas carol.

By the 13th century, in France, Germany, and particularly, Italy, under the influence of Francis of Asissi, a strong tradition of popular Christmas songs in the native language developed.^[172] Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of John Awdlay, a Shropshire chaplain, who lists twenty-five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of wassailers, who went from house to house.^[173]

 

Child singers in Bucharest, 1841

The songs we know specifically as carols were originally communal folk songs sung during celebrations such as "harvest tide" as well as Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church. Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like "Personent hodie", "Good King Wenceslas", and "The Holly and the Ivy" can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages. They are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. "Adeste Fideles" (O Come all ye faithful) appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century.

Singing of carols initially suffered a decline in popularity after the Protestant Reformation in northern Europe, although some Reformers, like Martin Luther, wrote carols and encouraged their use in worship. Carols largely survived in rural communities until the revival of interest in popular songs in the 19th century. The 18th-century English reformer Charles Wesley understood the importance of music to worship. In addition to setting many psalms to melodies, which were influential in the Great Awakening in the United States, he wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols. The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin Rings", later renamed "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing".^[174]

	Hark! The Herald Angels Sing     MENU       0:00   Performed by the U.S. Army Band Chorus
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Felix Mendelssohn wrote a melody adapted to fit Wesley's words. In Austria in 1818 Mohr and Gruber made a major addition to the genre when they composed "Silent Night" for the St. Nicholas Church, Oberndorf. William Sandys' Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833) contained the first appearance in print of many now-classic English carols, and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the festival.^[175]

Completely secular Christmas seasonal songs emerged in the late 18th century. "Deck the Halls" dates from 1784, and the American "Jingle Bells" was copyrighted in 1857. In the 19th and 20th century, African American spirituals and songs about Christmas, based in their tradition of spirituals, became more widely known. An increasing number of seasonal holidays songs were commercially produced in the 20th century, including jazz and blues variations. In addition, there was a revival of interest in early music, from groups singing folk music, such as The Revels, to performers of early medieval and classical music. John Rutter has composed many carols including "All Bells in Paradise", "Angels' Carol", "Candlelight Carol", "Donkey Carol", "Jesus Child", "Shepherds' Pipe Carol" and "Star Carol".

Traditional cuisine

 

Christmas pudding cooked on Stir-up Sunday, the Sunday before the beginning of the Advent season

A special Christmas family meal is traditionally an important part of the holiday's celebration, and the food that is served varies greatly from country to country. Some regions, such as Sicily, have special meals for Christmas Eve, when 12 kinds of fish are served. In the United Kingdom and countries influenced by its traditions, a standard Christmas meal includes turkey, goose or other large bird, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, sometimes bread and cider. Special desserts are also prepared, such as Christmas pudding, mince pies, fruit cake and Yule log cake.^[176][177]

In Poland and other parts of eastern Europe and Scandinavia, fish often is used for the traditional main course, but richer meat such as lamb is increasingly served. In Sweden it is common with a special variety of smörgåsbord, where ham, meatballs and herring play a prominent role. In Germany, France, and Austria, goose and pork are favored. Beef, ham, and chicken in various recipes are popular throughout the world. The Maltese traditionally serve Imbuljuta tal-Qastan,^[178] a chocolate and chestnuts beverage, after Midnight Mass and throughout the Christmas season. Slovaks prepare the traditional Christmas bread potica, bûche de Noël in France, panettone in Italy, and elaborate tarts and cakes. The eating of sweets and chocolates has become popular worldwide, and sweeter Christmas delicacies include the German stollen, marzipan cake or candy, and Jamaican rum fruit cake. As one of the few fruits traditionally available to northern countries in winter, oranges have been long associated with special Christmas foods. Eggnog is a sweetened dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, and whipped eggs (which gives it a frothy texture). Spirits such as brandy, rum or bourbon are often added. The finished serving is often garnished with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

Cards

 

A 1907 Christmas card with Santaand some of his reindeer

Main article: Christmas card

Christmas cards are illustrated messages of greeting exchanged between friends and family members during the weeks preceding Christmas Day. The traditional greeting reads "wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", much like that of the first commercial Christmas card, produced by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843.^[179] The custom of sending them has become popular among a wide cross-section of people with the emergence of the modern trend towards exchanging E-cards.

Christmas cards are purchased in considerable quantities, and feature artwork, commercially designed and relevant to the season. The content of the design might relate directly to the Christmas narrative, with depictions of the Nativity of Jesus, or Christian symbols such as the Star of Bethlehem, or a white dove, which can represent both the Holy Spirit and Peace on Earth. Other Christmas cards are more secular and can depict Christmas traditions, mythical figures such as Santa Claus, objects directly associated with Christmas such as candles, holly and baubles, or a variety of images associated with the season, such as Christmastide activities, snow scenes and the wildlife of the northern winter. There are even humorous cards and genres depicting nostalgic scenes of the past such as crinolined shoppers in idealized 19th-century streetscapes.

Some prefer cards with a poem, prayer, or Biblical verse; while others distance themselves from religion with an all-inclusive "Season's greetings".

Commemorative stamps

Main article: Christmas stamp

 

Christmas stamp released in the United States in 1982, featuring a painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

A number of nations have issued commemorative stamps at Christmastide. Postal customers will often use these stamps to mail Christmas cards, and they are popular with philatelists. These stamps are regular postage stamps, unlike Christmas seals, and are valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale some time between early October and early December, and are printed in considerable quantities.

In 1898 a Canadian stamp was issued to mark the inauguration of the Imperial Penny Postage rate. The stamp features a map of the globe and bears an inscription "XMAS 1898" at the bottom. In 1937, Austria issued two "Christmas greeting stamps" featuring a rose and the signs of the zodiac. In 1939, Brazil issued four semi-postal stamps with designs featuring the three kings and a star of Bethlehem, an angel and child, the Southern Cross and a child, and a mother and child.

Both the US Postal Service and the United Kingdom's Royal Mail regularly issue Christmas-themed stamps each year.

Gift giving

 

Christmas gifts under a Christmas tree

The exchanging of gifts is one of the core aspects of the modern Christmas celebration, making it the most profitable time of year for retailers and businesses throughout the world. On Christmas, people exchange gifts based on the Christian tradition associated with Saint Nicholas,^[180] and the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which were given to the baby Jesus by the Magi.^[181][182] The practice of gift giving in the Roman celebration of Saturnalia may have influenced Christian Christian customs, but on the other hand the Christian "core dogma of the Incarnation, however, solidly established the giving and receiving of gifts as the structural principle of that recurrent yet unique event", because it was the Biblical Magi, "together with all their fellow men, who received the gift of God through man's renewed participation in the divine life."^[183]

Gift-bearing figures

Main articles: Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Christkind

 

Christmas gift-bringers in Europe

 

Saint Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, is considered by many to be the original Santa Claus^[184]

A number of figures are associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among these are Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus (derived from the Dutch for Saint Nicholas), Père Noël, and the Weihnachtsmann; Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas; the Christkind; Kris Kringle; Joulupukki; tomte/nisse; Babbo Natale; Saint Basil; and Ded Moroz. The Scandinavian tomte (also called nisse) is sometimes depicted as a gnome instead of Santa Claus.

The best known of these figures today is red-dressed Santa Claus, of diverse origins. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was a 4th-century Greekbishop of Myra, a city in the Roman province of Lycia, whose ruins are 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from modern Demre in southwest Turkey.^[185][186] Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of children, generosity, and the giving of gifts. His feast day, December 6, came to be celebrated in many countries with the giving of gifts.^[99]

Saint Nicholas traditionally appeared in bishop's attire, accompanied by helpers, inquiring about the behaviour of children during the past year before deciding whether they deserved a gift or not. By the 13th century, Saint Nicholas was well known in the Netherlands, and the practice of gift-giving in his name spread to other parts of central and southern Europe. At the Reformation in 16th–17th-century Europe, many Protestants changed the gift bringer to the Christ Child or Christkindl, corrupted in English to Kris Kringle, and the date of giving gifts changed from December 6 to Christmas Eve.^[99]

The modern popular image of Santa Claus, however, was created in the United States, and in particular in New York. The transformation was accomplished with the aid of notable contributors including Washington Irving and the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840–1902). Following the American Revolutionary War, some of the inhabitants of New York City sought out symbols of the city's non-English past. New York had originally been established as the Dutch colonial town of New Amsterdam and the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition was reinvented as Saint Nicholas.^[187]

In 1809, the New-York Historical Society convened and retroactively named Sancte Claus the patron saint of Nieuw Amsterdam, the Dutch name for New York City.^[188] At his first American appearance in 1810, Santa Claus was drawn in bishops' robes. However, as new artists took over, Santa Claus developed more secular attire.^[189] Nast drew a new image of "Santa Claus" annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the modern vision of the figure, perhaps based on the English figure of Father Christmas. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s^[190] and continues through the present day.^[191][192]

Father Christmas, a jolly, stout, bearded man who typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, predates the Santa Claus character. He is first recorded in early 17th century England, but was associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness rather than the bringing of gifts.^[166] In Victorian Britain, his image was remade to match that of Santa. The French Père Noël evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image. In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the Epiphany. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts, but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children. In some cultures Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter. In other versions, elves make the toys. His wife is referred to as Mrs. Claus.

 

Santa Claus reacts to a toy request (Jonathan Meath as Santa)

There has been some opposition to the narrative of the American evolution of Saint Nicholas into the modern Santa. It has been claimed that the Saint Nicholas Society was not founded until 1835, almost half a century after the end of the American War of Independence.^[193] Moreover, a study of the "children's books, periodicals and journals" of New Amsterdam by Charles Jones revealed no references to Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas.^[194] However, not all scholars agree with Jones's findings, which he reiterated in a book-length study in 1978;^[195] Howard G. Hageman, of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, maintains that the tradition of celebrating Sinterklaas in New York was alive and well from the early settlement of the Hudson Valley on.^[196]

Current tradition in several Latin American countries (such as Venezuela and Colombia) holds that while Santa makes the toys, he then gives them to the Baby Jesus, who is the one who actually delivers them to the children's homes, a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and the iconography of Santa Claus imported from the United States.

In South Tyrol (Italy), Austria, Czech Republic, Southern Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the Christkind (Ježíšek in Czech, Jézuska in Hungarian and Ježiško in Slovak) brings the presents. Greek children get their presents from Saint Basil on New Year's Eve, the eve of that saint's liturgical feast.^[197] The German St. Nikolaus is not identical with the Weihnachtsmann (who is the German version of Santa Claus / Father Christmas). St. Nikolaus wears a bishop's dress and still brings small gifts (usually candies, nuts, and fruits) on December 6 and is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht. Although many parents around the world routinely teach their children about Santa Claus and other gift bringers, some have come to reject this practice, considering it deceptive.^[198]

Date according to Julian calendar

Some jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church, including those of Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Jerusalem, mark feasts using the older Julian calendar. As of 2017, there is a difference of 13 days between the Julian calendar and the modern Gregorian calendar, which is used internationally for most secular purposes. As a result, December 25 on the Julian calendar currently corresponds to January 7 on the calendar used by most governments and people in everyday life. Therefore, the aforementioned Orthodox Christians mark December 25 (and thus Christmas) on the day that is internationally considered to be January 7.^[4]

However, other Orthodox Christians, such as those belonging to the jurisdictions of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Cyprus, Finland, and the Orthodox Church in America, among others, began using the Revised Julian calendar in the early 20th century, which at present corresponds exactly to the Gregorian calendar.^[10] Therefore, these Orthodox Christians mark December 25 (and thus Christmas) on the same day that is internationally considered to be December 25, and which is also the date of Christmas among Western Christians.

A further complication is added by the fact that the Armenian Apostolic Church continues the original ancient Eastern Christian practice of celebrating the birth of Christ not as a separate holiday, but on the same day as the celebration of his baptism (Theophany), which is on January 6. This is a public holiday in Armenia, and it is held on the same day that is internationally considered to be January 6, because the Armenian Church in Armenia uses the Gregorian calendar.

However, there is also a small Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which maintains the traditional Armenian custom of celebrating the birth of Christ on the same day as Theophany (January 6), but uses the Julian calendar for the determination of that date. As a result, this church celebrates "Christmas" (more properly called Theophany) on the day that is considered January 19 on the Gregorian calendar in use by the majority of the world.

In summary, there are four different dates used by different Christian groups to mark the birth of Christ, given in the table below.

Listing

Church or section	Date	Calendar	Gregorian date	Note
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem	January 6	Julian calendar	January 19	Correspondence between Julian January 6 and Gregorian January 19 holds until 2100; in the following century the difference will be one day more.
Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian Catholic Church	January 6	Gregorian calendar	January 6
Eastern Orthodox Church jurisdictions, including those of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Albania, Cyprus, and the Orthodox Church in America	December 25	Revised Julian calendar	December 25	Revised Julian calendar usage started in the early 20th century
Other Eastern Orthodox: Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Belarus, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Jerusalem. Also, some Byzantine Rite Catholics.	December 25	Julian calendar	January 7	Correspondence between Julian December 25 and Gregorian January 7 of the following year holds until 2099; from 2100 to 2199 the difference will be one day more.
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria	Koiak 29 (corresponding to Julian December 25 or 26)	Coptic calendar	January 7 or 8	Since the Coptic calendar's leap day is inserted in what the Julian calendar considers September, the following Koiak 29 falls one day later than usual in the Julian and Gregorian calendars
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church	Tahsas 29 or 28 (corresponding to Julian December 25)	Ethiopian Calendar	January 7	After the Ethiopian insertion of a leap day in what for the Julian calendar is September, Christmas is celebrated on Tahsas 28 in order to maintain the exact interval of 9 30-day months and 5 days of the child's gestation.[199] The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church uses the same calendar but, like the Coptic Church, does not make this adjustment.
Western Christian churches, Finnish Orthodox Church, secular world	December 25	Gregorian calendar	December 25

Economy

Main article: Economics of Christmas

 

The King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania decorated during the Christmas season

 

Christmas market in Jena, Germany

Christmas is typically a peak selling season for retailers in many nations around the world. Sales increase dramatically as people purchase gifts, decorations, and supplies to celebrate. In the U.S., the "Christmas shopping season" starts as early as October.^[200][201] In Canada, merchants begin advertising campaigns just before Halloween (October 31), and step up their marketing following Remembrance Day on November 11. In the UK and Ireland, the Christmas shopping season starts from mid-November, around the time when high street Christmas lights are turned on.^[202][203] In the United States, it has been calculated that a quarter of all personal spending takes place during the Christmas/holiday shopping season.^[204] Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal that expenditure in department stores nationwide rose from $20.8 billion in November 2004 to $31.9 billion in December 2004, an increase of 54 percent. In other sectors, the pre-Christmas increase in spending was even greater, there being a November–December buying surge of 100 percent in bookstores and 170 percent in jewelry stores. In the same year employment in American retail stores rose from 1.6 million to 1.8 million in the two months leading up to Christmas.^[205] Industries completely dependent on Christmas include Christmas cards, of which 1.9 billion are sent in the United States each year, and live Christmas Trees, of which 20.8 million were cut in the U.S. in 2002.^[206] In the UK in 2010, up to £8 billion was expected to be spent online at Christmas, approximately a quarter of total retail festive sales.^[203]

 

Each year (most notably 2000) money supply in US banks is increased for Christmas shopping

In most Western nations, Christmas Day is the least active day of the year for business and commerce; almost all retail, commercial and institutional businesses are closed, and almost all industries cease activity (more than any other day of the year), whether laws require such or not. In England and Wales, the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 prevents all large shops from trading on Christmas Day. Scotland is currently planning similar legislation. Film studios release many high-budget movies during the holiday season, including Christmas films, fantasy movies or high-tone dramas with high production values to hopes of maximizing the chance of nominations for the Academy Awards.

One economist's analysis calculates that, despite increased overall spending, Christmas is a deadweight loss under orthodox microeconomic theory, because of the effect of gift-giving. This loss is calculated as the difference between what the gift giver spent on the item and what the gift receiver would have paid for the item. It is estimated that in 2001, Christmas resulted in a $4 billion deadweight loss in the U.S. alone.^[207][208] Because of complicating factors, this analysis is sometimes used to discuss possible flaws in current microeconomic theory. Other deadweight losses include the effects of Christmas on the environment and the fact that material gifts are often perceived as white elephants, imposing cost for upkeep and storage and contributing to clutter.^[209]

Controversies

See also: Christmas controversy and Christmas in Puritan New England

Further information: Persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union

Christmas has at times been the subject of controversy and attacks from various sources. Historically it was prohibited by Puritans when they briefly held power in England during the English Interregnum (1649–1660), and in Colonial America where the Puritans outlawed the celebration of Christmas in 1659.^[210][211] The Parliament of Scotland, which was dominated by Presbyterians, passed a series of acts outlawing the observance of Christmas between 1637 and 1690; Christmas Day did not become a public holiday in Scotland until 1958.^[212] Christmas celebrations have also been prohibited by atheist states such as the Soviet Union^[213] and more recently majority Muslim states such as Somalia, Tajikistan and Brunei.^[214]

Modern scholars such as E. P. Sanders, Geza Vermes and Marcus Borg consider both Gospel narratives of the birth of Jesus to be non-historical, arguing that there are contradictions between them.^{[215][216][217]} Many biblical scholars view the discussion of historicity as secondary, given that gospels were primarily written as theological documents rather than historical accounts.^{[218][219][220][221]}

Secularization controversies

Some Christians and organizations such as Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice cite alleged attacks on Christmas (dubbing them a "war on Christmas").^{[222][223][224]} Such groups claim that any specific mention of the term "Christmas" or its religious aspects is being increasingly censored, avoided, or discouraged by a number of advertisers, retailers, government (prominently schools), and other public and private organizations. One controversy is the occurrence of Christmas trees being renamed Holiday trees.^[223] In the U.S. there has been a tendency to replace the greeting Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays, which is considered inclusive at the time of the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.^[225] In the U.S. and Canada, where the use of the term "Holidays" is most prevalent, opponents have denounced its usage and avoidance of using the term "Christmas" as being politically correct.^{[226][227][228]} Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have initiated court cases to bar the display of images and other material referring to Christmas from public property, including schools.^[229] Such groups argue that government-funded displays of Christmas imagery and traditions violate the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the establishment by Congress of a national religion.^[230] In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Lynch v. Donnelly that a Christmas display (which included a Nativity scene) owned and displayed by the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, did not violate the First Amendment.^[231] In November 2009, the federal appeals court in Philadelphia upheld a school district's ban on the singing of Christmas carols.^[232] The Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear an appeal.^[233]

American Muslim scholar Abdul Malik Mujahid has said that Muslims must treat Christmas with respect, even if they disagree with it.^[234]

 

Had my fun. See spoiler for my original post.

Bah! Humbug!

*sees wikipedia; instant close*

Yep, scrooge through and through for this one.

Won't let this opportunity fall though, so might as well.

Happy Holidays everyone!  Hopefully, you'll have a fun filled one with family and friends alike.

"That's fine by me!  Everyone needs to focus the knights at this point.  They're too much of a nuisance, and if we damage the boss any more, we may have five of these knights to deal with."

The hunter shouted out with the last part aimed more towards the other teams.  They were connected in their attacks, but not coordinated.  Beat and the other guy were the only ones to not attack a knight.  Yes, killing the boss may end this quickly, but they didn't want five knights attacking the group at once.  That would kill them all faster than anything else.  The others seemed to get that idea, maybe.  Mac and Zandra were stunned so nothing could be done about any powerful AOE moves, and the hunter had to conserve what little he had left.  Coming right down to it, it was a better plan to keep the one in place for as long as he could.  At this point, the hunter was too engrossed in his plans to even care about the fire, or Ariel's predicament.

Making this a personal matter at this point, the hunter targeted the other knight that he didn't gain hate for.  Planning to stun it, the hunter went into the fray with an orange tint to his blade, but something happened.  The orange tint grew darker into a more green tint.  One more used during a Meteor Break, than a Nova or a the red of a Shadow Explosion.  Used multiple times before by him by now, it was second nature to switch the two.

Firing straight towards the second knight that he did not attack before, the hunter burst in with an uppercut to disable any movement for the Dragon Knight's sword.  Going straight into a flurry of strafe slams and knockbacks, the burst ended with a downward slash.  Following the movement, the hunter pulled himself backwards with the final momentum of the blade.

"This is the end for you!  Go with your brothers!"

The hunter called out to the knight as the final amount of its health crawled to nothing.

With the second health bar gone, the cycle began anew.  Tesseleth flew upon high and released its bodyguards to face us once more.  Unfortunately for team one, there were two now, and they were all full health.  The team so far has been doing well enough, but this was the do or die part of the raid.  This will show what all that planning was really for, as multiple enemies at once can bring too many factors into the light.  So, instead of facing those factors, it was time to throw a stick in one of them.

The hunter wasn't a tactician for nothing.  While facing the first Dragon Knight, the hunter faced it roughly alone.  Though, Shield took its aggro, it still tried to attack the hunter.  Why was that?  It was possible that the knights had a different mindset than other mobs before, but that was only a theory.  He thought before that the knights were after the party with their AOE attacks, but that attack and the one on Team 3 just now, confirms it.  They have anti-tank / anti-aggro moves.  They will go after the secondary targets almost always.  That means that this current round, their targets were....

"How am I..."

Breaking from those thoughts, he had to make a choice.  AOE to attack the both of them, or strike only one.  He didn't have enough damage to kill them, but there was still something else that he could do.  Bursting out towards the first of the knights, the hunter quickly initialed one of this stun sword arts <<Nova Ascension>>, but something was off.  The knight seemed to notice, and was pulling itself away.

"Oh no, you don't!"

With a quick rush, Charge and Concentration activated at the same time, cause time to dilate for the hunter to move in more precise and snap a fair hit.  Coming out of the trance, the hunter was already pulling his blade, Loyalty, against the knight's armor.  Eight quick slashes to each extremity before rising up in the air, and quickly striking the knight's helm with the pommel of the hunter's sword. 

"You are mine!" 

The hunter shouted at it.  The combo would leave the knight dumbfounded and unable to think or move clearly for a time.  Enough to give Zandra some leeway.  The hunter figured that Jomei would be able to evade an attack from the other knight, if it went after him.  Otherwise, it would attack Shield, as it normally should.  Of course, the third option was it attacking all of us with its AOE, which should be manageable.  At least, one of them could be taken out of the equation for them.  It will be up to the others to take care of the rest.

The hunter then looked up to meet the red orbs that were Tesseleth's eyes.  This would also mean that they were about to receive another shower of fire, if memory deemed correct.  He sighed before kicking back the knight and returning to his group before any cooldown could stunt his movement.

That being said, they could easily only take one AOE, IF ARIEL COULD STUN THE OTHER ONE!  Unfortunately, the golden beauty of death still seemed to be deaf to our words.  If not ours, than Zandra's words would have to do.

"You say that like it is a bad thing, Shield."

The hunter called back to Shield as he re-energized the green haired hunter.  Between the three guys of the team, they had more technical prowess than he had originally thought.  Shield had shown that quite a few times before, but never to the amount that he had creating the teams.  Although, the hunter still considered the other team plans as more efficient.  That goes for Jomei, as well.  He had much more experience than Shield and Hirru combined for raiding, at least, that's what the hunter thought.  His voice was able to get Zandra to actually move, which may or may not be something that is still between the two of them, or his commanding voice.  Either way, jade hunter couldn't let that command go to waste.

Bursting forward, the hunter went in for another attack against the same leg that still carried the scars of his latest attack.  The series of slashes and shoulder tackles and pushing into an uppercut that can send the user backwards, if they so deem.  Using the momentum, the hunter could push himself away with a jump or two before the cool down freezes him in place.

" @Ariel - The Crowned Lion, do something!"

ID 91443
BD 4+2=6 Non-crit hit!

• Meteor Break: 11 x (20+3) = 253 dmg (-135 Mit) = 118 dmg 
  (-11 EP)

The hunter was right.  It was a trap.  After the Ascendants weakened Tesseleth, the Tyrant, down a bar of health, or so, it flew back up to its perch where it once started.  From there, the creature's absence may have triggered something in the ice encased knights, as one of them broke free and targeted all of us.  That wasn't an understatement either, as each and every attack from the Dragon Knight seemed to target in an AOE fashion.  It may not just be those attacks, but it certainly would do more against the raid as a whole, than to one individual.  The hunter made quick notes on what to do.

"This is where the AOE comes into play, but... @Zandra don't heal, and AOE the enemy.  @Jomei Target Knight or Tesseleth.  Whichever you deem necessary.  I'm going for the Knight"

For the rest of them...

"Ariel and Shield, continue assault on the dragon."

He shouted out before running his blade through the newly regenerated knight.  The direct strike from the Charge would land a critical blow that would spread poison throughout the Dragon Knight's system.  It would only be a matter of time.  The hunter didn't notice until now, but the power from the orange player was something to behold.  An orange player with that kind of power, though.  Dual wielding, huh.  Not a conventional tactic, but one that is helping quite a bit.

The hunter could only watch as the great dragon wreathed them in flames, as was a dragons true weapon.  Although the fire caught onto him, he was not thinking about any sort of panic, or salvation.  Instead, he was back in his mind, looking for the counter measure.  The last meeting that they had brought into question that this dragon could have elemental breath attacks.  The hunter thought that the warriors were trapped due to the dragon's element being ice, but that seemed to be the wrong hypothesis.  That went along with the fact that the water could be used to paralyze players that get caught in the breath attacks, if it were ice.  Again, now wrong.  With fire, the pools of water are now...

"Fire.. extinguishers...  The pools can extinguish the flames, maybe!  If you're in dire need to reduce the flames, jump in!  I do not think that they are traps, like we thought in the meeting."

The hunter thought aloud before passing by the water to get in another attack.  It may be weaker than before, but he would push them along as much as possible.  Giving a few slashes to the same leg as before, the hunter doubled back before passing by one of the frozen knights.  'Come to think of it.  Why were they frozen here then?'  Is the trap not the pools, but the knights as they originally thought?  The truth would have to wait and see.

"Keep on the barrage, @Ariel - The Crowned Lion!  We've nearly ripped through a good quarter, I hope."