Christmas, annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Most members of the Roman Catholic Church and followers of Protestantism celebrate Christmas on December 25, and many celebrate on the evening of December 24 as well. Members of the Eastern Orthodox Church usually delay their most important seasonal ceremonies until January 6, when they celebrate Epiphany, a commemoration of the baptism of Jesus. Epiphany also traditionally commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men of the East in Bethlehem (near Jerusalem, Israel), where they adored the infant Jesus and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The official Christmas season, popularly known as either Christmastide or the Twelve Days of Christmas, extends from the anniversary of Christ’s birth on December 25 to the feast of Epiphany on January 6.
Christmas is based on the story of Jesus’ birth as described in the Gospel according to Matthew and the Gospel according to Luke .Roman Catholics first celebrated Christmas, then known as the Feast of the Nativity, as early as 336 AD. The word Christmas entered the English language sometime around 1050 as the Old English phrase Christes maesse, meaning “festival of Christ.” Scholars believe the frequently used shortened form of Christmas—Xmas—may have come into use in the 13th century. The X stands for the Greek letter chi, an abbreviation of Khristos (Christ), and also represents the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
翻译：
圣诞节，基督教的节日，纪念耶稣基督的诞生。罗马天主教和新教的大多数成员在十二月二十五日庆祝圣诞节，也有许多成员在十二月二十四日庆祝。东正教的成员通常把他们最重要的季节仪式推迟到一月六日，那时他们庆祝主显节，纪念耶稣的洗礼。主显节也是传统庆祝伯利恒东方三贤人到来（靠近耶路撒冷，以色列）的节日，在伯利恒人们朝拜圣婴耶稣并送他黄金，乳香，没药做为礼物。官方的圣诞季节，以圣诞节节期或圣诞节的十二天最为流行，持续从基督出生周年纪念日十二月二十五日到一月六日的主显节盛宴。
圣诞节是基于耶稣诞生故事中所描述的马太福音和路加福音而来的节日。早在公元336年，罗马天主教第一次庆祝圣诞节，然后以基督诞盛宴闻名，。圣诞节这个词以古老的英语词组Christes maesse进入英语语言大约在1050年前后 。意思是“基督节。”学者认为，经常使用的圣诞的简称可能使用于第十三世纪。X代表希腊字母智，简称Khristos（基督），也代表耶稣受难的十字架。
