by Mariam, age 9, asks where Christmas originated, about the Nile River, and Coptic Christmas
Dear Santa,
Ahlan from Cairo. My name is Mariam and I am 9 years old. My family is Coptic Christian, so our Christmas comes in January, and on Christmas Eve we go to a very long church service that lasts almost all night, and then we break a fast the next morning with a huge family breakfast.
My first question is: where did Christmas originally come from?
My second question is geography: what is the longest river in the world, and does it run through Egypt?
My third question is from school: why do Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January?
I left you kahk cookies, which we usually save for other holidays, but I thought you deserved some early.
Love, Mariam, age 9, Cairo, Egypt
From the Desk of Father Christmas
Dear Mariam, kahk cookies are a treat any time of year, so thank you for sharing them early. Now, to your thoughtful questions.
Where did Christmas originally come from?
The story at the heart of Christmas comes from the region around Bethlehem, in what is now the Middle East, where the birth of Jesus is described in the Christian tradition. The celebration itself, however, took shape later and further away, largely in Rome, where church leaders settled on the 25th of December as the date to mark the occasion, around the fourth century. From Rome, the celebration spread across Europe and eventually the whole world, picking up new customs and traditions in nearly every country it reached, much like a very long and well travelled recipe.
What is the longest river in the world?
The Nile River, which flows right through your own Egypt, is considered the longest river in the world, stretching about 6,650 kilometres from its sources deep in Africa all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. It has supported life along its banks for thousands of years and was central to the rise of ancient Egyptian civilisation.
Why do Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January?
The Coptic Orthodox Church, like the Russian Orthodox Church, follows the older Julian calendar for its religious calendar rather than the modern Gregorian calendar most of the world uses day to day. That older calendar currently runs about thirteen days behind, which is why the 25th of December on the church calendar lands on the 7th of January by the calendar most people use today. So your January Christmas and a December Christmas are, in a sense, marking the very same date, just counted two different ways.
Enjoy your long night at church, and I shall see you when your Christmas arrives.
Ho ho ho, Santa
