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The '''Nativity''' according to the flesh of our [[Lord]], God and Saviour [[Jesus Christ]], also called '''Christmas''', is one of the [[Great Feasts]] of the [[Orthodox Church]], celebrated on [[December 25]].
In the fullness of time, <ref group="note"> The entry in the ''[[w:Roman Martyrology|Roman Martyrology]]'' states:<br>:"[[w:Anno Mundi|IN the year, from the creation of the world]], when in the beginning [[w:Genesis creation narrative|God created heaven and earth]], five, thousand, one hundred and ninety-nine (5199 BC); from the flood, two thousand, nine hundred and fiftyseven (2957 BC); from the birth of [[w:Abraham|Abraham]], two thousand and fifteen (2015 BC); from [[Moses]] and the [[w:The Exodus|coming of the Israelites out of Egypt]], one thousand, five hundred and ten (1510 BC); from the anointing of [[David|King David]], one thousand and thirty-two (1032 BC); in the [[w:Prophecy of Seventy Weeks|sixty-fifth week, according to the prophecy of Daniel]]; in the one hundred and ninety-fourth [[w:Olympiad|Olympiad]]; in the year seven hundred and fifty-two from the [[w:Founding of Rome|founding of the city of Rome]] (752 BC); in the forty-second year of the empire of [[w:Augustus|Octavian Augustus]], when [[w:Pax Romana|the whole earth was at peace]], in the [[w:Six Ages of the World|sixth age of the world]], [[Jesus Christ]], eternal God, and [[w:God the Son|Son of the eternal Father]], desirous to sanctify the world by His most merciful coming, having been [[Annunciation|conceived of the Holy Ghost]], and nine months having elapsed since his conception, is [[Incarnation|born in Bethlehem of Juda]], having become man of the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]]. '''THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH.'''"</ref> our Lord [[Jesus Christ]] was born to the Holy [[Theotokos]] and Virgin Mary, thus entering into the world as a man and revealing Himself to mankind.
According to the [[Bible]] and to [[Holy Tradition]], Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem in a cave, surrounded by farm animals and shepherds. The baby Jesus was born into a manger from the [[Theotokos|Virgin Mary]], assisted by her husband St. [[Joseph the Betrothed|Joseph]]. St. Joseph and the Theotokos were forced to travel due to a Roman census; the odd location of the birth was the result of the refusal of a nearby inn to accommodate the expecting couple ([[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 2:1-20). Since it is known historically that dwellings were built directly over such caves housing livestock--in order to make use of the heat
In older times, carolling children asked for and were given gifts such as dried fruit, eggs, nuts or sweets; during the 20th century this was gradually replaced with money gifts — ranging from small change in the case of strangers to considerable amounts in the case of close relatives. Carolling is also done by marching bands, choirs, school students seeking to raise funds for trips or charity, members of folk societies, or merely by groups of well-wishers. Many internationally known carols, e.g. "Silent Night", "O Tannenbaum" or "[[w:Jingle Bells|Jingle Bells]]", are also sung in Greek translation.
==Notes==
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==See also==
