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Christmas

/ˈkrɪsməs/
/ˈkrɪsməs/
IPA guide

Other forms: Christmases

Christmas is a holiday that's celebrated on December 25th. For religious Christians, Christmas is a celebration of Christ's birth.

In the Western world, may people celebrate Christmas, some of them for religious reasons and others in a more secular way. Christians observe rituals at Christmas including church attendance and reenactments of Bible stories surrounding the birth of Christ. Non-religious observers exchange presents, tell stories about Santa Claus, and usually decorate a lighted Christmas tree. In Old English, it was Cristes mæsse, or "Christ mass." It's been written as a single word since the fourteenth century.

Definitions of Christmas
  1. noun
    a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ; a quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland
    synonyms: Christmas Day, Dec 25, Xmas
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    type of:
    quarter day
    a Christian holy day; one of four specified days when certain payments are due
    feast day, fete day
    a day designated for feasting
    holy day of obligation
    a day when Catholics must attend Mass and refrain from servile work, and Episcopalians must take Communion
    legal holiday, national holiday, public holiday
    authorized by law and limiting work or official business
  2. noun
    period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
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    type of:
    season
    a recurrent time marked by major holidays
Pronunciation
US
/ˈkrɪsməs/
UK
/ˈkrɪsməs/
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