Christmas is a religious festival, but it is much more than that. It is Christian, and is one of those typical religious festivals that are expressions of belief with internal sacred rituals and worship, but which also have a large public outreach. Again, like so many other religious festivals, the public celebration is primarily utilised to ‘spread the gospel’; to express the religious belief in a spectacular way to the world at large. This outreach uses popular means to broadcast the principles of the religion, as well as related but universal messages that may appeal to believers and non-believers. It makes use of texts, literature, stories, myth, symbolism, images, ritual, theatre, music and spectacle.
Christmas is also a traditional festival. It is the most important event on the Christian calendar, but because of its origins, history and practice, it is traditional. It has very deep roots not only from and in the traditions of Europe where it originated, but in practically every country in which it is celebrated. For the Caribbean it is an imported festival that came in through colonisation, but as in other regions, it took root and evolved in both indigenous and imported forms.
Through a mixture of factors, Christmas is also a grand secular festival. One of the developments that Christians often