How the first Christmas was celebrated in Uganda

This Christmas will be the 140th since Christianity arrived in Uganda. While the first Christian missionaries to arrive in Uganda were Protestants of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) who arrived in June 1877, records available indicate that the Roman Catholics who came two years later, celebrated the first Christmas in Uganda before their predecessor, the Protestants. The first two Catholic priests to come to Uganda arrived in February 1879. The two were Fr Simeon Lourdel and Brother Amans from France.

First Christmas in Uganda
On December 25, 1879, five Catholic congregants joined together celebrate the first ever Christmas in Uganda. The congregants were composed of two Catholic priests Fr P. Livinhac, Brother Amans and three Ugandan catechumen Paul Nalubandwa, his brother Peter Ddamulira and Joseph Lwanga.
The celebration was held in a makeshift tent in Nabulagala, Kasubi in Kampala. During the service, it is recorded that Fr. Livinhac who also served as the chief celebrant of the Mass prayed to God to change the minds of the natives who had refused to convert to Christianity and were instead worshiping Lubaale their god. Fr Livinhac’s memoirs mention that he was nonetheless very hopeful and enthusiastic that God would prevail over satanism in Uganda. Indeed, his prayer was answered as the country now boasts of more than 30 million Christians.

When was Christmas first celebrated?
Uganda was not the only country to come late to the Christmas tradition. Christmas began to be widely celebrated with a specific liturgy in the 9th century but did not attain the liturgical importance of either Good Friday or Easter, the other two major Christian holidays.
Roman Catholic churches celebrated the first Christmas Mass at midnight, and Protestant churches have increasingly held Christmas candlelight services late on the evening of December 24.
For the first three hundred years of the church’s existence, birthdays were not given much emphasis not even the birth of Christ. The day on which a saint died was considered more significant than his or her birth, as it ushered him or her into the kingdom of heaven. And even when the church started celebrating Jesus’ birthday, the day was not known as Christmas until about 800 years later in England where Mass at night was permitted only on the eve of the Nativity – Christ’s Mass as it was known then before it became Christmas.

Origin of Christmas tree
The Christmas tree has perhaps the most legendary origin of any Christmas custom. One of these legends which spread throughout Europe in the tenth century held that all trees bloomed and bore fruits on the night of the Nativity.
From this rose the custom, especially in England, of bringing branches of flowering shrubs and even whole trees into every home every autumn to keep them warm and moist, so they would be in bloom for the holy season of Christmas.
The artificially decorated tree seems to have been used first in Germany, but records indicate that elaborately decorated trees were used at Christmas time in both Germany and England in the year 1600. The Christ.

England in 1814 when Queen Victoria of England who was of Germany descent had one set in Windsor castle in England.

Origin of Christmas crib
The Christmas crib popularly known as the “Bethlehem” to many was first introduced to the world by Saint Francis of Assisi.
Saint Francis first made the Christmas Crib, the “Bethlehem scene” nearly 800 years ago. He made the crib and put at a small Catholic church in Greccio in Italy for the 1223 Christmas. Since then, the culture of Christmas crib became the norm in Europe and later spread across the world. Important to remember, this first Christmas Crib was unique.
Saint Francis used live animals, sheep, donkey and cattle as well as real hay. His innovation attempt to create an impression of the “original Bethlehem” and the manger scene was repeated each Christmas since then whenever his followers went.

Origin of Christmas carols
Today, in East and Central Africa, Uganda’s legendary singer Philly Lutaaya’s Christmas carols reign throughout the month of December. Lutaaya’s “Tumusinze” album released in December 1989 just before he died, enjoys massive airplay both in commercial stations and private homes during this period.
In the 1980s Boney-M Christmas carols were very popular and enjoyed massive airplay on radio stations.
So when were the first Christmas carols sung? It is said that the first Christmas carols were sung in 1223 by the followers of Saint Francis of Assisi in Italy.
In 1223, followers of saint Francis of Assisi began to write simple songs typically Franciscan in their appeal; to the simple people Saint Francis loved, songs that were handed on from one generation to another until Christmas carols became part of Christmas, too.

Origin of Christmas bells
Today, Christmas bells may not ring in Uganda as much as they did about 50 or so years ago. Nevertheless, Christmas bells are a Christmas culture too. The bells complete the Christmas motif.
Nevertheless, they ring from church steeple and mingle as people gather for the Christmas Mass in the Catholic Church.
Needless to say, nothing today, surpasses the role they played when they were first used to voice the Christmas jubilation in medieval England.

On every Sunday in the beginning, they sounded a special message to prepare for the coming of Christ. They were rung daily for three days before Christmas, rang again at sunset on Christmas Eve and then at midnight they broke into a joyful clamour.
When the reformation blighted England and stifled every other happy Christmas custom for a time, the bells were still allowed to ring. It might have been their clear blessed sounding which helped to bring more tolerant times and revive the old Christmas customs again.
“Tidings of great joy that shall be to all people,” announced the angel that night at Bethlehem and now two thousand years Christmas is something made up of joy and reverence of all people.
And every year, the miracle repeats itself, for this short time at least, we are what Jesus came to make us; men of goodwill.

Who Invented Santa Claus?
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St Nicholas who was born in Turkey around 280 A.D St Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors.
St Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 18th century in New York, when Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of the death of “Sint Nikolaas” (Dutch for Saint Nicholas), or “Sinter Klaas” for short. “Santa Claus” draws his name from this abbreviation.

In 1822, Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas poem called “An Account of a Visit from St Nicholas,” more popularly known today by it’s first line: “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” The poem depicted Santa Claus as a jolly man who flies from home to home on a sledge driven by reindeer to deliver toys. The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today.
Source: history.com