Christmas - NewBostonPost (Page 2)

Massachusetts

Caroling: Here we come a’wassailing!

'Tis the season to be jolly. For centuries, people have gathered together to sing the joyful songs of Christmas. One of the most festive customs is for groups of carolers to stroll along serenading neighbors and regaling crowds at public venues. Although fewer neighborhood holiday carolers are seen these

boston

Giving trees at Catholic churches bring joy to the needy

Catholic churches in the Boston area are giving back this holiday season. Following a decades-old tradition, parishes around the region collect gifts for underprivileged recipients who place their requests on Giving Trees. Taking their name from Shel Silverstein's well-loved book, the special Christmas trees are placed inside churches

boston

History repeats itself at H+H bicentennial concert

With flair and fanfare, Boston's Handel & Haydn Society celebrated its bicentennial on November 21st with a historic concert at King's Chapel. The program featured the same music from the group's inaugural performance at the church on Christmas Day in 1815. In a press

clinton

Did you forget to celebrate Kwanzaa this year?

You may have blinked and missed it, but Kwanzaa came and went this year without much notice. True, President Obama extended his warm wishes via Twitter to those celebrating the week-long celebration of "unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith."

Italy

Italian children await gifts from good witch, not Magi

ROME – Pope Francis and Catholics around the world will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on Wednesday (Jan. 6), marking the date the three kings are believed to have visited the baby Jesus. But across Italy on Tuesday, children will search their shoes for gifts from the good witch.

Faith

Does it matter if there was really a Star of Bethlehem?

The celebration of Christmas is marked by many symbols, among them the nativity scenes that dot the lawns of churches and homes and the twinkling lights that represent the star said to have illuminated the place of Jesus' birth.

Faith

Pope Francis surprises an Italian family with a Christmastime call

(RNS) — Part of the appeal and notoriety that Pope Francis gained during the first two years of his pontificate came from his penchant for using his cellphone to call people out of the blue, from a struggling single mother to his cobbler back in Argentina to an ostracized bishop, and

First Amendment

Christmas controversy as American tradition, 2015 edition

Each holiday season, it seems Americans find themselves immersed in what some commentators describe as a "War on Christmas." From bans of Christmas trees in some public squares to viral videos decrying "secular" red Starbucks cups, the debate has become a holiday tradition all its own.