In 2009, China Fish show will be back to Beijing, which has modernized infrastructures of transport, accommodation and other services.

China Fish will be held this year at New China International Exhibition Center, which has been built according to global standard, and enjoys convenient transport, being only 1.5 km from the Beijing Capital International Airport.

China Fish 2009 show with total 1,660 standard booths will cover the 26,700 square meters of the NCIEC to present you a splendid venue!

In China Fish 2008, there are 430 exhibitors from Korea, Japan, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and, of course, Mainland China. And about 1900 professional buyers coming from more than 70 countries and domestic attended China Fish 2008. Through the eighteen years’ of efforts and exploration, with the support of the exhibitors and buyers, China Fish now has become, to some extent, the most effective and high-reputation fishing tackle show in the world.

The first construction session of New China International Exhibition Center will include buildings with floorage of 355,000 square meters, which is comprised of 200,000 square meters of exhibition halls and related facilities, 155,000 square meters of service buildings, such as hotel, office and the other business facilities. And the total usable on-ground floor area for exhibition will exceed 100,000 square meters. The NCIEC is designed by the standard of not only the most advanced exhibition hall in China, but also meeting the world leading technology in exhibition business. For example, each of its exhibition halls can be operated independently, so as to undertake mini-type exhibition. And meanwhile, each exhibition hall can also be interlinked by internal corridors, so as to host large-scale trade fairs.

Lantern Festival, also known as Shang Yuan Festival, takes place on the fifteenth day of the first moon. Last in a series of springtime celebrations, this "second New Year" is widely celebrated by families all around Taiwan.

On the night of the festival, decorative lanterns depicting birds, beasts, historical figures, and any one of a number of different themes are carried by children or adorn temples. To highlight these glowing works of art, competitions are held . The Taipei Lantern Festival, held annually at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Plaza and the largest and most famous of these competitions, is attended every year by thousands of lantern-watchers. The Lantern Festival is further enriched by the customary lantern riddle parties that are held on this night.

The night sky on Lantern Festival is also illuminated by the Tainan Yanshui Fireworks Display and Taipei Pinghsi Sky Lanterns - known together as "Fireworks in the South, Sky Lanterns in the North," as well as many other regional folk activities.

In addition to displaying and appreciating lanterns, Lantern Festival is also celebrated by eating tang yuan, an important custom symbolizing family unity and indispensable to the day's festivities.

The varied festivities and customs practiced on Lantern Festival not only provide celebrants with rich entertainment, like the historical-theme lantern displays and riddles, but are also instructive, by their expression of ancient wisdom. The variety of splendid lantern features different folk art techniques, impressing these arts deep in the hearts and minds of the people.

Chinese kids love New Year celebrations. It is a celebration full of festive cheers, good food, and not forgetting, the many ang paus (red packets that married folks give to the unmarried ones) that come our way. It was even more wonderful that Chinese New Year last a whole good fifteen days. Usually, the celebrations would have died down considerably by the tenth day for my family; however, that is not the end to a wonderful start of a new year.

On the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year, technically the final day of the festival, is a day known as Chap Goh Mei. In the Hokkien dialect, Chap Goh Mei simply means "the 15th night of Chinese New Year". Aside from being tagged as the last day, Chap Goh Mei is also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. On a celebratory point of view, this night sees the gathering of family members as they sit down to a meal together. Offerings and prayers are also held on a grand scale on this particular night.

Just like Chinese New Year, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated with lots of fireworks and firecrackers. This much is true for countries that allow the use of these celebratory items. You will also see many homes gaily decorated with red lanterns and bright lights to mark the end of an auspicious occasion. In temples, thanksgivings are held while many people would be asking for the God of Prosperity to endow them with success and wealth for the coming year.

In some parts of town, you will also be able to witness cultural performances, lantern displays, lion dances and the famous Chingay (flag-balancing) procession. On a legendary point of view, Chap Goh Mei being regarded as the Chinese Valentine's Day, also brings forth lots of fun and gaiety. It is well-known that Chap Goh Mei is a night of courtship and has since been the forerunner in promoting match-making. On this night, many young ladies would make their way to the temples, dressed in their best, with hope of finding prospective suitors.

One of the fun activities that take place on this auspicious night includes the throwing of oranges into the sea by these young maidens. It is without a doubt, the most popular and colorful moment in the history of Chap Goh Mei. It is believed that by throwing tangerines into the sea, these young girls would find themselves a good husband. For many, the act of throwing tangerines into the sea also signifies that these women are available for marriage. It is also said that if someone else who sees the floating tangerine in the water and picked it up, that generally means that the single who threw it would be able to find a good spouse.

Funnily, while many of us may have imagined that such a tradition is passed forth from China, it is strangely not. In fact, this interesting practice originated from a little Malaysian island known as Penang. This took place some time towards the end of the 19th century. On a yearly basis, a large crowd would flock to the Esplanade thus jamming up the roads badly. On top of that, tangerines are sold at an exorbitantly high price but then again, who says romance is cheap?

Another story of the Chinese Valentine's Day also states that this is the only day in the whole year that young maidens are allowed to stroll the streets. However, they must be accompanied by a chaperon. Knowing this fact, many young men would gather around with hope of catching glimpses of these lovely maidens. According to the legend, there will be a matchmaker from the moon who would tie red strings of destiny on their legs. As a result, the couple will end up being together.

Although "young maidens" flock the streets freely these days thus the matchmaker from moon is not exactly needed anymore, yet the tradition of throwing tangerines into the sea still prevails. While many no longer believe in the legend, yet it is still a fun thing to do or observe. Sadly, not many people in the big cities are practicing this custom anymore. However, the tradition prevails nonetheless.

http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/2538

Get ready for a clash of epic proportions when two major NFL teams square off in Florida for Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, February 1, 2009 at the Raymond James stadium in Tampa, Florida

Super Bowl TV Schedule & Kickoff

On TV, tune into the battle over the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy — and to decide which team gets to wear their Super Bowl rings — as it's played out live beginning at 6 pm ET on NBC.

Kick-off time is approximately 6:20 pm on the East Coast; 5:20 pm Central; 4:20 pm Mountain; and 3:20 pm Pacific. Across the pond, (and five hours ahead of East Coast time) UK fans will be able to check out the live game in the wee morning hours on BBC.

For the 2009 halftime show, the Super Bowl committee again went with the "safe choice" as rocker Bruce Springsteen takes the stage with the appropriately titled rendition of "Born to Run" to kick off or end the set.

Super Bowl Odds

Following the nail-biter win by the N.Y. Giants over the Patriots in 2008, the New England team is currently the 3-1 favorite to take it in 2009 followed by the Colts and Cowboys both at 11-2, Chargers: 7-1 and the Giants at 8-1.

Super Bowl Tickets

If you want to see the game up close and personal, note that a only 1% of Super Bowl tickets are distributed to fans by the NFL, controlled through an annual random drawing that begins in February of the prior year and ends the following June. Otherwise, prepare to pay top dollar for tickets to THE most popular and most-watched sporting event of the year.

Or wait until the drawing opens up again - on February 1, 2009 - for next year's Super Bowl 44 played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February 7, 2010.

Super Bowl around the Web

Meanwhile, gear up for the 2009 battle of the NFL superstars with Super Bowl party ideas, links to Super Bowl history stats and trivia, and a walk down memory lane with the most popular Super Bowl ads & commercials of all time...

The hold that the NFL has on sporting America is only solidified by Super Bowls like this, when good guys win and heroes are rewarded and you feel OK even about the losers. You come away wondering what's not to embrace about something that can be so grandiose yet ultimately so human.

Spend a week within the atmosphere of this NFL championship and you come away appreciating just why only the most secure players can survive. Its scope grows yearly. Forbes magazine rates the Super Bowl the most valuable sports event brand in the world, worth $379 million annually to all who rake in revenues from its various elements. Thirty-second ads for this year's game sold for $2.6 million; halftime sponsorship was expected to top $12 million. More than 130 international media organizations covered the game, and they did it in 33 languages. Television images were seen in China, Mongolia, Vatican City, Iran, Iraq and Antarctica.

Tickets with a face value of $600 were being scalped for thousands. One ticket broker offered six seats in Shaq's suite at the stadium for a mere $112,500. If you were content with an upper-level view, he could sell you a ticket for $2,800. Want a club view? It could cost you $10,182. Yet the game is so popular many were willing to pay such outrageous ransoms to attend.

The Super Bowl now is also the scene of megaparties. South Florida is the perfect venue for such craziness; the region doesn't need much reason to spend all night -- or all week, for that matter -- catering to the rich, the famous and the limo drivers who escort them from nightclub to nightclub. It seemed as if anyone who was anyone on the A-list made an appearance in Miami Beach during the days preceding the game; everyone wants to be associated with something this "in."

There's no sign, either, of a downturn, or even a leveling off, in interest. The NFL is coming off a hugely successful regular season, with record attendance and television ratings stronger than they've been in years. These trends continued in the playoffs; no wonder television networks are currently paying the league an average of $3.7 billion a year in rights fees. Network executives will tell you it's a bargain.

Just as it's a bargain for us to witness the kind of memories that Dungy, Manning and the Colts have given us. There's a reason the two embraced for a long time just moments after their victory. Only they understood the work, the determination and emotion that they had invested in this game and in their relationship.

For them, it was a mixture of joy and relief. For us, more reason to understand why these games are so super.

For more info visit http://www.chiff.com/recreation/sports/super-bowl.htm

Chinese New Year 2009 falls on 26th of January.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated as the symbol of spring's celebration. In fact in China the Chinese New Year is still called the Spring festival. It is celebrated after the fall harvest and before the spring planting season. The date of the Chinese New Year is always changing and is dependant on the Chinese calendar. Emperor Huangdi in the year 2637 B.C.E invented the Chinese calendar.

Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxī (除夕, abbr. for 年除夕 Niánchúxī, Chúxì in Taiwan). It literally means "Year-pass Eve".

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally did not use continuously numbered years, its years are now often numbered from the reign of Huangdi outside China. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various writers, causing the year beginning in 2008 to be 4706, 4705, or 4645.

The first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang changed the beginning of the year to month 10 in 221 BC, also changing the location of the intercalary month to after month 9. Whether the New Year was celebrated at the beginning of month 10, or month 1, or both is unknown. In 104 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established month 1 as the beginning of the year, where it remains.

Hand-painted Chinese New Year's poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to people's homes, Lijiang, Yunnan, China.

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year and believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. Once, people saw the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red, they then understood that the Nian was afraid of color red. Hence, every time when New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and spring scroll on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten the Nian and from then on, the Nian never came to the village again and was eventually converted by Hongjunlaozu, a Taoist in the old time, and became his mount.

On the days before the New Year celebration Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese saying "Wash away the dirts on ninyabaat" (年廿八，洗邋遢), but the practice is not usually restricted on nin'ya'baat(年 廿八, the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and window-panes a new coat of red paint. Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets. Purchasing new clothing, shoes and receiving a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start .

The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and earth, officially beginning at midnight. Many people, especially Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the day before.

Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.

Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises. Members of the family who are married also give red packets containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers.

Second day of the new year

Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.

The second day of the Chinese New Year is for married daughters to visit their birth parents. Traditionally, daughters who have been married may not have the opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.

Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a 'Hoi Nin' prayer to start their business on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year.The prayer is done to pray that they will be blessed with good luck and prosperity in their business for the year.

Third and fourth days of the new year

The third and fourth day of the Chinese New Year are generally accepted as inappropriate days to visit relatives and friends due to the following schools of thought. People may subscribe to one or both thoughts.

1) It is known as "chì kǒu" (赤口), meaning that it is easy to get into arguments. It is suggested that the cause could be the fried food and visiting during the first two days of the New Year celebration.^{[citation needed]}

2) Families who had an immediate kin deceased in the past 3 years will not go house-visiting as a form of respect to the dead. The third day of the New Year is allocated to grave-visiting instead. Some people conclude it is inauspicious to do any house visiting at all.

Fifth day of the new year

In northern China, people eat Jiǎozi (simplified Chinese: 饺子; traditional Chinese: 餃子) (dumplings) on the morning of Po Wu (破五). This is also the birthday of the Chinese god of wealth. In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on this day, accompanied by firecrackers.

Seventh day of the new year

The seventh day, traditionally known as renri 人日, the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older.

It is the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten. This is a custom primarily among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. People get together to toss the colourful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

 Ninth day of the new year

The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the Taoist Pantheon. The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor.

This day is especially important to Hokkiens and Teochews (Min Nan speakers). Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, Hokkiens will offer thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from certain extermination generations ago. Tea is served as a customary protocol for paying respect to an honored person.

Fifteenth day of the new year

The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as Yuánxiāo jié (元宵节), otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei in Fujian dialect. Rice dumplingsTangyuan (simplified Chinese: 汤圆; traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as the Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.

This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Inauguration Day is the day every four years on which the President of the United States is sworn in and takes office.

„In December, the Sundance Film Festival will begin STORYTIME, a modern archival project designed to celebrate the stories - on the screen and from the street - that have comprised each wonderful chapter of our 25-year work-in-progress.”

9 000 films submited every year. Only 200 selected for exhibition. It’s probably worth it to see the best selected. More than 50,000 people attend screenings in twelve theatres in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah. In addition to discovering filmmaking's newest talent through the Festival's program of documentary, dramatic, and short film, Festivalgoers experience live music shows, panel discussions with leading filmmakers and industry figures, parties celebrating the Festival community, and more.

The annual Sundance Film Festival, held each January in Park City, Utah, is widely recognized as the premier showcase for American and international independent film. Inclusive and eclectic in its programming approach, the festival has grown to include film culture events, panel discussions, youth programs, online exhibition, and live music.

The Sundance Film Festival takes place over ten days each January in and around Park City, Utah.

The 2009 Sundance Film Festival is scheduled for January 15-25, 2009.

In 1978, the United States Film Festival was created in Salt Lake City, Utah. During its early years, the Film Festival focused primarily on the presentation of retrospective films and filmmaker seminars. However, from its inception, the Film Festival featured a national competition aimed at drawing attention to new American films made outside the Hollywood system. In 1981, the Festival grew to include documentaries along with its program of dramatic features, and moved to Park City, Utah, the mountain town that continues to be the hub of Festival activity. The following year, short films were added to the Festival's program.

In 1985, the Film Festival added international films to its programming and, under the aegis of founder Robert Redford became a part of Sundance Institute. The move provided the Festival with year-round administration, backing, and a network of contacts, and Sundance Institute gained a powerful vehicle for the presentation of new work by American and international independent filmmakers. In 1991, the Festival was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival.

The 2006 Festival presented a total of 194 films including features QUINCEANERA, STEPHANIE DALEY, and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, and documentaries AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, GOD GREW TIRED OF US, and THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED. In the second year of its World Cinema Competition, Sundance screened 43 international feature films representing 32 countries. While attendance at Festival theatres in Utah reached record levels, so did the Festival's official website with users downloading more than 1,000,000 short films and original content episodes from the site.

Ranging from comprehensive ticket packages that are purchased months in advance to individual tickets that become available just hours before Festival screenings, there are myriad ways to purchase tickets to films at the Sundance Film Festival.

Specific information about purchasing packages and individual tickets is available beginning in September on the Sundance Film Festival website. Be sure to check the site early and often for important dates and new ticket buying opportunities!

If you like sculpture you are going to love ice and snow sculptures. Somewhere between fairy-tale and surrealism, this festival gives a new name to sculpture. It is one of the place to see in a lifetime.

The festival officialy starts January 5 each year and lasts one month. However, it can last longer if the weather doesn’t melt down the sculptures.

The Harbin Ice and Snow Festival has been celebrated annually since 1985. It had been interrupted for a number of years during the Cultural Revolution until it was resumed in 1985.

It is amazing to see the Historical monuments as well as other themes re-created in ice and snow, colored lighting at night so the sculptures can be enjoyed both day and evening. Ice sculpture decoration ranges from the modern technology of lasers to traditional ice lanterns. Thousands of exquisitely-made ice lanterns, ice carvings and snow sculptures grace the snow-covered parks, public squares and major streets, turning the city into a dreamlike world of pure whiteness and gleaming crystal. These ice and snow art works come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as small as a mouse or as big as a bus. The designs range from life-size human figures, animals and flowers to towering castles, delicate pagodas and many other ingenious creations. Some of the most impressive are the intricately detailed replicas of famous buildings, such as the Potala Palace and the Eiffel Tower.

You can enjoy the Giant ice slide in the shape of the Great Wall and, if you’re brave enough swim in the Songhua River.

 The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival has not only become an integral part of the winter life of the people of Harbin, but has also played an active role in introducing Harbin to the rest of the country and the world, speeding up the city\'s opening to the outside world, and promoting the city\'s trade and economic cooperation with foreign countries. In addition to the famous local and international ice lantern and snow sculpture exhibitions and contests, winter swimming, ice hockey and alpine and cross-country skiing contests are held. A film festival, and painting, calligraphy and photo exhibitions are held. Moreover, there are performances of folk songs and dances and wedding ceremonies performaed on ice. Trade fairs are also organized.

First thing that comes into everyone's mind when they think about Christmas (besides the Christmas list, of course) is probably the Christmas tree. The shiny, glowing tree that gets everyone into the spirit of the holidays, is usualy decorated on Christmas Eve.
But ever since 1933, New York gatthers the Americans for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, at the beginning of December. Because, why not get into the spirit of Christmas earlyer?

The lighting of this famous giant Christmas tree will be televised from coast-to-coast, kicking off the holiday season at Rockefeller Center and features musical performances from a variety of popular artists. Typically, the Radio City Rockettes perform and there are also ice skaters performing in the Rockefeller Ice Rink.
The lighting occurs at approximately 8:50p. The entire area gets extremely crowded, so come early if you want to see anything. If you miss it, the tree is lit every night through December.

The Christmas tree that adorns Rockefeller Center is typically a Norway Spruce. The minimum requirement is that the tree be 65 feet tall and 35 feet wide, however manager of Rockefeller Center gardens prefers the tree be between 75 and 90 feet tall and proportionally wide. Norway Spruce that grow in forests don't typically reach these proportions, so the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tends to be one that was ornamentally planted in someone's front or back yard. There is no compensation offered in exchange for the tree, other than the pride of having donated the tree that appears in Rockefeller Center.

Over five miles of lights are used to decorate the tree every year. Only the lights and the star decorate the tree. The tree is recycled and the 3 tons of mulch are donated to the Boy Scouts. The largest portion of the trunk is donated to the U.S. Equestrian team in New Jersey to use as an obstacle jump.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is typically illuminated from 5:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. daily, except on Christmas and New Year's Eve. On Christmas, the tree is illuminated for 24 hours and on New Year's Eve the lights are turned off at 9:00 p.m.

Christmas History

The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals(parades) with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians.

Many of these traditions began with the Mesopotamian celebration of New Years. The Mesopotamians believed in many gods, and as their chief god - Marduk. Each year as winter arrived it was believed that Marduk would do battle with the monsters of chaos. To assist Marduk in his struggle the Mesopotamians held a festival for the New Year. This was Zagmuk, the New Year's festival that lasted for 12 days.

The Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear his faithfulness to the god. The traditions called for the king to die at the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side.

To spare their king, the Mesopotamians used the idea of a "mock" king. A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was given all the respect and privileges of a real king. At the end of the celebration the "mock" king was stripped of the royal clothes and slain, sparing the life of the real king.

The Persians and the Babylonians celebrated a similar festival called the Sacaea. Part of that celebration included the exchanging of places, the slaves would become the masters and the masters were to obey.

Early Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls. As the Winter Solstice approached, with its long cold nights and short days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun.

In Scandinavia during the winter months the sun would disappear for many days. After thirty-five days scouts would be sent to the mountain tops to look for the return of the sun. When the first light was seen the scouts would return with the good news. A great festival would be held, called the Yuletide, and a special feast would be served around a fire burning with the Yule log. Great bonfires would also be lit to celebrate the return of the sun. In some areas people would tie apples to branches of trees to remind themselves that spring and summer would return.

The ancient Greeks held a festival similar to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals to assist their god Kronos who would battle the god Zeus and his Titans.

The Roman's celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival was called Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended January 1st. With cries of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits).

The Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel and green trees lit with candles. Again the masters and slaves would exchange places

"Jo Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan Saturnalia.

But as Christianity spread they were alarmed by the continuing celebration of pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the Church forbid this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail. Eventually it was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a celebration fit for the Christian Son of God.

Some legends claim that the Christian "Christmas" celebration was invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism was one of Christianity's main rivals at that time. The Church eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from the Saturanilia festival and bringing them to the celebration of Christmas.

The exact day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpointed. Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance of Christmas.

http://www.holidays.net/christmas/story.htm