Christmas 2024: Know about history, importance, significance of this day and why it’s celebrated on December 25

The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25. Find out the history and significance of this day.

Christmas 2024: Christmas is a much-anticipated festival of the year. It is celebrated every year on December 25 to mark the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as per Christians. The holy day also celebrates his teachings of love, forgiveness, and compassion. This holiday brings families and friends together, celebrating the warmth and cheer of Christmas, from singing Christmas carols to decorating the Christmas tree. Here’s more about the history of this special day.

The Bible does not exactly mention the birth date of Jesus Christ. There’s no specific date or month. It’s very vague. This suggests that the early Christians did not celebrate Christmas and his death and resurrection (Easter). The Bible, as a work of theology, is centred more on the teachings. However, it wasn’t until centuries later that the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth was formally established with December 25 being chosen. But it was not through any direct Biblical reference but rather it coincides with the Roman winter solstice festival.

Ancient Rome used a different calendar back then so the winter solstice fell on December 25. On this day Romans observed dies natalis solis invicti (birthday of the Invincible Sun) celebrating the end of the winter and resurgence of the sun. This day is special as after winter solstice the days begin to lengthen, marking the ‘rebirth’ of the sun. Early Christians may have chosen December 25 to align with this celebration of light and the ‘rebirth’ of the sun, adeptly symbolizing Jesus as the ‘light of the world.’ Jesus Christ in John 8:12 referred to himself as the light of the world.

Importance of Christmas
Christmas cheer is enthusiastic and infectious, from celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ to bonding with family, exchanging gifts, and preparing meals together. It is also a day to reflect on and celebrate the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christmas is a widely celebrated festival, across cultures and the globe.

Group Media Publications
Entertainment News Platforms – anyflix.in
Construction Infrastructure and Mining News Platform – https://cimreviews.com/
General News Platform – https://ihtlive.com/

Arjun Erigaisi’s US travel for World Rapid and Blitz C’ship delayed due to visa issues; Grandmaster issues plea

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi launched a plea, asking the US Embassy to look into the matter and “expedite the process.”

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi is in big limbo. He has been left high and dry ahead of the upcoming World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York. The 21-year-old is still waiting for his visa, and he has now taken to social media to launch a plea, asking the US Embassy to look into the matter and “expedite the process.”

In his post, Erigaisi also tagged Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, asking them for help.

The World Rapid and Blitz Championship is slated to be held in New York from December 26-31. The tournament will also feature chess stars such as Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Boris Gelfand.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Arjun Erigaisi wrote, “Last week, I submitted my passport to you (US Embassy) for visa stamping, and it still has not been returned. I request you to please expedite the process and return my passport as soon as possible, as I need it for my travel to New York for the World Rapid & Blitz Championship.”

For the uninitiated, Arjun Erigaisi is looking to secure a spot at the next edition of the Candidates tournament. He is currently in a two-way race with USA’s Fabiano Caruana.

The Candidates is an eight-player event to find a challenger to Gukesh Dommaraju at the next World Chess Championship.

Arjun Erigaisi stated that he had submitted his passport for visa stamping on December 13, 2024.

“My appointment was initially scheduled for December 3. I was not planning to play in Qatar because of this. Then we got to know that it’s possible to pre-pone the appointment. Biometrics was done on November 26, and the visa interview a few days after that. After it was done, I left for Qatar. And when I returned from there, I submitted my passport to the US Embassy,” Arjun told The Indian Express.

2800 mark in the Elo rating
Erigaisi recently became only the second Indian, after five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, to surpass the 2800 mark in Elo ratings.

He also won an individual and team gold medal at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

“It’s the World Rapid and Blitz Championship. It’s still a World Championship. Very prestigious. If I do well there, I will have the chance to qualify for the Candidates tournament,” Arjun said.

Group Media Publications
Entertainment News Platforms – anyflix.in
Construction Infrastructure and Mining News Platform – https://cimreviews.com/
General News Platform – https://ihtlive.com/

‘He will never be like Magnus Carlsen’: D Gukesh’s chief trainer makes staggering comparison, claims ‘doesn’t like to…’

Polish grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski compared D Gukesh to Magnus Carlsen in a huge statement.

D Gukesh’s historic win against Ding Liren in Singapore sent the world into a state of frenzy as the 18-year-old became the youngest-ever world chess champion. The Indian grandmaster defeated defending champion Liren in the decisive fourteenth game of the World Chess Championship. The win saw Gukesh also become the second Indian to ever win the World Championship title, with Viswanathan Anand claiming it five times.

Former chess players, celebrities and fans took to social media to hail Gukesh. But it also received a negative response from some, including Magnus Carlsen. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, Carlsen downplayed Gukesh’s achievement and also rejected a possibility of challenging him for the title. Recently, Carlsen also called the classical chess format the worst way to decide the best player.

Speaking to The Hindu after Gukesh’s win vs Liren, the Indian grandmaster’s chief trainer Grzegorz Gajewski decided to compare him to Carlsen. The Polish grandmaster feels that Gukesh has the ability to mimic Carlsen’s playing style, but also stated that he would never be like the Norwegian grandmaster.

“He will never be a player like Magnus Carlsen in the sense of being an intuitive kind of a player,” he said.

“He likes to calculate and he likes to go deep into position. He doesn’t like to make moves just purely based on intuition. He will never play in the Magnus style, but he can very well mimic it,” he added.

When asked if Gukesh is one of the best when it comes to calculation in chess, he replied, “Vishy [Anand]. In terms of talent for calculation, perhaps no one in the history of the game could match him. But at the same time, he was so fast that sometimes it became his weakness. Gukesh somewhat resembles a young Fabiano Caruana.”

Gajewski was a second to Anand in the World Chess Championship in 2014 in Sochi. He has also worked as Anand’s second in other events too. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has taken up a role at the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy in India, and has been working with players. Since 2023, he has also been Gukesh’s second, assisting him at the 2024 Candidates too, which saw him qualify for a title face-off with Liren.

Group Media Publications
Entertainment News Platforms – anyflix.in
Construction Infrastructure and Mining News Platform – https://cimreviews.com/
General News Platform – https://ihtlive.com/