The festival of Christmas is usually celebrated or revered as sacred, but it is also a cultural phenomenon, particularly in the Caribbean, with history, sociology, structure and impact. Christmas, less popularly referred to as Yule or Yuletide, is overwhelmingly the largest, grandest and most popular festival celebrated or observed in all regions of the world. It is primarily a religious festival. It has all the characteristics known to large festivals which are observed by the world’s greatest religions. Included in these characteristics is that while the great religious festivals have outgrown their spiritual roots and functions, and might not superficially and popularly appear to be sacred, most of their manifestations generally proclaim the principles and beliefs of their religions.
