Christmas time is here again and everybody is busy, looking for presents for their children, friends and loved ones, decorating Christmas tree and doing all this fidgety and exciting stuff we do each year. Christmas is an amazing holiday which brings tons of joy and myriads of happy moments to every city and place. We would like to share with our readers some curious facts about Christmas that make the image of this astonishing holiday even more fantastic and appealing.
The history of this holiday goes back to ancient times. Christmas has its roots in pagan festivals that were celebrated around the winter solstice – Saturnalia, the Kalends and the “birthday” of Sol Invictus. Many elements associated with Christmas, including Yule log and gift giving, were inherited form these pre-Christian rituals.
We celebrate Christmas on December 25th but it was once a movable feast celebrated at different times during the year. There is no clear evidence about the exact date when Jesus Christ was born as the date wasn’t mentioned in the Bible. Many theological researchers estimate that Christ was born sometime in September or November between 6BC and 30AD. December 25 was fixed as the official day of Christ’s birth by Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, in the 4th century A.D. The Christians church selected this date purposely because it coincided with the pagan holidays of the winter solstice and the idea was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one.
Christmas was the subject of criticism and attacks many times throughout history. The Puritans in America considered Christmas as a decadent Catholic holiday and attempted to make Thanksgiving Day the prime festival instead of Christmas. The Puritans of New England enacted a law that made Christmas illegal in Boston from 1659 to 1681. Those who celebrated Christmas carried a punishment of five shillings for each offense or even were condemned as enemies of the Christian religion.
Christmas wasn’t an official holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870. Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas as an official holiday in 1836. Oklahoma followed suit only in 1907 and became the last U.S. state to make Christmas a legal holiday.
The word “Christmas” derives from contraction of the Old English name “Christes Maesse,” which means “Christ’s Mass.” The abbreviation of Christmas to “Xmas” is sometimes thought to be sacrilegious. In fact it is originated from the Greek alphabet where the first letter of Christ’s name (“Chi”) is written as “X”.
The legend of Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra, who lived in today’s Turkey in the fourth century. Saint Nicholas did many good deeds and he is the most popular non-Biblical saint around the world. Interestingly, the early illustrations of Saint Nicholas portrayed him more like a severe man and a symbol of discipline than the cheerful, massive elf we know today. St. Nikolas is not only the patron saint of kids; he is also the patron of prisoners, thieves, pawnbrokers, bankers, unmarried women, orphans and New York City.
Santa has many names in many countries. He is called Father Christmas in England, Saint Nicholas in Europe, Sheng Dan Lao Ren in China, Pere Noel in France, Papa Noel in Brazil and Peru, Joulupukki in Finland, Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) in Russia and El Nino Jesus in Spain. The names of Santa Claus differ because of difference in cultures and traditions across the world but the fact that children are looking forward to his gifts every year is common for all countries in our days.
Santa Claus has nine reindeer who lead his sleigh through the sky: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and the red-nosed Rudolph. The Rudolph’s name is taken from the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, the names of eight other reindeer are from the poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore.
The tradition of Christmas stockings evolved from a story about three poor sisters who could not afford a marriage dowry. The sisters were saved by Saint Nicholas, who climbed down their chimney and filled their stockings with gold coins.
It is considered that the Christmas trees may also date back to pagan traditions. However, the earliest known mentioning of a Christmas tree refers to a German pamphlet from 1570. In England the Christmas trees became popular in the 1800s during the reign of Queen Victoria who brought this custom from Germany. In the United States the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree was adopted by the 1870s.
The first known Christmas tree decorations were apples. Medieval actors decorated paradise trees, which were usually the fir trees, with apples during “Paradise Plays”. The idea of decorating the Christmas tree with candles belongs to Martin Luther (1483-1546), who, according to legend, was charmed by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree. Electric Christmas lights were invented by Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, who got the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. In 1895 his idea was accomplished by an American telephonist, Ralph Morris, who designed electric Christmas lights similar to the ones we use today.
The first U.S. president who officially placed a Christmas tree in the White House was Franklin Pierce. President Teddy Roosevelt, on the contrary, banned putting up a Christmas tree in the White House during his term for environmental reasons. Today, lighting up a Christmas tree in the White House’s has become a hallowed tradition.
We believe that Santa Claus will reserve the best gifts to those boys and girls who are aware of all these fascinating facts about Xmas. Let the joy of this wonderful season fill your hearts and minds!
Merry Christmas!
The TutorZ.com Team
Email: contact@tutorz.com
Phone: (805) 288-7338
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