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Tradition |
Description and
History |
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Remembering the birth of
Jesus Christ |
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To honor His example to the
world.
Although this is not likely the
actual date of Christ’s
birth, this is the day that it is
celebrated.
Bible: Gospels of Matthew and Luke
(1)
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Exchanging
Gifts
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Associated with the birth of
Christ.
Wise men came from far away to see the
Christ child bearing gifts of frankincense
and myrrh (2)
Some claim that the idea of exchanging
gifts on Christmas evolves from the Roman
celebration of Saturnalia. (6)
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| Guiding Star of
Christmas |
A new star guided
strangers from other lands to help them
find the location where the Christ child
was located (“the Star of
Bethlehem”) Bible: Gospel of Matthew
(3)
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Angels
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Associated with the
birth of Christ. Angels appeared to
Joseph, Mary, and shepherds in the Bible.
(10)
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Santa has been spotted in
different countries over the years
with a few different descriptions.
This is no big surprise. After all,
Santa gets around pretty fast with
all of his reindeer pulling the
sleigh. Here are a few historical
facts that bring us to the Santa we
all know and love today.
A bishop of the Catholic Church
named Saint Nicholas existed in
Myra (presently known as the
Antalya province of Turkey) the 4th
century. He became known for his
generous nature and the assistance
he gave to the poor. He was also
known for his love of children. In
540 A.D. he became known as the
“saint of children and gift
giving.”
In German legend, there was a
man they called
“Winterman.” He dressed
in fur. The stories say that when
he came down from the mountains, it
symbolized the coming of
winter.
The Dutch talk of a man named
Sinterklaas, who rides a white
horse with a large sack of gifts
flung over his shoulder to deliver
to children.
The British speak of Father
Christmas. It is said that a very
long time ago he used to dress in
green to symbolize that spring was
not too far away. Nowadays the
British describe Father Christmas
as most people know him, as the
jolly old man in the red suit.
In the United States, sightings
of Santa began to be reported in
the 19th century.
In 1821, William Gilley wrote a
poem about Santa describing him as
a man dressed in fur with a sleigh
and reindeer.
In 1822, Clement Clark Moore
wrote about his tale of Santa in
“A From St. Nicholas,”
which is better known as
“’Twas the Night Before
Christmas.” His story
describes how Santa came to his
house with all of his reindeer.
An exceptional artist named
Thomas Nast began to create annual
pictures of Santa in 1863. He
brought America up to date on
Santa’s fashion trends in
those days.
In 1931, Coca Cola* started
creating images of Santa for their
Christmas ads. I don’t know
how many sodas Santa delivered to
kids, but he sure made them look
refreshing!
With all of the attention Santa
has received over the years, we
have learned a lot about him. He is
lucky though. He lives in a place
where it is too cold for the
paparazzi to follow him without
freezing their little fingers.
Santa lives a comfortable and
private life in his warm and cozy
shop at the North Pole. He lives
far away from most people, but you
can rest assured that “he
knows if you’ve been bad or
good, so you better be
good.”
(38, 53, 56, 67, 68, 69)
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| Nativity Scenes |
Re-enactments, plays,
and physical scenes of the birth of
Christ are associated commonly associated
with Christmas.
The first recorded
nativity scene was made by St. Francis in
Italy in 1223 A.D.His nativity scene was
big, and he used real people to pose for
the scene instead of
statues. (64)
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Christmas Tree
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Adaptation of Roman
tradition with the conversion to
Christianity.
It is believed that the use of evergreen
trees originated late in the 8th century
as St. Boniface was preaching
Christianity to the German people. At the
time Oak trees were part of a Winter
Solstice celebration. This practice
evolved to include fir trees (evergreens)
which were a symbol of Christianity.
The first Christmas
trees in the United States may have
existed as early as 1747 in a German
settlement in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
This is possible since the Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania has existed since 1741.
The first Christmas
tree on record for being on display in
the United States was also in
Pennsylvania, but not until the
1830’s.
The first time the
term “Christmas tree” was
recorded in use to describe the festive
evergreens was in 1835.
Christmas trees were
slow to be embraced by Americans during
the end of the 18th century because
Christmas was seen as an English
tradition, and the Revolutionary War was
still fresh on the minds of
Americans.
The 19th century was
a time of great invigoration for
Christmas. In 1856, President Franklin
Pierce brought in the first Christmas
tree to be decorated at the White House.
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge
introduced the “National Christmas
Tree Lighting Ceremony” that is
held annually on the White House lawn.
Christmas trees were definitely making a
show in America. (4, 5, 19, 21, 46, 47, 48,
& 49)
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Fire
(Fire in fireplace – “Burning
the Yule Log”) |
A
tradition that was once strong in Christmas
tradition is burning the Yule Log. Yule is
a celebration of Pagan origin. On the
longest night of the year (which is
actually closer to December 21) a fire was
to be built from wood gathered from
one’s own land or from a neighbor.
Purchasing the wood was considered to be
bad luck. Oak was the preferred wood to
burn. A fire that burned for a long time
was considered to be a prediction of a good
luck in the coming year. (7)
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Mistletoe is an odd
plant that frequently grows parastically
on apple and sometimes oak trees.
Mistletoe stays green throughout the
year, which is one of the qualities that
made it appealing to Greeeks, Romans, and
others throughout history.
At Christmas time, getting caught under
the mistletoe means you are entitled to a
kiss. Be sure to hang your mistletoe
where people are likely to be found
standing around.
Mistletoe has been a valued plant since
the ancient times of the Druids. The
Druids believed that oak trees were
sacred. Since mistletoe could be found
among the branches of an oak, it was
considered to have special powers.
Kissing under the mistletoe is believed
to have come from the Roman celebration
of Saturnalia some time around 150 B.C.
The practice was believed to increase
fertility. (8 & 9)
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The Nutcracker began as a story
published in 1816 called “The
Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” by
Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffman. The
story always had a Christmas theme, but a
happier ending was given to the adapted
ballet with music by Tchaikovsky in 1892.
(11 & 12)
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| Wreaths |
Wreaths made of woven branches
and twigs are commonly used as Christmas
decorations. They have come to be used as a
symbol of the crown of thorns that was
placed on Jesus’ head before the
crucifixion.
The use of wreaths dates back to Greek and
Roman times. They were a symbol of victory.
Wreaths were worn on the heads of
triumphant athletes and rulers such as
Julius Caesar. Eventually these symbols of
victory were hung on walls and given as
gifts.
(13 & 14)
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| Bells |
Bells were used in pagan
traditions to scare away evil spirits. In
time their use expanded to include ringing
to draw people together. It is unclear
exactly when this tradition was assimilated
into Christmas celebration, however it can
be traced back at least as far as 1864,
when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow originally
composed the song “I Heard the Bells
on Christmas Day.” (15 &
16)
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Holly
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Holly is frequently
used as a Christmas decoration.
Holly is an evergreen plant with sharp
pointed leaves and red berries.
Holly was used in the ancient times of
the Druids. They considered holly to be a
sacred plant that drove away evil
spirits. In the practice of sun worship,
it was considered special because it
remained greeen while other plants went
dormant. The evergreen quality of Holly
made it a symbol of eternal life.
Sometimes Holly was brought into homes
during Winter Solstice as part of a
celebration of the approaching
spring.
The use of evergreen plants such as Holly
was integrated into Christian worship
when the Romans accepted
Christianity.
It is alleged that Christmas colors are
derived from Holly's red berries and
green leaves.
(13, 72, & 73)
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| Stockings |
The origin of the use
of stockings on Christmas is not clearly
identifiable. The oldest reference to the
use of stockings is found among in the
writings of Washington Irving in New York
in the year 1809.His story described how
Santa leaves gifts in stockings that
children hang by the chimney.
Another legendary
tale of unknown origin suggests that a
father lost all of his money, and could
not afford to give his daughters money to
get married. These daughters left their
stockings on the mantle to dry by the
fire on Christmas Eve. They were
surprised to find in the morning that
Santa had filled their stockings with
gold coins, and they could afford to be
married after all. (17, 51, & 52)
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Milk and
Cookies
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Lots of families are busy on or
around Christmas eve, making
cookies for Christmas. Common
Christmas cookies are sugar cookies
and gingerbread cookies. They are
often made into festive shapes with
cookie cutters and sometimes
sprinkled with decorative candy
bits. Make sure you get a few
before they’re gone.
Apparently Santa doesn’t like
to talk about his eating habits,
because no one seems to know when
people began to leave milk and
cookies for him. All I can say is I
did it for as long as I can
remember. My parents did it for as
long as they can remember. My
grandparents, well…they
don’t remember. Just put a
few fresh ones out with some cold
milk, and everything should work
out nicely.
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| Gingerbread |
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Gingerbread cookies and
gingerbread houses are fun for
decoration and of course to eat at
Christmas time.
Ginger root has been around in some
form since the days of the Greeks.
It finally made its way to Europe
in the 11th century from the Middle
East. Germany became well known for
their flat, crisp gingerbread in a
form as we know it today. The hard
and flat quality of their
gingerbread made it possible to
make gingerbread houses, which is a
practice still popular in Germany
today. It is possible that
gingerbread found its place in
Christmas tradition by way of
Germany. (18)
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| Christmas Lights |
The first Christmas lights were
made by Edward H. Johnson (a partner of
Thomas Edison) in 1882. He hand made a
strand of 80 lights, and put them on his
own Christmas tree. (22)
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| Egg Nog |
Egg Nog is a popular
drink at Christmas time.
Egg nog is believed
by many to have been derived from a hot
British drink made in the 1700’s,
known as posset. The British version of
Egg nog was a mixture of milk and eggs
(and sometimes wine was added). There are
many who believe that this British drink
that was served in a small cup called a
“Noggin” eventually took on
the name of “Egg
nog.” Egg
nog has been made in the United States
since the 1800’s (23).
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| Fruit Cake |
Fruit
Cake…ew, I mean oh
yeah.
Sorry, I didn’t
mean to be rude, but just what is it, and
where does it come from? All right,
enough said. Fruit cake has been around at
least since the 16th century(at least the
one I got was around that long). It is an
English tradition that evolved from plum
porridge. (24)
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Caroling
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Christmas caroling today is a
joyous and light-hearted occasion
of singing door-to-door. It can be
embarrassing for some, but also
quite rewarding for the thanks
received at receptive homes.
The origins of caroling are
found in a pagan tradition called
wassailing. This was a boisterous
event where people sang door to
door to drive out evil spirits. In
the middle of the seventh century,
wassailing, which was comparable to
caroling in many respects was
banned by Catholic church because
of its pagan origins.
Wassailing evolved through the
middle ages into a jovial and
lively event. Although it carried a
tone of Christianity, the practice
and the Christmas holiday were
banned altogether by the church in
1647. In 1660 the ban on Christmas
ended, in part due to protest and
rioting by those in favor of the
holiday and its traditions.
Encouraged by having the freedom
to enjoy caroling again, many of
the carols and practices of
caroling began to take shape.
Ironically, the very practice of
caroling that was banned for its
pagan origins evolved into a very
devotedly Christian practice. (4
& 25)
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| Candy Canes |
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In their original form, candy
canes were straight sticks of
candy, which were invented in
Europe in the 15th century. Early
candy canes were all white and
quite plain looking.
In legend, it is said that a in
the year 1670, a choirmaster at the
Cologne Cathedral in Germany worked
out how to bend the ends of the
candy sticks. He was able to curve
the end of the stick back toward
the opposite end. This new shape
gave the candy a whole new meaning,
as it resembled the shape of a
shepherd’s staff. The
choirmaster handed the newly shaped
canes out to children at Chrismtmas
ceremonies at the Cologne
Cathedral.
When candy canes arrived in
America in the 19th century, they
had the curved ends, but they were
still plain white candies. Finally
in the 20th century candy canes
received their distinguishable red
stripes.
Alternative stories about candy
canes suggest that their curved
shape may have evolved from the use
of candy to decorate Christmas
trees. With this use considered,
the curved end may have been
created for the simple purpose of
hanging the candy on the branches
of the tree.
At any rate, the curved end of
the candy cane continues to serve
as a reminder of the
Shepherd’s who were
approached by an angel and guided
to the Christ child by a new star
in the heavens. (26 & 27)
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| “Jingle Bells”
Song |
Jingle Bells is a
song that sticks in everyone’s
minds at Christmas time.
This catchy little
tune by James Lord Pierpont has been
around since 1857…well sort of.
When the song was first published, it was
called “One Horse Open
Sleigh.” He released the song a
second time two years later under the
name by which it is now
known—“Jingle
Bells.” Believe it or not, this
popular Christmas song was not intended
to be a Christmas song at all. It was a
sleighing song, which at the time was
altogether different from Christmas.
“Jingle Bells” was not
considered especially popular at the
time; but as Christmas was gaining
momentum and popularity at this time
throughout America, the song caught on
and became associated with the wintry
symbols of Christmas, snow, and of course
the sleigh. (28)
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| “The Twelve Days of
Christmas”song |
Here’s a song
where you repeat the verses over and
over, but at the end, you still wonder
what it was all about. Well if you have
ever made it all the way through this
song, you deserve to know what it
means.
At some point in time
between 1558 and 1829; amid severe
religious restriction in England, the
song “The Twelve Days of
Christmas” was written to allow
young people to learn Catholic ideals. At
that time it was actually unlawful for
Catholics to practice their religion in a
public or private forum. This song was
written to instruct children about the
Catholic faith through its underlying
meanings.
The symbolic meanings
of the song as identified on
www.catholic.org are as follows:
My true love = God
Me = Baptized members of the catholic
church
First Day: Partridge in
a Pear Tree = Jesus Christ
Second Day: Two turtle
doves = The Old and New Testaments of the
Bible
Third Day: Three French
hens = Faith, hope, and charity
Fourth Day: Four calling
birds = Four gospels(Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John) and/or the Four
evangelists
Fifth Day: Five Golden
Rings = The first five books of the Old
Testament
Sixth Day: Six Geese
A-Laying = The six days in which God
created the earth and all things on
it.
Seventh Day: Seven Swans
A-Swimming = The seven Gifts of the Holy
Spirit
Eighth Day: Eight Maids
A-Milking = The 8 beatitudes
Ninth Day: Nine ladies
dancing = The nine fruits of the Holy
Spirit
Tenth Day: Ten Lords
A-Leaping = The ten commandments
Eleventh Day: Eleven
pipers piping = the eleven faithful
apostles
Twelfth Day: Twelve
drummers drumming = The twelve points of
doctrine in the Apostle’s
Creed.
(See source 29) There you have it—the
true meaning of “the Twelve Days of
Christmas.” Nobody claims to know
who wrote it or exactly when, but its
purpose was clearly to further the cause
of Christianity. To that end it is truly
fitting as a Christmas song.
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| " Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer" |
Rudolph is a popular
figure in Christmas tradition. Rudolph
started out as a story; evolved into a
song, and then made an entrance into
homes nationwide with an animated TV
show.
In time Rudolph even made it to the big
screen with his very own movie. Everybody
loves the cute little reindeer with the
timid voice and big heart.
The story of Rudolph
was created by Robert L. May in 1939,
during the great depression. May wrote
the story for Montgomery Ward—his
employer at the time.
Robert May’s
brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, composed a
tune to lyrics that he had chosen and the
song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer” emerged. The song gained
considerable popularity when Gene Autry
recorded it in 1949. It sold over two
million copies in its first year of
release.
In 1964,
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer” was seen on TV with the
release of the animated TV special. The
show was narrated by Burl Ives, and was
told in story-like fashion. Putting a
face to the character and music gave
Rudolph a new popularity that secured his
stardom forever.
In 1998, Rudolph
appeared again in a full-length animated
feature film called “Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie.”
Since over thirty years had passed from
the release of the animated TV special,
the new film offered some updated
graphics, and a little less fidgety
action than the show made for
television.
All of the
appearances Rudolph has made in books,
songs, televisions shows, and feature
films have their own unique qualities
that present his misfit appearance but
widespread affection. Rudolph has truly
earned his place in Christmas tradition
and “gone down in
history.” (30, 31, & 32)
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| Reindeer |
In the year 1821, a
small booklet showed images of Santa
dressed in fur riding in a sleigh with a
reindeer at the front. The booklet was
known as the Children’s Friend, and
the particular title was “A
New-Year’s Present, to the Little
Ones From Five to Twelve.”
Another tale of
poetic mention is “A Visit from St.
Nicholas” also known as
“’Twas The Night Before
Christmas.” This well known
tale, released in 1823, identified eight
reindeer as those pulling Santa’s
sleigh.
Since the time of
these stories, reindeer have received
mention and praise for their work in
pulling Santa and all of his gear around
the world to deliver presents on
Christmas Eve.
The eight most famous
reindeer known to pull Santa’s
sleigh are as follows:
Dasher
Dancer
Prencer
Vixen
Comet
Cupid
Donner
Blitzen
Then there is always
the ninth and most famous reindeer of
all, Rudolph (the red-nosed
reindeer). (33,
34, & 35)
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| Roman Traditions |
Romans celebrated sun
worship and winter festivals. The
celebrations included: "Saturnalia" (to
worship the Roman God Saturn—God of
Aggriculture), "Sol Invictus" (to worship
several sun related gods on the same
day), and Winter Solstice (to celebrate
the passing of the shortest
day—which meant longer days of sun
to come).
Each of these celebrations occurred on or
around December 25th. This is significant
because after the Romans accepted
Christianity in 313 A.D., they added the
worship of Jesus Christ to these
celebrations also on the 25th of
December. This made it easier for the
Roman people, who already had these
traditions engrained into their culture,
to accept Christ and Christianity.
(19, 43,
74, & 75)
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| Christmas
cards |
Christmas cards are a
traditional way to express cheer to
family, friends, and acquaintances in the
Christmas season. Christmas cards are
frequently quite decorative and marked
with festive and traditional décor.
It is common in the United States to
place Christmas cards that have been
received on a mantle over the fireplace,
or in other common places of the
house.
The first
professionally created Christmas card was
painted and printed in England by John
Calcott Horsley in 1843. He produced the
cards for a man named Sir Henry Cole. His
card depicted a family enjoying a
Christmas holiday together while the poor
and needy were given blankets and food on
the sides.
The first printed
Christmas cards in the United States were
created by a German immigrant named Louis
Prang in 1875. His cards were in great
demand. After only 6 years of business,
he was producing millions of Christmas
cards of various designs. (41 & 42)
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| Decorating with red and green
(Christmas Colors) |
A theory about the
origin of Christmas colors was found in
the use of HOLLY with its
red berries and green leaves.
Silver may be
included in Christmas decoration as in
tinsel, tree ornaments, silver bells,
serving trays, etc.
Gold is also used
sometimes as a Christmas color. Gold is
symbolic of gifts given at Jesus’
birth (gifts suitable for a
king). (36)
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| Snow |
Snow has naturally
been associated with Christmas from the
times of Greek and Roman tradition of
Winter Solstice to today’s
celebration of Christmas, which occurs on
December 25. The holiday and the ancient
festivals have commonly occurred in
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