All You Need to Know About Christmas and a Whole Lot More
by Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year, snow falling, carol singing and waiting for presents from Santa. How much do you really know though about some of the traditions based around Christmas? Read on to find out all you need to know about Christmas and a whole lot more.
Advent Calendar
It is believed that the ‘advent’ of the advent calendar happened at the start of the 19th century. It came from German Lutherans who would count the 24 days of advent physically. This was usually done by marking their door with a piece of chalk. Whether there was a tasty piece of chocolate behind the door was sadly never recorded.
Carols
In 1878, the Salvation Army instituted the idea of playing carols at Christmas using the brass band. Less than 2 years later, singing carols in church was instituted at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall. There are two schools of thought on where the name carol came from. One is that is from the French ‘carole’ and the other from the Latin ‘carula’, meaning – circular dance.
Christmas Cards
The golden age of Christmas card printing was said to be the middle to late 19th century. These days, a card from that time period can be very much sought after. In 2005 an original JC Horsley Christmas Card sold for nearly £9,000. If you think that is impressive, then what about another Horsley card from 1843 that sold at auction in 2001 for a world-record breaking £22,500.
Christmas Crackers
Thomas J Smith can be credited with the invention of the Christmas cracker in London 1847. It originated as a development of his bon-bon sweets which were sold in a twist of paper. Sales of the bon-bons dipped so to come up with a novelty way of selling more and inspired by a log crackling on a fire he decided to add a banger. Of course the wrapper had to become bigger to incorporate the banger and soon enough the sweet was dropped in favour of a small toy inside. Et Voila – the Christmas cracker was born.
Christmas Day
Although the New Testament does not give an actual date for the birth of Jesus it can be found elsewhere or at least a suggestion! A reference book called Chronographi, published in 221AD, suggests that Jesus was conceived on the spring equinox (March 25th under the Roman calendar) thus putting the idea forward of Christ being born on the 25th of December.
Image via Wikipedia
Christmas Dinner
It may be a mainstay in Britain to have turkey with all the trimmings for Christmas dinner but it is not so in other countries. The Czechs traditionally eat fried carp and potato salad. The Peruvians do eat turkey but they often stuff it with minced beef and peanuts and decorate it with sliced cherries and pineapples.
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User Comments
deklin42
On December 2, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Very impressive article. I enjoyed reading about the cards selling for so much money.
Joie Schmidt
On December 3, 2009 at 12:06 am
Christmas is my favorite holiday – thank you for this fun & interesting piece! *:)
Blessings.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Rask Balavoine
On December 3, 2009 at 3:02 am
Call me a grumpy old man if you want but I can’t wait till it’s all over Ho ho ho. But good article. Hope you have a good one this year.
Juancav
On December 3, 2009 at 8:20 am
Complete matter about Christmas,tasty read.
RonaldGeorge
On December 3, 2009 at 9:55 am
Nice article – those are excellent manger scene pictures.
Lauren Axelrod
On December 3, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Nice one. Just in time for the holidays.
revivor
On December 4, 2009 at 7:50 am
very comprehensive!! – you forgot to mention me (born on Christmas Day)
Faith Hodge
On December 5, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I love this article! It has so very much in it to just sit back and enjoy. thank you for sharing.
yoda
On December 9, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Interesting article–I love Christmas–my favorite time of year!
In the New Testament (Luke Chapter 2) it mentions shepherds were abiding the fields, keeping watch on the flocks by night, then the angel announces His birth, saying “this day” born unto you in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. My understanding is that shepherds did this in the SPRING! I understand we celebrate it in December because it is a pagan tradition.
No where does NT talk about 3 wisemen, only wisemen who brought 3 things (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) to the Christ child as gifts.
A Christmas tree can also relate to Christianity because they are evergreens and their branches point heaven ward–wreaths have no beginning and no ending, just like eternity. (just some thoughts!
I know the article is simply for interest and for realizing where some our tradions came from, or may have come from, which is why thought I’d put my two cents!
Thank you for the atricle!
MountainNana
On December 16, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Christmas has nothing to do with Christ and never has. He was not born anywhere near December. As the scriptures show he was 33 and half in the spring at Passover when he was crucified. As the book of Daniel shows cut off in the midst of the week. He would have been 34 in the Fall of the year end of September or early October before sheep were brought down to the winter folds.
The Wise men or Magi did not visit Christ on the night he was born but many months later as late as 2 years after his birth which is why King Herod wanted all baby boys put to death 2 years of age and under. Christs parents took him into Eygpt during that time.
Jeremiah 10 highly tells us NOT to cut down or put up a tree and decorate it like the pagans do. It is worshipping another deity other than God. The December 25th date comes with the day Mithrus the Persian Sun god was thought to have been born. The Roman Catholic church losing coverts back to paganism decreed it was Christ birthday around 326 BC.
The Yule log was used during the Winter Soltice Saturnalia Celebration a large enough log to burn 12 days built into a bonfire (bone fire) Where often youth and maidens or babies were thrown to feed the fire as a human sacrifice to appease the sun god and have him bring back the light.
99% of Christ comes from paganism the rest from greed and commercialism. It is not Christ day of birth and never has been it is a day God and Christ hate. We live in a modern world where anyone keeping Christmas choose to do so inspite of the truth of it’s origins this day is something the World has embraced to be good. Satan too appears as a god of light and good and is a deceiver of the nations.
If you observe Christmas you do it out of tradition, to be thought well of, to not be different and or out of selfishness, lust and greed. That is the truth and the facts. The day is coming when Christ will abolish all pagan worldly Holidays that he hates. Christmas being one of them.
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