History Of Christmas Traditions

While history of Christmas is more than 4,000 years old, Christmas traditions have been making their way into Christmas celebrations over the years. For instance, the origin of Santa Claus goes back to the 4th century and most probably comes from Saint Nicholas, who was the bishop of Myra, which is in modern-day Turkey. According to legends, Saint Nicholas was known for his benevolence, especially to kids. This paved way for stories that he could perform miracles. On his demise, his remains were interred in Myra, but were later stolen by Italian sailors and taken to Bari, Italy. As Saint Nicholas' tales spread throughout Europe, some countries adopted him as their patron saint, namely Russia, Greece and France. His feast is celebrated on 6th December and he is described as a rosy-cheeked man with flowing white beard and wearing a red cape and a bishop's mitre. After Europe went through reformation, many people forgot about Saint Nicholas, but his memory was kept alive in The Netherlands. The kids were encouraged to keep their shoes out to get gifts from Santa Claus. And, when the Dutch immigrants came to America in the 17th century, they brought the legend of Santa Claus to the United States.

The tradition of Christmas tree, dates back to the Middle Ages when religious plays used to narrate the story of Adam and Eve and their banishment from the Garden of Eden. In Germany, during the 16th century, people used to decorate fir trees and hang apples on them. The tree symbolized the Garden of Eden and the apples, the forbidden fruit. It was Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer, who was responsible for using lights to decorate the fir tree and after seeing the stars shining through the branches of the tree, he decided to recreate the beauty by lighting candles and placing them on the branches of the tree. It is said that the tradition of having a Christmas tree made its way into England when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, who was a German. And, when the Germans migrated to Pennsylvania in the 19th century, they brought this tradition to the shores of the United States.

The tradition of hanging stockings for Christmas comes from a story of a rich nobleman who spent his money foolishly after the death of his wife. This left his three daughters without any dowry. On hearing the sad news, Saint Nicholas came to the house of the nobleman and quietly threw three bags of gold coins down the chimney. The bags landed in the stockings of the girls which were drying on the mantle of the fireplace. This gave rise to children hanging stockings on Christmas day to receive gifts from Santa Claus.

The ancient Druids believed that mistletoe had healing and magical powers, as it did not dry during the cold winter months even though it had no roots. The Romans associated it with peace and would lay down their arms in front of enemies, who stood under a mistletoe. The Scandinavians believed that mistletoe was associated with the goddess of love, Frigga, and it is believed that the custom of kissing under a mistletoe comes from this belief.

In the harsh winter of northern Europe, holly was one plant that did not wilt and die. Many people brought holly indoors to protect themselves from ghosts and demons roaming in the cold. Another legend claims that holly grew on the ground as Christ roamed the Earth and the pointed sharp leaves of the holly are symbolic of the crown of thorns that Christ wore during his crucifixion, while the red berries represent the blood He shed.

Today, many people in the United States grow poinsettias during winters which tend to bloom just around Christmas. The bright red blooms are now part of Christmas traditions in many American households. While the credit for bringing poinsettias into the United States goes to the US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, a Mexican legend claims that a little boy going to see the Nativity scene in his village realized that he did not have a gift for the Christ child. So, he stopped on the road and picked some beautiful green branches. The other children made fun of the gift this little Mexican boy had brought, but he still laid it at the crib. The moment the branches were laid next to the crib, bright red blooms shaped just like stars developed on each branch.

The United States has its own Christmas traditions, and many of these traditions have been embraced by the rest of the world. Today, everything associated with Christmas, such as the Christmas tree, the decorations of the tree, having wreaths on the door, hanging holly and mistletoe all have age-old beliefs behind them. Many of the traditions that are followed today come from pagan beliefs and were incorporated into Christianity by the Church, as they found it difficult to make people give up these beliefs. In modern times, most people do not give a thought to the history of Christmas traditions, as they have come to accept them as part and parcel of Christmas celebrations. However, if you actually study this history, you will realize that many of these come from simple beliefs that people held centuries ago and some came from necessities, like handing on candies to kids to keep them quiet during Nativity scenes and this gave rise to candy cane that both children and adults love today and is an integral part of Christmas celebrations and festivities.

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