History Of Christmas Traditions
| Christmas is one of the most popular festivals to be celebrated around the world with a lot of joy and fervor. While many people look at Christmas from a religious point of view, there are others that look at this festival as a season of giving and time to spend with their loved ones. Over the years, Christmas traditions have become an integral part of the celebrations, but not too many people know where these traditions have come from. |
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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. More...
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