Christmas Traditions

What do we envisage when we feel of Christmas?  It is of course initial and foremost a religious Christian celebration, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. For other people with no the religious penchant, Christmas brings a special time of sharing with household and pals.  One thing even so is for positive Christmas is a time for enjoying age old traditions such as decorating the tree and tucking into Christmas dinner. But where did these festive traditions come from? Here we discover some of the most common seasonal customs: 

The Date
25th December: the day Jesus was born – allegedly. Nonetheless, it is stated that the actual birth of Christ is more most likely to have been in springtime. So why do we celebrate Christmas in mid- winter? One reason stems from the fourth century when Christians began celebrating Christmas in December due to the fact this was conveniently the time when pagans were observing the winter solstice, a time for new beginnings that evoked very good spirit and family gatherings.  

Oh Christmas tree!
How we appreciate putting up the tree and adorning it with glittering decorations! The Christmas tree can be traced back to 16th century Germany from which point it spread across Europe. Nevertheless in Britain it wasn’t until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert erected the initial British Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1850 that it began to turn out to be a popular tradition.  

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Father Christmas
Father Christmas is thought to be the ghost of Saint Nicholas who was stated to devote the eve of Christmas day delivering gifts to the poor. The modern portrayal of Father Christmas as a rotund, red-cheeked man wearing a red suit trimmed with white fur became common in America in the 19th century due to cartoon-style advertising campaigns featuring Santa Claus. Numerous myths are attached to our jovial friend such as the airborne reindeer-led sleigh the down-the-chimney tale and of course the legend of the endless sack of presents. These stories vary in between countries, each having its own take. 

Christmas Dinner
Henry the VIII was the first in England to tuck into a turkey Christmas dinner. Nevertheless, even by the start of the Victorian era this bird was nonetheless considered too expensive for most everyday folks to get pleasure from. In northern England the standard selection for Christmas dinner was roast beef whilst in the south the favourite was goose, or rabbit for those who couldn’t afford it. Turkey had become an affordable selection by the end of the 19th century and the trimmings: Brussels sprouts, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing and roast potatoes followed soon right after to make up the Christmas dinner in which we indulge with paper hat and crackers nowadays. 

Christmas is a time for bringing the family together a time for indulging in traditions and the excitement that goes with them. The truth that the issues we observe right now go way back in history and the believed that generations of our ancestors were celebrating the extremely things we are enjoying these days makes them even a lot more poignant.