The comparatively modern American ritual became popular two centuries later in the Victorian era. Note: Not all countries celebrate Christmas on December Nicholas Eve, and Dutch children eagerly await the arrival of Sinterklaas on St. Nicholas Day on December 6. Spain begins celebrating the Christmas season on December 8, with a weeklong observance of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In Sweden, the Christmas festivities begin on December 13 with St.
Ethiopia follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. Gifts were not always wrapped — it became widely popular to do so in Legend tells us that St. Santa the gift-giver is truly multicultural — a few examples are the Turkish St. Selena Fox indicated that offerings for Holda were left on the rooftop while the Swedish put food out for the gnome-like tomten.
The History Channel website explains :. Now, however, those stockings are usually chock-full of treats and smaller gifts for the family members themselves. Leaving cookies and milk for Santa—and perhaps a few carrots for his reindeer—took off as an American holiday tradition in the s, during the Great Depression. In that time of great economic hardship, many parents tried to teach their children that it was important to give to others and to show gratitude for the gifts they were lucky enough to receive on Christmas.
Some 80 years later, many children still set out cookies and milk for Santa, whether out of the goodness of their hearts or in less wholesome cases as a bribe to receive more gifts from the jolly bearded man in the red suit. An NPR article contends that the Victorians had a lot to do with the popularity of this custom.
The edition featured a cartoon by a famous illustrator called Thomas Nast. The New York Times reports :. Year-round the North Pole had the snow that was becoming associated in the popular image with Christmas the American publishers of magazines, books, and cards carrying Christmas illustrations were headquartered in the snowy Northeast.
The first Christmas creche was a living Nativity staged by St. Francis of Assisi in in Italy. According to a Catholic Education website, in the year , St. Francis, a deacon, was visiting the town of Grecio to celebrate Christmas. Francis realized that the chapel of the Franciscan hermitage would be too small to hold the congregation for Midnight Mass, So he found a niche in the rock near the town square and set up the altar.
Then, according to St. Bonaventure d. She now teaches computers at The Granville School and St. John's Primary School in Sevenoaks Kent. Follow me on Twitter. This site uses cookies. Learn about England and the other countries in Britain from the children who live in there. You may not redistribute, sell or place the content of this page on any other website or blog without written permission from the Mandy Barrow. Project Britain.
Online Advent Calendar. Advent Calendars. This was probably the first time Christmas tree lights were strung because in , the Edison company advertised Christmas lighting services.
A decade later, people could rent lighting systems for the Christmas holidays. There are lots of different stories as to how Christmas lights on trees became popularized. In , President Cleveland decorated the Christmas tree with lights, much to the delight of his young daughters. So why do we decorate the Christmas tree with lights? Probably because it looks pretty.
With the invention of the electric light bulb, people started to get creative and see how else they could use lights. While candles are symbolic of the stars, electric lights on trees are probably just a tradition grounded in honoring the season with help from an incredible invention.
Holly decorations are often a choice around Christmas time because of the green leaves and red berries. The green represents eternal life and the red is representative of the blood of Christ. Poinsettias are poisonous plants, so please do not eat them or place them where pets can get to them. Story has it that a young girl in the 16th century Mexico was too poor to bring a gift to baby Jesus. She found some weeds on the side of the road and brought a bouquet instead.
The weeds bloomed gorgeous red flowers , and thereby became an important decoration amidst the Christmas celebrations.
Before the electric lights, people used to hang candles on their Christmas trees. It was a challenge to place them on the tree without causing a fire, and fires happened quite often. Sometimes people used candles to decorate the tree because other wood for decorations were scarce.
Many people believe that the 16th-century Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, was the first to add lit candles to the Christmas tree. All those stringed lights, Christmas inflatables adorning your yard, scented holiday candles , and red velvet bows can give others in the neighborhood the impression that you're friendly and accessible. Making more friends and your spirits brighter—here's to another excuse for breaking out those boxes of ornaments and tinsel a little early this season.
By Michelle Darrisaw.
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