1. The
Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.
2. All
the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts.
3. The
“true love” mentioned in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” does not refer to
a romantic couple, but the Catholic Church’s code for God. The person who
receives the gifts represents someone who has accepted that code. For example,
the “partridge in a pear tree” represents Christ. The “two turtledoves”
represent the Old and New Testaments.
4. In
A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official
celebration date for the birthday of Christ.
5. According
to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a
221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping
Center in Seattle, Washington.
6. The
traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long
been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold
represents light as well as wealth and royalty.
7. According
to data analyzed from Facebook posts, two weeks before Christmas is one of the
two most popular times for couples to break up. However, Christmas Day is the least
favorite day for breakups.
8. The
world’s largest Christmas stocking measured 106 feet and 9 inches (32.56 m)
long and 49 feet and 1 inch (14.97 m) wide. It weighed as much as five reindeer
and held almost 1,000 presents. It was made by the Children’s Society in London
on December 14, 2007.
9. Christmas
trees have been sold in the U.S. since 1850.
10. Christmas
trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold.
11. Many
European countries believed that spirits, both good and evil, were active
during the Twelve Days of Christmas. These spirits eventually evolved into
Santa’s elves, especially under the influence of Clement C. Moore’s The
Night Before Christmas (1779-1863) illustrated by Thomas Nast (1840-1902).
12. Bolivians
celebrate Misa Del Gallo or “Mass of the Rooster” on Christmas
Eve. Some people bring roosters to the midnight mass, a gesture that symbolizes
the belief that a rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus.
13. The
British wear paper crowns while they eat Christmas dinner. The crowns are stored
in a tube called a “Christmas cracker
14. In
Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas trees decorations because
according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish
people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.
15. Ancient
peoples, such as the Druids, considered mistletoe sacred because it remains
green and bears fruit during the winter when all other plants appear to die.
Druids would cut the plant with golden sickles and never let it touch the
ground. They thought it had the power to cure infertility and nervous diseases
and to ward off evil.
16. Evergreens
(from the Old English word aefie meaning “always” and gowan meaning
“to grow”) have been symbols of eternal life and rebirth since ancient times.
The pagan use and worship of evergreen boughs and trees has evolved into the
Christianized Christmas tree.
17. Because
they viewed Christmas as a decadent Catholic holiday, the Puritans in America
banned all Christmas celebrations from 1659-1681 with a penalty of five
shillings for each offense. Some Puritan leaders condemned those who favored
Christmas as enemies of the Christian religion.
18. A
Yule log is an enormous log that is typically burned during the Twelve Days of
Christmas (December 25-January 6). Some scholars suggest that the word yulemeans
“revolution” or “wheel,” which symbolizes the cyclical return of
the sun. A burning log or its charred remains is said to offer health,
fertility, and luck as well as the ability to ward off evil spirits.
19. Because
of their pagan associations, both the holly (associated with the masculine
principle) and the ivy (the feminine) and other green boughs in home decoration
were banned by the sixth-century Christian Council of Braga.
20. Christmas
has its roots in pagan festivals such as Saturnalia (December 17-December 23),
the Kalends (January 1 -5, the precursor to the Twelve Days of Christmas),
and Deus Sol Invictus or Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun
(December 25). The Christians church heartily disapproved of such celebrations
and co-opted the pagans by declaring December 25 as Christ’s day of birth,
though there is no evidence Christ was born on that day.
21. Santa
Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos
the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who
lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is
the world’s most popular non-Biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him
more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking,
pawn broking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New
York City.
22. Puritan
Oliver Cromwell outlawed Christmas celebrations and carols in England from
1649-1660. The only celebrations allowed were sermons and prayers.
23. Christmas
stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a
marriage dowry and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were
saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna (the precursor
to Santa Claus) crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings
with gold coins.
24. In
the US there are two competing claims as to which president was the first to
place a Christmas tree in the White House. Some scholars say President Franklin
Pierce did in 1856; others say President Benjamin Harrison brought in the first
tree in 1889. President Coolidge started the White House lighting ceremony in
1923.
25. It
is estimated that the single “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin is the bestselling
single of all time, with over 100 million sales worldwide.
26. The
first person to decorate a Christmas tree was reportedly the Protestant
reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). According to legend, he was so moved by the
beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree; he brought home
an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his
children.
27. The
first printed reference to a Christmas tree was in 1531 in Germany.
28. Approximately
30-35 million real (living) Christmas trees are sold each year in the U.S.
29. Christmas
is a contraction of “Christ’s Mass,” which is derived from the Old English Cristes
mæsse (first recorded in 1038). The letter “X” in Greek is the first
letter of Christ, and “Xmas” has been used as an abbreviation for Christmas
since the mid-1500s.
30. In
Germany, Heiligabend, or Christmas Eve, is said to be a
magical time when the pure in heart can hear animals talking.
31. The
Viking god Odin is one precursor to the modern Santa Claus. According to myth,
Odin rode his flying horse, Sleipnir (a precursor to Santa’s reindeer), who had
eight legs. In the winter, Odin gave out both gifts and punishments, and
children would fill their boots or stockings with treats for Sleipnir.
32. The
earliest known Christmas tree decorations were apples. At Christmastime,
medieval actors would use apples to decorate paradise trees (usually fir trees)
during “Paradise Plays,” which were plays depicting Adam and Eve’s creation and
fall.
33. Commissioned
by Sir Henry Cole (1808-1883), British illustrator John Callcott Horsley
(1817-1903) invented the first Christmas card in 1843.
34. According
to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there are 2,106 million
children under age 18 in the world. If there are on average 2.5 children per
household, Santa would have to make 842 million stops on Christmas Eve,
traveling 221 million miles. To reach all 842 million stops, Santa would need
to travel between houses in 2/10,000 second, which means he would need to
accelerate 12.19 million miles (20.5 billion meters) per second on each stop.
The force of this acceleration would reduce Santa to “shredded vegetable.”
do have a wonderful christmas celebration!!!
nice one
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