![]() However, way back in the 4th century, this wasn't always possible as children younger than 10 would often have to work to support their families. The tradition of filling stockings with gifts and goodies is associated with the traditional figure of Saint Nicholas, who believed childhood should be enjoyed and savoured. ![]() From XP comes the labarum, a holy symbol in Orthodox Christianity that represents Jesus. Jesus’ name has also been abbreviated as XP, a combination of the first and second letters of the Greek word for Christ. The X stands for the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ. Boughs of trees and plants were also common gifts to represent bounty and good harvests which could be the basis for Boughs of Holly.Ĭommonly thought of as a lazy way of writing Christmas, or a way to represent Christmas without making it religious by including the word 'Christ' it actually has origins in Christianity. Relating back to the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, children would be given gifts of wax dolls that represented human sacrifices made for a good harvest. Many will relate to the Christian tradition that stemmed from the three wise men who gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. One of the more commercialised elements of modern Christmas, the act of gift giving has a few traditional beginnings. It's largely to do with Pagan celebration of the Winter Soltice, (the shortest day of the year) where the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun which is where the 'North Pole' origins probably get their beginning. The Christmas holiday we know, stems from the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, a festival honouring their god of agriculture 'Saturn' on the winter solstice.Īs this was an already established time of celebration for the light and sun, it was natural for the celebration of Christ to be worked into this time as we don't technically know the exact day of his birth. Today it's much more commercial and more about presents, candy Coca-Cola trucks and seasonal drinks at Starbucks. The most familiar reason behind Christmas, is the Christian tradition of honouring the birth of Jesus Christ. The name is just an Americanisation of Sinterklaas. ![]() Pretty similar to 8 reindeer and stockings, right?Īlong the way, there have been many translations and modernisations to create the Santa Claus we know today. He would do so riding Sleipnir, a legendary horse with 8 legs and would leave candy in children's boots as a gift. He would lead a hunting party with other Norse Gods on Yule, a German holiday around the same time as Christmas. Odin, from Norse mythology also has some attribution for Santa Claus. Oh, and he road in on a steam boat from Spain, not the North Pole.Īnother traditional figure stems from the British Father Christmas from the 17th century, who embodied the holiday spirit of joy and mirth. The legend does goes a little dark with his Elf helpers punishing children on the naughty list with 'jute bags' and 'willow canes'. One such traditional figure is the Dutch, Sinterklaas who from legend, has a very similar story to Santa Claus, dressed in red and white, knows if children are naughty or nice and accompanied by Elf helpers known as Zwarte Piet. The jolly old St Nicholas we have come to know today is actually a conglomerate of traditional figures that have become the Santa Claus we know today.
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