Christmas is estimated to be the most celebrated holiday in the world, but the holiday as we know it has evolved from hundreds of years of both religious and secular traditions. So where did some of our familiar traditions come from?
Christmas trees originated in Germany during the early 1600s. They first appeared in America in the 1820s when some German immigrants put them up in Pennsylvania. An American newspaper carried a picture of one in 1848 and within a few years nearly every American home had one.
And what of those beautiful red poinsettias? Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, brought the plants from Mexico to America in 1828. By 1900 they were a universal symbol of the holiday. Another common image of Christmas, the nativity scene, was first introduced by St. Francis of Assisi in 1224. He created a living nativity scene to help explain the birth of Jesus to his followers.
The family fireplace that is such a central part of the typical Christmas scene comes from the ancient Norse use the Yule log, which was used in their celebration of the return of the sun at winter solstice. The Yule Log is also likely responsible for log-shaped cakes and desserts during the holidays.
Christmas cards came from England, which popularizing the tradition of sending them in the late 1830s. Also from England came caroling, which evolved from the tradition of wandering musicians travelling from town to town visiting homes of the rich in the hopes of receiving money or hot meals.
And finally, what’s the holiday without a little love? The Celts hung mistletoe in their homes to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits, as they believed it had magical powers such as the ability to heal wounds and increase fertility. In Victorian England the English popularized the tradition of kissing someone found standing under mistletoe hung in doorways or from ceilings.
Want to learn more about Christmas or other holidays? Stop by the Kyle Public Library, your one stop shop for information.
