Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without its many wonderful traditions. Here’s
how a few of them began.
Gifts. The tradition of gift-giving is as old as Christmas itself. According to the
Bible, the three Magi brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Early gifts were usually homemade. Parents worked long and hard sewing
rag dolls and carving wooden toys. It is still common in Germany to make a gift
for the person you love best.
Santa Claus. The story of Santa Claus began with a kindly bishop named
Saint Nicholas. He lived in the fourth century near Turkey. and he often passed
out gifts to children and poor people in secret.
Dutch seamen carried.tales of this good saint and of his great generosity back
to Holland. The legend grew as people pictured Saint Nicholas in bishop’s
robes riding on a white horse. They said he rewarded children who learned their
prayers and behaved themselves.
On the feast of Saint Nicholas, December 6, Dutch children would receive
presents. When Dutch settlers came to America, they brought with them their tales
of the man they called “Sinter Klaas.” The English settlers changed his
name to Santa Claus.
In 1822, Clement C. Moore wrote a Christmas poem for his children. Called “A
Visit from Saint Nicholas,” it introduced the Santa Claus with eight reindeer that ‘
we know today. In 1862, the well-known cartoonist Thomas Nast was the first to
draw Santa in a fuzzy fur-trimmed suit.Through the years, Santa Claus has become fatter and jollier. ln 1930, a red – nosed reindeer named Rudolph became part of the Santa Claus story.
Christmas Trees. Evergreen trees have been a part of European winter
celebrations for many’ centuries. The trees, sometimes decorated or trimmed
with candies, were thought of as symbols of everlasting life.
The custom of decorating trees for Christmas began in Germany. An eighth century monk named Saint Boniface wanted people to stop worshipping their sacred oak, so he suggested that they decorate a fir tree in honor of the Christ Child. By the 1500s, Christmas trees were very popular in Germany, and the idea was spreading to other parts of Europe.
Each country developed its own way of decorating the Christmas tree. In
Poland, people attached feathers, ribbons, or coloured paper to their trees.
Lithuanians made little bird cages ,or windmills of straw for decorations.
Germans were the first to make glass ornaments for Christmas trees. Just about everywhere, though, people put candles on the trees.
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