C H R I S T M A S C U S T O M S

1. CHRISTMASCUSTOMS Click to continue!

2. Advent There are several ways that Advent is counted down but the most common is by a calendar or candle(s). There are many types of calendars used in different countries. The most common ones in the U.K. and U.S.A. are made of paper or card with 25 windows. A window is opened on every day in December and a Christmas picture is displayed underneath. When they were first made, scenes from the Christmas Story and other Christmas images were used, such as snowmen and robins, but now many calendars are made in the theme of television programmes and sports clubs. Some of these types of calendar even have chocolate under each window, to make every day in December that little bit better! There are two types of candle(s) that are used to count down to Christmas Day in Advent. The first looks like a normal candle, but has the days up to Christmas Day marked down the candle. On the first of December the candle is lit and burnt down to the first line on the candle. The same is done every day and then the rest of the candle is burnt on Christmas day. An Advent Crown is another form of candles that are used to count down Advent. These are often used in Churches rather than in people's homes. The crown is often made up of a wreath of greenery and has four candles round the outside and one in the middle or in a separate place. Sometimes a more traditional candelabra is used to display the five candles.

3. The Ringing of Bells Bells have been traditionally associated with Christmas for a long time. Bells were rung at pagan winter celebrations. It was thought that evil spirits could be driven out by loud noises, and bells often accompanied singing and shouting. Bells are mentioned in the Old Testament as being used on the robes of the high priest. During the Middle ages bells were rung with increasing frequency until midnight, to warn the devil of the approaching birth of the Christ Child. The bells represent the church bells that ring at the time when baby Jesus was born.

4. Candles There are many different reasons why candles are associated with Christmas, although no one knows when they first became connected! They were used during ancient winter solstice celebrations a way of remembering that spring would soon come. Some of the earliest records of candles being used at Christmas is from the middle ages where a large candle was used to represent the star of Bethlehem and also Jesus is sometimes called ‘The Light of the World' by Christians. This might have started the custom of the Advent Crown and Advent Candles. Candles were also originally used to decorate Christmas Trees, until safer electric lights were invented!

5. Christmas Candy Canes The Christmas Candy Cane originated in Germany about 250 years ago and came as straight white sugar sticks. A story goes, a choirmaster worried about children sitting quietly all through the long Christmas nativity service gave them something to eat to keep them quiet! As he wanted to remind them of Christmas, he made them in a 'J' shape like a shepherds crook, to remind them of the shepherds that visited the baby Jesus at the first Christmas. Early in the 1900s the red stripes were added and they were flavoured with peppermint or wintergreen. Sometimes other Christian meanings are giving to the parts of the canes. The 'J' can also mean Jesus. The white of the cane can represent the purity of Jesus Christ and the red stripes are for the blood he shed when he died on the cross. The peppermint flavour can represent the hyssop plant that was used for purifying in the Bible.

6. Carols Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December. The word Carol actually means dance or a song of praise and joy! Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived! When Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans came to power in England in 1647, they banned Christmas and the singing of carols. However, the carols survived as people still sang them in secret. Carols remained mainly unsung until Victorian times, when two gentlemen by the names of William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected lots of old Christmas music from villages in England. One of the most popular types of Carols services are Carols by Candlelight. At this service, the church is lit by candlelight, giving the feeling of Christmas.

7. Christmas Cards The custom of sending Christmas cards was started in the UK in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. He was a civil servant who was very interested in the new 'Public Post Office' and wondered how it could be used more by ordinary people. He had the idea of Christmas Cards with his friend John Horsley, who was an artist, they designed the first card and sold them for 1 shilling each. The card had three panels as shown on the left. The outer two showed people caring for the poor and the centre panel was a family having a large Christmas dinner! Some people didn't like the card because it showed a child being given a glass of wine! The first post that ordinary people could use was started in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. Before that, only very rich people could afford to send anything in the post. The new Post Office was able to offer a Penny stamp because new railways were being built. These could carry much more post than the horse and carriage that had been used before. Also, trains could go a lot faster. Cards became even more popular in the UK when they could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one halfpenny - half the price of an ordinary letter.

8. Christingle Christingle actually means 'Christ Light' and celebrates the light of Jesus coming into the world: but no one is really sure how Christingles came into being. The story goes: Many years ago, children were asked to take a gift to put beside the crib in Church. One family had no money for gifts but were determined to take something. They found an orange which they felt would be okay, but were disappointed to find it was going mouldy at the top. However, they thought they would scoop out the bad bits and put a candle in the top and turn it into a lantern. Thinking that it looked a bit ordinary, one of the girls took a red ribbon from her hair and tied it around the middle. They had difficulty getting it to stay in place, so fastened it with four small sticks, on the ends of which they put a few raisins. They took their lantern to church and were afraid of the reactions of the other children. However, the priest acknowledged their gift and told the congregation how special it was for the following reasons: The orange is round like the world. The candle stands tall and straight and gives light in the dark like the love of God. The red ribbon goes all around the 'world' and is a symbol of the blood Jesus shed when he died for us. The four sticks point in all directions and symbolise North, South, East and West - they also represent the four seasons. Fruit and nuts (or sometimes sweets!) represent the fruits of the earth, nurtured by the sunshine and the rain.

9. Christmas Crackers The Christmas Cracker was devised in 1847 by an English confectioner and stationery manufacturer, whilst on holiday in Paris with his family. At a time when English sweets were still sold loose from the trays they were made in, his children discovered the Parisian Bon-Bons - coated sugar lollies wrapped in a twist of coloured paper - quite a novelty and rather more hygienic he concluded. He liked the idea so much that on his return to England he wrapped his lollies in similar paper and, unwittingly, began the development of his own Bon-Bons. In the early days, the crackers were called Bon Bons - meaning lollies or candies in French - and as a consequence were still quite small in size with a fairly plain wrapping. Later he added a coloured outer wrapper and a friction strip – consisting of two overlapping strips of cardboard coated with a small amount of explosive powder - that is inside all ordinary crackers - and joined together, which became known as a "snap" - because when the cracker is pulled apart the strips rub across each other setting off a chemical reaction that produces an audible bang. At the same time - as a confectioner - he would have been familiar with the popular Italian custom of having a surprise "trinket" inside chocolate Easter eggs and also with the ancient Chinese custom of inserting a fortune prediction "motto" inside the fortune cookies. By putting all these ideas together on his return from the Paris family holiday, the Christmas Cracker was born complete with a surprise novelty gift, a trinket, a tissue paper hat, a snap to make a bang when pulled apart and a piece of paper with a joke or motto - a maxim of appropriate character to express a principle or ideal suited to the occasion. After more than 150 years, the time-honoured tradition of having a Christmas Cracker at each place setting for Christmas still continues.

10. Colours There are several colours which are traditionally associated with Christmas - why do we have them and what do the colours represent? GREEN Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn't last forever! The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid winter festivals. Now the most common use of green at Christmas are Christmas Trees WHITE White is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures. The snow of winter is also very white! White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees. The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass, when Christians remember that Jesus died for them. White is used by most churches as the colour of Christmas, when the altar is covered with a white cloth. RED An early use of red at Christmas were the apples on the paradise tree. They represented the fall of Adam in the plays. Red is also the colour of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross. Red is also the colour of Bishops robes. These would have been worn by St Nicholas, eventually red became Santa's uniform! BLUE The colour blue is often associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. In medieval times blue dye and paint was more expensive than gold! So it would only be worn by Royal families and very rich people. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important GOLD Gold is the color of the Sun and light - both very important in the dark winter. It's also the color of fire that you need to keep you warm. Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men and traditionally is the color used to show the star that the wise men followed. Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold, but gold is a 'warmer' colour. During Advent, purple and sometimes blue is used in most churches for the colour of the altar cloth.

11. Christmas Stocking Like all good legends, the story of the Christmas stocking has many versions. The original story has evolved to allow for differences in culture, time period, and good old fashioned story-telling. So it's hard to pin down exactly how the Christmas stocking tradition started, but too much exactness isn't any fun, and certainly not in the spirit of Christmas. So here's a favourite version of the story: Once there was a father with three beautiful daughters. Although the daughters were kind and strong, the father despaired of them ever making good marriages, because he didn't have enough money to pay their dowries. One day, St. Nicholas of Myra was passing through their village and heard the locals discussing the plight of these poor girls. St Nicholas knew the father would be too proud to accept an outright gift. So he waited till dark, snuck to the man's house, and dropped three bags of gold coins down the chimney. The daughters had spent the evening washing clothes, and had hung their stockings by the fireplace to dry. The gold coins dropped into the stockings, one bag for each daughter. In the morning, they awoke to find enough money to make them each a generous dowry, and all married well and happily. As word of St. Nicholas' generosity spread, others began to hang their stockings by the fireplace, hoping for a similar gift.

12. Santa Claus The real Santa Claus was Saint Nicholas a fourth century Bishop in Turkey. Famous for acts of kindness, especially towards children. He is the patron saint of sail children. He became popular in Holland, where he was known as "Sinter Klaas". Dutch children would place their wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes that they would be filled with a treat. Around 1870, the Americans turned the name into Santa Claus. In nineteenth century Britain the Elizabethan character Father Christmas - the jolly old man imagined to provide the Christmas feast - merged with Santa.

13. Wreaths of Holly and Berries Christmas wreaths combine two symbols of everlasting life. The evergreen bough, that stays green all winter and a continuous unbroken circular shape. They are traditionally displayed on the front door of a home during the weeks of Advent and the Christmas season. It is believed that the wreaths also to protect the homes from evil spirits. Druids once believed that holly, with its shiny leaves and red berries stayed green in Winter to keep the earth beautiful when the sacred Oak lost it leaves. Holly was the sacred plant of Saturn and was used at the Roman Saturnalia festival to honour him. Romans gave one another holly wreaths and carried them about decorating images of Saturn with it. Holly in Christianity, serves as a reminder of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ at his crucifixion.

14. Mistletoe Mistletoe is a plant that grows on willow and apple trees. The tradition of hanging it in the house goes back to the times of the ancient Druids. It is supposed to possess mystical powers which bring good luck to the household and ward off evil spirits. When the first Christians came to Western Europe, some tried to ban the use of Mistletoe as a decoration in Churches, but many still continued to use it! York Minster Church in the UK used to hold a special Mistletoe Service in the winter, where wrong doers in the city of York could come and be pardoned. The custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes from England! The original custom was that a berry was picked from the sprig of Mistletoe before the person could be kissed and when all the berries had gone, there could be no more kissing!

15. Christmas Lights The Christmas tree was adopted in upper-class homes in 18th-century Germany, where it was occasionally decorated with candles, which at the time was a comparatively expensive light source. Candles for the tree were glued with melted wax to a tree branch or attached by pins. Around 1890, candleholders were first used for Christmas candles. Between 1902 and 1914, small lanterns and glass balls to hold the candles started to be used. Early electric Christmas lights were introduced with electrification, beginning in the 1880s.

16. Tree Toppers Today, Christmas trees are often bedecked with Christmas angels and fairies. The Christmas tree topper was traditionally a star or angel, but can also be a fairy residing over the twinkling lights. It is said that early Christmas trees had figures of fairies in place of angels. These represented good spirits, while horns and bells were once used to frighten away evil spirits. The fairy at the top of the Christmas tree was originally a little figure of the baby Jesus.

17. Christmas Tree There are many historical clues that ensure the importance of Christmas tree. Long time ago, people used to believe that evergreen trees were magical. Because, even in winter, when all the other trees and were brown and bare, the evergreen tree stayed strong and green. People started calling the evergreen as a symbol of life and as a sure sign that sunshine and spring would soon return. The modern custom of an indoor Christmas tree is thought to have originated in Germany. They used to bring trees into their homes to decorate their homes. Later, with time it gained popularity and now Christmas tree became synonymous to Christmas.

18. Poinsettia Owing to its flame leaf, the poinsettia is sometimes called the Christmas Star. Mexico's legend of the Poinsettia tells of a poor Mexican girl Maria and her little brother Pablo who were disappointed they had no money to buy a present for baby Jesus at the annual Mexican Christmas festival On Christmas eve Maria and Pablo stopped to pick some weeds, for baby Jesus. As they placed the weeds around the Manger, the green leaves miraculously turned into bright red petals.

19. Christmas Pudding The plum pudding's association with Christmas goes back to medieval England with the Roman Catholic Church's decree that the "pudding should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, that it be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to west to honour the Magi and their supposed journey in that direction“. Although it took its final form in Victorian England, the pudding's origins can be traced back to the 1420s, to two sources. It emerged not as a confection or a dessert at all, but as a way of preserving meat at the end of the season. Because of shortages of fodder, all surplus livestock were slaughtered in the autumn. The meat was then kept in a pastry case along with dried fruits acting as a preservative. The resultant large "mince pies" could then be used to feed hosts of people, particularly at the festive season. Plum porridge - a soft, sweet mixture enriched with dried fruit, known as plums - was a luxury for Elizabethans. In the eighteenth century In 1714, King George I (sometimes known as the Pudding King) requested that plum pudding be served as part of his royal feast in his first Christmas in It was not until the 1830s that the cannon-ball of flour, fruits, suet, sugar and spices, all topped with holly, made a definite appearance, becoming more and more associated with Christmas.

20. Mince Pies Mince Pies, like Christmas Pudding, were originally filled with meat, such as lamb, rather than a dried fruit mix as they are today. They were also first made in an oval shape to represent the manger that Jesus slept in as a baby, with the top representing his swaddling clothes. Now they are normally made in a round shape and are eaten hot or cold. A custom from the middle ages says that if you eat a mince pie on every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night (6th January) you will have happiness for the next 12 months! On Christmas Eve, children in the UK. often leave out mince pies with brandy or some similar drink for Father Christmas, and a carrot for the reindeer.

21. Presents All over the world, families and friends give presents to each other. Most children around the world believe in a Christmas gift bringer. It's often St. Nicholas, Santa Claus or Father Christmas, but in Germany they believe that it is the Christkind, in Spain they believe it is the Wise Men and in Italy they believe it is an old lady called Befana. These presents are also left in different places! In most of Europe, the presents are left in shoes or boots put out by the children. In Italy, the UK and the USA presents are left in stockings, often left hanging by a fire place. In many countries, presents for friends and family may be left under the Christmas Tree. In the UK, they are often opened on Christmas day morning with all the family together.

22. Pantomime Pantomime (or 'Panto' for short!) is a traditional British Christmas play and chance for people to go to the theatre. But it really came from very un-British traditions, nothing to do with Christmas whatever!! There are four classic pantomime stories: Cinderella, Aladdin, Dick Whittington and His Cat (based on a 17th century play), and Jack and the Beanstalk. Because of their popularity, major theatres tend to stage these in a four-year cycle. Smaller theatres and amateur companies sometimes perform a wider range of stories, but still within a relatively narrow range—mostly based on the fairy tales

23. The Nativity Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The word nativity comes from the Latin word 'natal' which means birth. It is traditional in the UK for Primary schools to put on a Nativity Play for the parents and local people associated with the school. The Nativity Play recreates the scene of Jesus' Birth, in the stable and tells of how Mary and Joseph were visited by the Shepherds and Wise Men. The parts of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men are played by children. The first Nativity Play was not performed by Children in the UK, but in a cave by Monks in Italy! St. Francis of Assisi and his followers acted in the first play in 1223 to remind the local population that Jesus was born for them, as he was born into a poor family like theirs and not to a rich family. St. Francis told the part of each character in the story himself using wooden figures in the play. After a couple of years, the play had become so popular that real people played the parts of the characters in the story. Songs were sung by the people taking part and they became what we call carols today! Now cribs are used in Churches all over the world and even in some homes.

24. from