How many Christmas facts do you know? Christmas is the most sort after festival, and it brings a special feeling for both adults and kids. There is more to Christmas than we think, yes we receive gifts, decorate our homes & place of work, and enjoy the holiday, but there are a few Christmas facts we do not know, or we overlooked. These Christmas facts can be shared with family & friends and even the kids. These Christmas facts help us know more about the festival.
Here are a few of our favorite Christmas facts to impress your family and friends during this festive period;
1. Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ
Christmas is an annual Christian festival/holiday that celebrates the birth of their saviour, Jesus Christ. The birth of Jesus Christ was dated to be the 25th of December by the Roman Catholic Church to mark His birthday years after His death. Since then, it has been celebrated by Christians and other religions alike all over the world.
2. Mistletoe, the symbol of love and compassion
Mistletoe is said to be a symbol of love, compassion, and laughter. There is also a tradition of kissing whoever you are with under the mistletoe. It is said to be a way of asking for the blessings of the spirits of Christmas. This is done during the Christmas festival/holiday.
3. The story behind the “12 days of Christmas”
Have you or your kids ever wonder about the real story behind the 12 days of Christmas or why the holidays of Christmas are called the 12 days of Christmas? Well, legend has it that it took twelve days for the three kings or the three wise men to travel to the birthplace of the baby Jesus, hence the name given to the holidays of Christmas.
4. The first and last state to recognise Christmas as an official holiday
Alabama was the first state in the United States to recognise Christmas as an official holiday in the year 1836, while Oklahoma was the last state to recognised Christmas as an official holiday in 1907. This fact is not known to everyone, but you know it now, and so will your kids and grandkids.
5. The biggest Christmas gift ever
Christmas is also the time to exchange gifts, therefore, parents and children save up to buy gifts for their families, and some even make the gift themselves to make it special for their family and friends. The biggest Christmas gift ever was the statue of liberty that was presented to the U.S.A by France.
6. Symbol of love and eternal life
The Christmas wreath is representative of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. Eventually, the colors of Christmas are red, green, and gold were added. Red represents the blood of Jesus, green is supposed to symbolise life, and gold represents royalty and light. The evergreen foliage used to make Christmas wreaths symbolise the continuity of life and nature even in the darkest times and days.
7. Christmas trees were first used by ancient Romans and Egyptians
One of the Christmas facts is about the origination of Christmas trees. The use of Christmas trees originated from th ancient Romans and Egyptians, as they used evergreen trees like pine trees or fir with garlands, and wreaths. The use of modern Christmas trees began in Germany in the 16th century. Before the glitzy decoration we use today, fruits and nuts were used as decorations.
8. Santa Claus was formally known as Sinterklass in Dutch
We all know Christmas is all about giving and receiving gifts, but how did the legend of Santa Claus come about? Well, the name Santa Claus was based on a Christian bishop known as St. Nicholas. As the legend was told, St. Nicholas was a cheerful giver that provided for the poor and needy and was loved by all, both young and old. He gave children gifts secretly and was later given the name Sinterklaas in Dutch, which became Santa Claus.
9. The meaning “X” in Xmas
Some people use the word Xmas and don’t know how the word Christmas was converted to Xmas. The letter “X” in Xmas was gotten from the ancient Greek language. In Greek, the letter X represents Christ, so in short, Xmas simply means Christmas.
10. Other names of Christmas
For years the word Christmas has been known by various names. Some of these names date back to the old times, and they include Nativity, Midwinter, Yule, etc.
Source(s)
52 Christmas facts you never knew about the festive period – mirror
21 Interesting Facts and Information About Christmas for Kids – parenting.firstcry
