Here are some Christmas facts that will arouse your interest

1. christmas facts In the Ukraine, if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas morning, it is believed to be a harbinger of good luck! There once lived a woman so poor, says a Ukrainian folk tale, that she could not afford Christmas decorations for her family. One Christmas morning, she awoke to find that spiders had trimmed her children’s tree with their webs. When the morning sun shone on them, the webs turned to silver and gold. An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees.


2. At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath the mistletoe tree. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".


3. 'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa’s reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".


4. In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year. For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. A ring means you will get married; while a button predicts bachelorhood. The idea of hiding something in the pudding comes from the tradition in the Middle Ages of hiding a bean in a cake that was served on Twelfth Night. Whoever found the bean became "king" for the rest of the night.


5. Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.


6. In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. In order to get rid of them, salt or an old shoe is burnt. The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantzaroi. Other techniques include hanging a pig’s jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can’t sneak down the chimney.


7. The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".


8. Louis Prang, a Bavarian-born lithographer who came to the USA from Germany in the 19th century, popularized the sending of printed Christmas cards. He invented a way of reproducing color oil paintings, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a card with the message "Merry Christmas" as a way of showing it off.


9. The "Urn of Fate" is part of the Christmas celebrations in many Italian households. The Urn of Fate is brought out on Christmas Eve. It holds a wrapped present for everyone. The mother tries her luck first, then the others in turn. If you get a present with your name on it, you keep it; otherwise, you put it back and try again.

10. In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. It is usually made of straw. Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as the Julbukk.christmas facts

Free typing games

Christmas Facts - Letters From Santa

christmas facts
MailBySanta.com - Send Letters From Santa To a Child!

No other gift will put a smile on a child's face like a personalized letter from Santa.
Imagine the thrill as a child receives a letter from Santa Clause both personalized and addressed to them!

* All Letters are Postmarked from the North Pole!
* All Letters Start with a Personalized Greeting!
* All Letters are Printed on one of our Exclusive and Unique Christmas Templates!
* All Letters Include Detailed Information about the Child's Name, Friends, Achievements and More!

We offer up to 32 different combinations that you can customize making your special letter totally unique!
Stamp your personal style and make kids remember and enjoy this Christmas like never before!


Also For a Limited Time, Buy 2 or More Letters and Get 1 FREE!

Plus FREE Shipping on ALL Orders!

Click Here to Order Now!

.

Here are some Christmas Facts

Below are some of the cristmas facts that people have always asked about some of our christmas traditions.

Why is Christmas abbreviated "Xmas"?
Because the Greek letter "x" is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Xristos. "Xmas" therefore means "Christ's Mass." The abbreviation has been around since at least the sixteenth century and is not, as some people have claimed, an attempt to take the "Christ" out of "Christmas" and make it a secular holiday.

Why is it a custom to kiss under the mistletoe?
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe may be related to a Scandinavian goddess. Frigga, the goddess of love in Norse mythology, is strongly associated with mistletoe, which has been used as a decoration in homes for thousands of years. Mistletoe is associated with many pagan rituals. In fact, the Christian church disliked the plant so much, thanks to its pagan associations, that it forbade its use in any form. Some English churches continued this ban as late as the 20th century! According to Charles Panati's excellent book, Extraordinary Origins of Ordinary Things, holly became a Christian substitute for mistletoe, which is why we "deck the halls" with it. The sharply pointed leaves in holly were supposed to symbolize the thorns in Christ's crown and the red berries were to symbolize his blood.

Why do we decorate trees for Xmas?
The evergreen tree, because it is perpetually green, has been
used as a symbol of eternal life since the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews. The Scandinavians believed that the evergreen could even scare away the devil. Decorating an evergreen tree in honor of Xmas became popular in the Middle Ages, especially in Germany. The decorations then consisted of candles and wafers, to symbolize Christ and the Host. Martin Luther is actually said to be the first person to put candles on a tree. (The decorated wooden Xmas pyramid was also popular then!) The tree became popular in Europe and America in the 18th century and the Victorians started decorating them with candies and cakes hung with ribbon. Woolworth (a department store) began selling manufactured Xmas ornaments in 1880 and the custom became big very fast. The first electronically lighted Xmas tree appeared in 1882.christmas facts

Why do we use Candy Canes?
"The Story Of the Candy Cane"

Of all the beautiful traditions of Christmas, few are so ancient in meaning and so rich in symbolism as the Candy Cane.

From the beginning of the tradition of the Christmas Tree, it was customary to decorate the tree with symbols of the newborn Christ. Candles represented the Light of the World, the Star recalled that first Christmas night, and the shepherd's crook symbolized the humble shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem who were first to receive the news, "Unto You is Born a Savior."

Christmas tree decorations in Europe, from which our tradition comes, were customarily made of food, principally cookies and candy. This symbolically expresses thanks for "Our Daily Bread" as well as providing a Christmas treat for the children. Thus, the shepherds crook becomes a candy cane.

As time went on, many ornaments took a more permanent nature but the Candy Cane retains the original use and meaning of Christmas Tree ornaments.

Candy Canes on the Christmas tree symbolize the Shepherds in the fields on that first Christmas night, shepherds who heard the angel chorus and came to worship at the crib of the newborn King. They are also sign of our thanks to God for the food he has given us all during the year, and not least of all, they are an inexpensive and delightful Christmas treat for the family.
christmas facts