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50 Interesting Facts About The Cheerful Season Of Christmas

By Shabana Kachhi

It's finally the season to be jolly. Christmas is on its way to greet us with its wonderful cheer and joy. All of us around the world love this part of the calendar just because it has a day called 'Christmas'. No matter what religion, caste or section of the society we belong to, Christmas cheers all of us. We all await the festival eagerly. The festival marks the beginning of a new year.

facts about Christmas

We all know that Christmas is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ who was born to Joseph and Virgin Mary in a stable. But did you know that according to Biblical scholars, Jesus wasn't actually born in a stable? He was more likely to have been born in a cave instead. Let us read more of such interesting facts about Christmas and know how it became the way it is.

Here are 50 more interesting facts about Christmas.

facts about Christmas
  • Santa Claus used to wear a different colour costume during the early days of Christmas including blue and green. But the red suit was popularized by Coca Cola for its advertising campaign in the 1930s.
  • Turkey wasn't always the traditional dinner choice for Christmas; England actually celebrated the festival with a pig's head and mustard.
  • The carol 'Jingle bells' was written in 1857, originally for Thanksgiving.
  • Christmas was banned in the UK for 13 years between 1647 and 1660 after the English Civil War.
  • Rudolph the reindeer was actually created by a US marketing company, nothing to be associated with Christmas.
  • There is no mention of the date December 25th as the birthday of Jesus in the bible. This date was probably chosen to coincide with the Pagan festival of Saturnalia.
facts about Christmas
  • The first-ever Christmas tree was made in Germany with dyed Goose feathers.
  • The tradition of leaving milk and cookies for St. Nicholas was started by the Dutch kids who would leave them for him on the eve of his feast day.
  • Rudolph was initially named Rollo or Reginald.
  • Egg Nog was first created by American Captain John Smith's Jamestown.
  • St. Nicholas was initially perceived as a strict man with a stick that symbolises discipline.
  • During the Nazi regime in Germany, Hitler tried to make Christmas a non-religious holiday, while celebrating himself.
  • In 1901, President Roosevelt banned Christmas trees in the White House.
  • Traditional mince pies were actually filled with meat and were oval to represent Jesus' manger.
  • The Swedish people traditionally watched Donald cartoons on Christmas Eve.
  • In Japan, the most traditionally consumed Christmas dinner comes from KFC.
  • The Christmas pickle should be the last ornament on the Christmas tree.
facts about Christmas
  • In 1851, turkey replaced swan for the Royal Christmas dinner.
  • The UK rings its largest church bell for an hour before midnight, followed by others exactly at midnight.
  • The traditional Christmas pudding should not consist of more than 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.
  • The Christmas tree was first decorated in Latvia in 510.
  • Since 1991, more artificial Christmas trees are used, decreasing the demand of real ones.
facts about Christmas
  • In the year 2013, 17.1 million people sent letters to Santa from across the world.
  • Bolivians celebrate a very important tradition related to the birth of Christ. People bring roosters in the midnight mass, as it is believed that the rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Christ.
  • Alabama was the 1st US state to officially celebrate Christmas in 1836.
  • 'Mistletoe' is an Anglo-Saxon word which means "Little Dung twig" as the plant is pollinated through bird droppings.
  • Santa Claus was indeed a real person, St Nicholas of Myra. He lived during the fourth century and is the most famous non-biblical saint.
  • The traditional Christmas Eve meal in Armenia consists of fried fish, lettuce and spinach.
  • In 1890, Christmas tree lights were first mass-produced.
  • In the middle ages, it was a tradition to eat mince pies on all twelve days of Christmas to bring in good luck for twelve months of the year.
  • The postcode to send letters to Santa in Canada is "H0H 0H0''.
facts about Christmas
  • Italian parents devised a plan to encourage better behaviour from their children. The naughtiest child would receive a lump of coal in their stockings as a punishment for being bad.
  • In the 18th century, the Christmas tree was solely decorated with candles.
  • Oklahoma was the first American state to declare a holiday for Christmas in 1907.
  • Christmas trees were originally known as Yule trees.
  • Christmas trees were decorated with fruits, nuts and dates and apples, which were later picked and eaten as part of the Christmas celebration.
  • Some parts of the world celebrate 12 days of Christmas because it took 3 kings twelve days to find Baby Jesus.
facts about Christmas
  • We actually give gifts on Christmas as a part of Pagan tradition and not the three wise men.
  • The first Christmas postage stamps went on sale in the year 1962.
  • The record for the fastest time to decorate Christmas tree was sent by Sharon Juantuah from Essex, UK. It took her just 36.89 seconds to do the feat.
  • Traditionally, a Yule log should burn for continuous 12 days of Christmas.
facts about Christmas
  • Christmas puddings originated in England, where hunters carried filling mixtures for long journeys.
  • The first Christmas card was printed in London in 1843.
  • One story of Father Christmas describes him as a 4th-century Turkish mink who distributed gifts to the poor.
  • The tradition of stockings came from a story of three poor sisters who needed money desperately. St Nicholas was believed to have filled their stockings with gold coins.
facts about Christmas
  • The largest stocking ever made was in London in 2007. It was 32 m long.
  • Kissing under the mistletoe originated in Greece as it was considered a symbol of fertility.
  • The reindeer that was pulling Santa's sleigh was first named in the poem, ä visit from 'St. Nicholas' in 1823.
  • Christmas was banned in the 17th century England as the tradition was more close to the Pagan festival rather than that of the birth of Christ.

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