All that you need to know about the festival Christmas Christmas History- Christmas is one of the most popular festivals around the world. The approaching winter season indicates us that Christmas is around and we usually associate the winter with the Christmas celebration and with 25th December as the birth of Lord Christ However the history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years and it tells us that celebration during the winter season were common, even way before the Christ was born. It has been celebrated at different places for different reasons and date of the celebration was fixed to be 25th December quite later. Christmas Eve- The day is preceded by Christmas Eve, which falls on December 24, and followed by eleven days of the festival, ending on January 6. On Christmas Eve, houses are cleaned from top to bottom and are decorated beautifully with lights and other lovely festoons Planning dinners on Christmas Eve is a tradition that follows since a long time. Usually, a typical Christmas Eve is celebrated by organizing a family dinner or an elaborate meal The main attraction and highlight of Christmas Eve is the arrival of the famous and everyone's favorite - the legendary character Santa Claus The idea is to have fun and spread good cheer, on Christmas Eve. Christmas Trivia Holy represents the crown worn by Lord Jesus Christ, when he was crucified and the red color of the berries represents his blood. Christmas is the season, when the world witnesses the maximum sale of diamonds. Every year, during the Christmas season, more than a billion cards are sold in UK. Rudolph, the legendary reindeer of Santa Claus, was a creation of Montgomery Ward. He created it for the purpose of a holiday promotion, in the late 1930s. The world's tallest Christmas tree was erected in America, in 1950. The tree was as high as 76 m. Candy canes, one of the popular sweet treats used for Christmas, originally were straight white sticks of sugar candy. They were used as an embellishment for Christmas tree. The ends of the candy were bent by Cologne Cathedral, to symbolize shepherd's crook The word 'Christmas is an old English word and is a contracted version of 'Christ's Mass'. The tradition of ringing church bells on Christmas morning dates back to the medieval times. The ringing bells symbolize the birth of Jesus Christ. The tradition of gift-giving during Christmas has originated from the legendary characters of the Three Wise Men, who brought presents to Jesus, when he was born. Many people believe that the legendary character Santa Claus is based on a real person named St. Nicholas. It is also believed that St. Nicholas brings in Christmas gifts, on the Eve of the festival. Colours of Christmas Main colors of Christmas are red and green. They are generally used with white, sparkling silver and gold to compliment them. Rudolph has a bright red nose and is the favorite reindeer of all children.