Christmas traditions #christmas #traditions #history

1. Mistletoe is a plant that grows on willow and apple
trees (and in garden centres!). 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
wards off evil spirits. It was also used as a sign of
love and friendship in Norse mythology and that's
where the custom of kissing under Mistletoe comes
from.

2. Christmas
Candy Canes
The Christmas Candy Cane originated in Germany about 250 years ago. They
started as straight white sugar sticks.Sometime around 1900 the red stripes were
added and they were flavored with peppermint or wintergreen. Around 1920, Bob
McCormack, from Georgia, USA, started making canes for his friends and family.

3. The Colors of Christmas
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! Red
As mentioned above, 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 color of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus
when he died on the cross.
Red is also the color of Bishops robes. These would have been worn by St.
Nicholas and then also became Santa's uniform!

4. The History of the Yule Log
The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to, and before, medieval times. It
was originally a Nordic tradition. Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice
festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, such as Germany.
The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought
into the house with great ceremony. The largest end of the log would be placed into
the fire hearth while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room!

5. The History of
Christmas Trees
The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and
Christian) for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of it to decorate their homes during
the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees
to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. Christians use it as a sign of
everlasting life with God.

6. The 12 Days of
Christmas
The 12 Days of Christmas are now most famous as a song about
someone receiving lots of presents from their 'true love'. However, to
get to the song there had to be the days to start with!
The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the
evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night. The 12
Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages
and were a time of celebration.