A-Z of Christmas

The bright lights of Christmas are an antidote to the cold winter months. Love it or hate it, in spite of all the hard work and preparation, the sense of anticipation is palpable as we draw nearer to the big day. We immerse ourselves in Christmas traditions without knowing their origins.

Christmas is one of the most important festivals for Christians. However, many of our traditions come from a culmination of sources, rather than any single idea or belief. For some traditions, several contradictory legends exist. This mix of faith, legend, symbols are so intertwined that it can be difficult to separate them. 

Advent

Advent was one of the 'seasons' of the traditional Christian church calendar, and has been celebrated since the fourth century. Latin for 'The coming', the season refers to preparation for the birth of Jesus, and in these early centuries, was a time of reflection, cheer and anticipation. Advent lasted from the feast of St Martin on the 11 of November until Christmas Eve, but over the centuries Advent has been shortened, and now starts on the last Sunday in November. More recently, the message behind advent has also changed. In the last 50 years, Advent has come to refer to a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the nativity. Modern advent calendars mark the days from the 1st of December until Christmas Eve, and now come in so many varieties that they can contain anything from chocolate to cosmetics to candles and drinks.

Bells

Children listen for sleigh bells in the snow, bells jingle, and ring out the Christmas message. Bells are widely associated with Christmas through numerous Christmas songs. Bells represent Joy and Sorrow and are synonymous with churches. In medieval times, ringing bells was intended to ward off evil spirits, and through the centuries bells have warned villagers of approaching danger. The ringing out of bells on Christmas morning is an invitation to come and worship.

Cards

Christmas cards originated in 1843, when Sir Henry Cole decided to have attractive cards printed to send in place of Christmas letters and sell them in his shop. His card depicted a wealthy family eating their Christmas feast. Combined with the introduction of the penny post, and later a halfpenny postage rate, the idea of sending cards quickly caught on. Victorian cards tended to show countryside scenes, animals and plants, or sentimentalised pictures of children and domestic animals. Technology marches on with e-cards.

Decorations

In Roman times, it was common to adorn homes with Holly, mistletoe and evergreens. Some traditions, including those of the Celts & Druids, hold that these plants which remained green throughout the winter held magical powers, and their presence in the home would ward off evil spirits. Scandinavian homes were decorated with tree boughs. Originally, Christmas decorations were hand made with coloured papers, but with the Industrial revolution, and growing wealth, commercially made decorations gained popularity. Custom dictates that removing decorations before the 6th of January is bad luck.

Elves

Where would Santa be without his helpers? Stories of elves date back for centuries, and can be found in many traditions and folklores, including fantasy such as Lord of The Rings, and Harry Potter. Folklore associates Elves with magical abilities. Christmas elves originated as Scandinavian house elves, who were pleasant if bribed, but could turn nasty if annoyed, especially around Christmas. Clement Moore's poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas', which combined and reinforced numerous Christmas themes, referred to Santa as a 'right jolly old elf'. In Victorian times, the inclusion of elves in the Christmas mythology was used to make Christmas more child-friendly. Popular films have done much to build on the elf tradition, including Santa Claus: The Movie, Elf etc

Father Christmas

The legend of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) is believed to be based on the legend of St Nicholas, a Christian leader in Myra (Turkey.) Traditions vary as to whether St Nicholas wanted to give to the poor, or to three village girls, who were unable to get married as their father had no money to pay for a dowry. St Nicholas dropped coins down the chimney, and the coins landed in the stockings the girls had hung by the fire to dry. This also explains why Father Christmas comes down the chimney and leaves gifts in stockings. Clement Moore's poem described Father Christmas as 'dressed all in fur' 'chubby and plump' 'his eyes how they twinkled! His dimples how merry'. The image of Santa in a red suit, trimmed with fur, was made universal by the Coke Cola advertising campaign in the 1930's. Prior to this, his coat was green.

Gifts

It is believed the tradition of giving gifts to celebrate Christmas originates with the Bible story of the birth of Jesus. The Magi, or wise men brought three valuable and expensive gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The giving of gifts was linked with the legend of St Nicholas of Myra, and ultimately Santa Claus.

Holly

One of the few plants which remain green in winter, people used holly to decorate their homes, reminding them of warmer weather, and bringing freshness into their homes. It was believed that holly had the power to keep witches at bay. Christians sometimes link the red berries with the blood of Christ.

Incense

Incense, in the form of Frankincense, was one of the gifts brought by the Magi when visiting the Christ child. Burning incense fills the air with fragrance, and is widely used in several religious traditions. Commercial varieties are available to fill the home with 'Christmassy' fragrances, along with a wide range of spicy Christmas fragranced air fresheners.

Jesus Christ

In spite of its jumble of various traditions, Christmas centres around the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The word Christmas means 'Christ's Mass'. The early Christian Church celebrated the 25th of March as the date of Christ's birth, and also the date of His crucifixion. With the Roman Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity, he and his successors began to eradicate Pagan religious practices, gradually incorporating them into Christianity. The first mention of Christmas on the 25th of December dates to AD 354, and over the centuries winter festivals, such as Saturnalia, were linked with the birth of Christ.

King Wenceslas

King Wenceslas was immortalised in the Victorian carol written by J.M Neal which tells how he saw peasants when looking out from his castle, and decided to take them food and wood. The story is based on the King of Bohemia, and is highly unlikely, as he had a reputation for being rather blood thirsty.. The Word Carol means either dance, or song of praise. They were originally sung at the winter solstice (22nd December). Early Christians substituted Christian songs for the carols of the pagans. St Francis of Assisi incorporated songs into his nativity plays, and they quickly gained in popularity. Carols were carried throughout Europe by travelling singers. The puritans stopped Carol singing, along with many other Christmas rites, because of papal origins. It was only with the Victorians that Christmas celebrations, and carol singing were reinstated. Beggars would go from home-to-home singing carols to collect money, and so the tradition of carolling grew. Tradition says that it is unlucky to send carollers away empty handed, or to sing Christmas carols at any other time of the year.

Lights

Literally shining light in the darkness of winter, the tradition of decorating trees with candles is attributed to Martin Luther. Walking though a fir forest he was struck by the beauty of stars twinkling through the trees. He cut down a tree and decorated it with candles in his home, to show his children what he had seen. Other stories relate decorating with lights to the Christ Star, which the Wise Men followed to Bethlehem. It didn't take long after Edison invented the light bulb for people to realise that these new lights could be used on their Christmas trees in place of candles. Today we use lights to decorate our homes, and sometimes as the source of fierce competition in our streets for the best display.

Mummer's Plays

Mummer's plays were performed in the courts of King Edward III (1327 -1377) at Christmas time. Players disguise themselves by wearing masks, and costumes made from ribbons or strips of paper. It was believed that recognising any of the players would break the magical power of the play. The plays vary by region, but the common theme is St George fighting an enemy, to represent the battle between good and evil. These plays can still be seen at Christmas in some English villages.

Nativity

Nativity scenes represent the Bible story of the birth of Christ. They usually depict the scene of Jesus in the manger, with his parents, the Magi and Shepherds, and an assortment of animals. They are intended to remind us of the real meaning of Christmas. Similarly, nativity plays performed by our children are a re-enactment of the Bible story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Oranges at Christmas time

Oranges used to be a traditional Christmas Stocking filling. Some traditions say they represent the golden spheres St Nick threw down chimmneys, other traditions talk about how during the great depression, receiving the exotic summary fruit was a real treat for a child. 

Pudding

In the Middle Ages, as pudding called 'frumentry' was served as part of the Christmas festivities. This pottage (meaty broth) initially consisted of beef, mutton, raisins currants, prunes, wines and spices. Gradually the pudding became more of a plum pudding, with the addition of eggs, breadcrumbs, and the meat content was removed. Its popularity as a Christmas pudding increased when King George I instituted it as part of the royal Christmas meal. Many traditions surround the pudding, including adding coins, stirring the pudding for luck, and the inclusion of 13 ingredients, to represent Jesus and His disciples.

Queen's speech

The tradition of a Monarch's speech on Christmas day was begun by the King George V, the late Queen's Grandfather, in 1932. Initially broadcast by Radio, last years speech was available on TV, Radio, and via internet download to appeal to a whole new generation. The tradition appears to have been waning in popularity, and time will tell whether how the King's speech is regarded.

Rudolph and the reindeer

The idea of Saint Nick being travelling by Reindeer pulled sleigh appears to originate in Scandinavia. The idea was crystallised by Clement Moore in 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' where Moore named eight Reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder Blitzen. Notably absent is Rudolph, who was created by Robert L May for a department store colouring book in 1939. Johnny Marks, May's brother-in-law turned the poem into a song, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Stockings

In the legend of St Nicholas, the gold coins dropped down the chimney landed in a stocking. Children hung their stockings by the fire in the hope that they too would be filled with gifts. In 'TwasThe Night Before Christmas', Clement Moore refers to 'The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.' Initially parents filled the stockings with small gifts, until children figured out that larger stockings meant larger (or more) gifts, and so the contemporary plethora of stockings and sacks was born.

Tree

The tradition of a Christmas tree is widely attributed to Saint Boniface who, legend says, in the 8th century prevented a human sacrifice by cutting down the oak tree stake. In its place, a fir tree sprung up, and he proclaimed it a holy tree. Believers were instructed to have it in their homes, surrounded by love and gifts. Mystery Plays in the Middle Ages used fir trees decorated with apples to represent the Tree of Life from the Bible story of Adam & Eve showing their fall from grace. These plays were traditionally performed around Advent. Another influence was Martin Luther, with his candle lit tree. In 16th century Germany, people decorated fir tress with roses, apples and coloured paper, and by the 19th century, Christmas trees were central to German celebrations. The tradition came to England in 1841 when Prince Albert decorated a tree for Queen Victoria and their children. An illustration of the royal family around their tree appeared in the Illustrated London News, sparking a British fashion for Christmas trees

Under the Mistletoe

Druids gathered mistletoe to decorate their homes, believing the plant had healing powers, and promoted fertility. The plant is associated with the Norse goddess of love, Frigga, whose tears at the death of her son became the white berries of the plant. The Romans thought the plant brought peace. With the passage of time, the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe grew. In Victorian times, a bough of mistletoe would be hung, and a girl waiting under the mistletoe was assured of a kiss, to bring her luck, and to ensure she found a husband. When a boy kissed a girl under the mistletoe, he would pluck one of the berries and present it to her. When all the berries were gone, so were the kisses.

Victorian Christmas

The most significant influence on the modern British Christmas comes from the Victorians. The industrial revolution resulted in mass production, allowing for many items to be sold relatively inexpensively. It also generated wealth for middle class families, allowing them to take time off from work. Family was valued by the Victorians, and Christmas time drew families together. Both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert enjoyed Christmas festivities, gathering their large family together for celebrations. Prince Albert introduced many German Christmas traditions and stories of royal family Christmases were widely reported in the media. Their style was quickly imitated by society. Another notable contribution is the anti - Christmas spirit, or Bah Humbug, as created by Charles Dickens, in A Christmas Carol.

Wreaths

Advent wreaths originate from Lutheran Eastern Germany. Using evergreens to represent God's eternal life, and remind us of our own mortality, the round shape also symbolises eternity. Candles within the wreath are used to count down the four weeks to Christmas, and represent penance, sorrow, longing expectation and hope. In Ancient Rome decorative wreaths were hung as a sign of victory. In other traditions, the holly with its red berries represents the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head, sprinkled with his blood. Contemporary wreaths are hung on doors as a decorative welcome to visitors.

Xmas

An abbreviation of the word Christmas. The Greek letter X (chi) is the first letter of the name of Christ in early Greek versions of the New Testament. From the sixteenth century, the Roman letter X came to be used as an abbreviation for Christ, and Christmas was shortened to Xmas.

Yule

The Yule festival was held in late December to early January. Some traditions say it was to honour Odin, the Norse God, while in others, the festival centred on the winter solstice, and celebrated the rebirth of the sun, as the days began to lengthen again. A Yule log was lit on the eve of the solstice, and kept burning for twelve days for luck, or to ensure the rebirth of the sun. With Yule and Christmas sharing the same time frame, the two became intrinsically linked. The modern representation of the Yule log is a log shaped chocolate cake.

Zzzz

The perfect way to end a Christmas day - sleeping off the over indulgence in food and drink.

Christmas may mean different things, depending on our upbringing, and religious persuasion. No matter our beliefs, Christmas is truly the 'most wonderful time of the year.'

However you celebrate, we wish you and yours a very merry Christmas.