Christmas History

History of Christmas Carols:

• Carol refers to a circle dance song that brings religious joy.


• Circa 1350 to 1550 is the golden age of English carols.


• The 14th century carols were themed around Christ child and Virgin Mary.


• Carols became a popular form of art music during the 15th century.


• The popularity of carols declined during the 16th century, but it revived two centuries later.

• The Germans started the tradition of decorating Christmas trees in winter
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• It all began when St. Boniface, who converted the Germans to the Christian faith, met some pagans who worshipped an oak tree.


• Being angry, St. Boniface cut down the oak tree. Surprisingly, he found a young fir tree springing up from the oak tree.


• St. Boniface considered it to be a sign of Christianity.


• However, the tradition of bringing fir trees during Christmas became widely popular since the 16th century.

History of Santa Claus:

• Santa Claus is a mythical figure associated with St. Nicholas, a Greek bishop from Myra, located in modern Turkey.


• St. Nicholas was rich and loving toward the poor whom he cheered up by throwing gifts through the windows.


• In North American poems, Santa Claus is said to dress up in a red jacket and pompom-topped cap.


• Santa Claus is assumed to have a white beard and believed to travel at night in a sleigh pulled by reindeers, so as to leave behind gifts for children in their stockings.

History of Christmas Wreaths:

• The concept of hanging wreaths on front doors has originated from Romans who used decorative wreaths as a sign of triumph over their enemy.


• Germans used wreaths of evergreen and lit up fires during winters with the hope that spring would soon arrive. The Christians started following this as a tradition.


• Christmas wreaths are adorned with four candles in a circular pattern and a fifth candle placed at the center.


• Each candle is lit up on each of the four Sundays that come before Christmas.


• The fifth candle is lit up on Christmas Eve as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s birth.

History of Reindeer:

• Santa Claus is believed to ride on a reindeer and visit houses so as to gift presents to children on Christmas.


• There are 8 reindeers that help pull Santa Claus’ sleigh. They are Dasher, Prancer, Dancer, Cupid, Vixen, Comet, Donder (known as thunder in Dutch), and Blitzen (known as lightning in German).


• The concept of reindeer is also associated with Norse legend according to which, Thor, the God of thunder, used a chariot pulled by two goats - Cracker and Gnasher to travel through the sky.


• The Pagans of Norway, Finland, and Sweden celebrated winter festivals by dressing in costumes made of goat’s skin and enacting Thor’s travels in honor of the God of Thunder.