53 Fun And Strange Christmas Facts You Probably Didn't Know!

It is believed by many European countries that both evil and good were active all through the 12 days of Christmas.

Spain's luxurious hotel called Kempinski Hotel Bahia's Christmas tree is worth $15 million. This tree is decorated with precious ornaments and diamonds.

Christmas is a yearly festival honoring Jesus Christ's birth on December 25. The term Christmas is short for 'Christ's mass'. It is a cultural and religious celebration for billions across the world. Christmas is a central feast in the Christian liturgical year and is preceded by the Nativity Fast or the season of Advent, initiating the Christmastide season, traditionally lasting 12 days in the West, ending on the 'Twelfth Night'. In several countries, the day of Christmas is a public holiday, celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians, culturally. In the early fourth century, the church fixed the birth date of Jesus Christ as December 25 but was not exactly known. This date corresponds to the Roman calendar's winter solstice. As per the Gregorian calendar, Christmas is mostly celebrated on December 25 and adopted in the civil calendars used in many countries across the world. However, some Eastern Christian Churches celebrate as per the old Julian calendar that currently corresponds to January 7, in the Gregorian calendar.

The primary reason for celebrating Christmas for Christians is the belief that the Lord took the form of a man to redeem human beings' sins, rather than knowing the exact birth date of Jesus Christ. In several counties, the celebratory customs are combined of secular, pre-Christian, and Christian origins and themes. Famous customs in the modern day are completing an Advent wreath or Advent calendar, Christmas gifts, Christmas songs, Christmas carol, exchanging Christmas cards, viewing nativity scenes, Christmas dinner, display of Christmas decorations like Christmas lights, Christmas trees, holly, wreath, garlands, mistletoe, and various other Christmas traditions. Many Christmas traditions vary by region or country, while others are celebrated in different ways around the world. The Christmas story is the tale after Jesus' birth, including his resurrection, life, and death. Figures like Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Christkind, and Saint Nicholas are related to giving gifts to kids during the holiday season with their own lore and traditions. Christmas day and other days before and after it have great economic value. Keep reading for some Christmas facts and to get your Christmas cheer on!

Historical Facts About Christmas

A historical fact about Christmas is that the first artificial Christmas trees were made by Germans out of dyed goose feathers.

In the Gospels of Mathew and Luke, Jesus is described to be born in Bethlehem to Virgin Mary. In the Luke Gospel, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth for the census, and Jesus was born and kept in the manger. With angels proclaiming him as the savior of human beings, shepherds visited to adore him. The nativity scenes in these gospels inspired early writers to imply numerous anniversary dates. There are no exact dates mentioned in the gospels but early Christians associated Jesus with the Sun by using expressions like 'Sun of righteousness.' Romans mark December 25 as the winter solstice. The first-ever recorded celebration of Christmas tradition was in Rome on December 25, in AD 336. The nativity date was a matter of great interest around the third century. Several factors impacted the selection of the date of celebration as December 25. This date was the Roman calendar's winter solstice as well as nine months after the vernal equinox on March 25 that is linked with the conception of Jesus.

Christmas tradition and celebration are not on the list of festivals recorded by early Christian writers like Tertullian and Irenaeus. Epiphany or Theophany is a celebration of the birth of Jesus in the East on January 6. The celebration is associated with the baptism of Jesus rather than just about the nativity. For the Norse people and Germanic tribes, the celebration was known as Yule on December 21, to commemorate the Pagan Anglo-Saxon Modraniht, the god Odin, and the wild hunt. Corresponding to the modern Christmas day celebration, the Pagans had yule singing, yule feast, and yule log. The Ancient Romans honored the Saturn God by celebrating Saturnalia. The celebrations of this festival would start a week before the winter solstice and would go on for a month. A noteworthy feature of the celebration was role reversal. The servants would act as masters, hence having freedom of speech without the possibility of punishment. They also followed gift-giving traditions.

The day before Christmas is called Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, churches sing Christmas carols, songs, and ring bells. Also, because Jesus Christ was born in the night, Midnight Mass is held in many churches to celebrate his birth. One more reason for Christmas Eve is associated with the fact that a day for the Ancient Jews started at six in the evening until six in the following evening.

Unusual Facts About Christmas

An unusual fact about Christmas is that a hypothesis as per the Norwegian scientists states that the red nose on Rudolph's face is probably because of a parasitic infection in the respiratory system!

The Christmas season gained popularity in the high Middle Ages when nobles had lavish Christmas food to celebrate. Richard II, the King of England also threw a famous feast where 300 sheep and 28 oxen were eaten.

Americans started celebrating Christmas by updating the traditions that were brought by immigrants. Over the years, they built their own tradition with customs like sending Christmas cards, decorating Christmas trees, and giving gifts. Children's beloved figure during Christmas is Santa Claus. The concept of Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas, a Christian monk from Myra in Turkey in 280 AD. For many people, he was associated with being a protector of children and gift-bringer. However, in the 1500s, after reformation saints fell out of favor around Northern Europe, so did St. Nicholas. Although, the Dutch did not erase the image of gift-bearer St. Nicholas. So, when Dutch immigrants reached America, they brought the Sinterklaas tradition with them. In 1809, 'A History of New York' by Washington Irving first illustrated St. Nicholas as a pipe-smoking man flying over roofs in his wagon, delivering gifts to good children. It was only around the 19th century that the image of Santa Claus in a red and white suit on a reindeer-driven sleigh became popular.

For a lot of Japanese people, Kentucky Fried Chicken is the traditional Christmas food. The combination of a marketing campaign and small Japanese ovens has convinced the locals that fried chicken is the traditional American Christmas feast. Also, reservations must be made in advance on Christmas Day at KFC.

In Norway, people believe that evil witches and spirits arrive on Christmas eve. So, Norwegians hide all brooms before they go to sleep. A week before Christmas, people in Venezuela attend mass every day at the church, which is known as Misa de Aguinaldo or Early Morning Mass. In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is a custom to go to the church on roller skates. St. Nicholas has an identical evil counterpart in Austria known as Krampus. It is a demon-like creature with a task to punish all bad kids before Christmas. Men wear devil costumes and roam around on streets with a basket and chains for abducting bad kids to haul them to hell. There is an unusual Catalan tradition of a poop log known as Tío de Nadal or caga tío. People in Catalonia make a character out of a log by giving it a hat and drawing a face. They feed sweets, fruits, and nuts to this log for a fortnight. The whole family beats this log with sticks on Christmas Eve while singing a traditional song that translates to 'I will hit you with a stick if you do not poop well'. The family continues to beat this log until it excretes all the treats.

The red-nosed reindeer called Rudolph was first used as an advertising gimmick in 1839 for Montgomery Ward. It is also a Christmas classic. Christmas was formally recognized for the first time in the United States by the Alabama state in 1836.

Children's Toys For Christmas

Popular children's toys for Christmas are Rubik's cube, dolls, LED drones, walkie-talkies, Barbie's dreamhouse, and board games.

A Christmas tradition called Christmas tree pickle is followed to keep kids calm on Christmas morning. The first child to find a glass pickle hidden in the Christmas tree either gets to open their gift first or wins a prize. A German Christmas tradition that is popular worldwide is the idea of Christmas elves. Elves are believed to work for Santa Claus and build toys for kids around the world. Originally, however, in Germanic traditions, these elves were mischievous tricksters that would probably cause havoc.

A Rubik's connected cube is a toy that is a reinvented kind of original Rubik's cube. It is a phone app cube puzzle game connecting a tablet or phone through Bluetooth, allowing kids to learn how to solve the cube. There are puzzle games on this app that test their brain skills. This can make a perfect Christmas toy for kids who are 10 years old. Monster trucks with a remote control that does both tail and nose wheel are also great toys. Kinetic sands with many molds and tools are great sensory toys. This sand does cause a lot of mess. Another gift is a futuristic car with six wheels, all-terrain, and rubber tires which is also fun for kids. It can be used both indoors and outdoors. Laser tag kits are also great toys. This kit contains a rechargeable toy gun with vibration feedback and light and wearable vests. These wearable vests have a function that activates when you lose all game lives.

Barbie dream houses are always popular toys for kids. It now has music and lights in it as well. Fairy finders are also famous. This fairy jar has all that your kid needs to go for a virtual fairy quest. Your kid can then care for the fairies that are caught. LEGO sets are also a good interactive game with problem-solving play. Pop Its are currently trending toys across the world bringing screen-free activities. They are also non-electronic. A fun toy for the Christmas season is print cameras or polaroid cameras for kids. It allows your kids to explore photography from a young age. These cameras can also make videos. Board games never go out of style. There is a variety of board games available and the whole family can play together.

While getting any toy for your kid makes sure to look for toys that are age-appropriate. Some guidelines tell you if a particular toy is engaging and safe for kids. Also, make sure there are no small pieces that could be a choking hazard. Another factor to look for is toys that provide educational value. Children continue to learn as they grow, so, interactive toys can improve motor, social, and cognitive skills.

Facts About The Origins Of Christmas

A fact about Christmas origins is before Jesus's arrival, the Pagans celebrated the winter solstice during mid-winter.

The Christmas tree tradition originated in Germany. However, Germans got this tradition from the Romans, who in turn got it from the Egyptians and the Babylonians. An ancient Babylonish fable states that the evergreen tree came out of a dead tree stump. This old stump signified the dead Nimrod and the new evergreen tree signified Nimrod coming back to life in Tammuz. The oak was sacred among the Druids, fir among the Romans, and palm among the Egyptians. A lot of aspects about Christmas are not in the Bible, however, there is a direct mention of the Christmas tree in the Bible. The first Christmas tree tradition developed in early modern Germany and medieval Livonia. German Protestant Christians got decorated trees into their houses. It gained popularity well beyond the Baltic governorates and the Lutheran regions of Germany in the second half of the 19th-century. The Christmas tree had traditional decorations like wafers, roses made of paper, apples, sweetmeats, and tinsel. Moravian Christians started to decorate the trees with candles that were later replaced with Christmas lights after electrification.

Most people abbreviate Christmas to Xmas, which is based on the Greek name of Jesus Christ, 'X'. The three traditional colors, red, green, and gold have religious importance. Gold represents Christ's king of kings status, red represents his blood, and green represents his resurrection. The Christmas wreath first came into existence as Christ's symbol. The holly signifies Jesus' crown of thorns that he wore for his crucifixion and the blood shed by Christ is represented by red berries.

The decorative object, tinsel was invented in Germany in 1610 that was spun from real silver. The United States government had also banned tinsel as it contained poisonous lead. However, now it's made of plastic but must be kept away from pets and kids as it could be a choking hazard. Decorating trees with white doves is an idea related to the Bible. In the Bible, doves represent peace on Earth and during the holiday season, it is a sign of peace. Germans decorates their Christmas trees with nuts, berries, real apples, and candles in the 16th century. At that time, the trees were referred to as paradise trees. Christmas trees became popular among Americans when the German Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were depicted with decorated Christmas trees. Gift giving is a Pagan tradition, especially during Romans' Saturnalia. The star topper for the Christmas tree has similar origins to the Christmas tree angel. When Jesus was born, a star rose, as per the Bible. This guided people to Christ's birthplace so that they could worship him in Bethlehem. The star on top of the tree is to pay homage to that guiding light. Now that Christmas has become more secular, the star toppers are appreciated for their shape.

Bolivians celebrate Mass of the Rooster or Misa del Gallo on Christmas Eve. A few people get roosters to midnight mass in churches, a gesture that signifies the belief that the first animal to announce the birth of the baby Jesus was a rooster. Spider webs or spiders are used as a piece of decoration for Christmas trees in Poland due to the legend that states a blanket was woven by a spider for baby Jesus. People in Poland also consider spiders to be a goddess symbol and symbols of prosperity during Christmas.