The story behind 5 popular Christmas traditions
Published on Wed Dec 12 2018 in Community
Each December, Kiwis across the country get into the Christmas spirit! Trees are decorated, gifts are wrapped, and food is shared. There are so many traditions that we share with others right around the world, but have you ever wondered how these festivities got their start? Here’s the story behind five popular Christmas traditions:
Christmas trees
It’s hard to imagine Christmas without an evergreen tree decked out in baubles and lights, but this tradition is a fairly new one. The practice as we know it started in Germany during the 1500s, as Christians began bringing trees home and decorating them with tasty treats. However, the custom spread slowly, only really catching on with European nobles.
That all changed in 1848, when an illustration of Queen Victoria and her family (including her German-born husband, Prince Albert) gathered around a Christmas tree was published in English newspapers. Soon British families of all stripes needed one too, and the practice quickly spread around the world.
But why bring trees inside at all? For many cultures—including European pagans, Romans and ancient Egyptians—plants represented fertility. Bringing evergreen branches, palm fronds or other greenery indoors during winter’s darkest weeks was a way to insure new life and hurry Spring’s arrival.
Gift giving
Exchanging Christmas pressies is also a big part of many people’s celebrations. Whilst the practice is often linked to the gifts of the three Wise Men, its origins go back even further.
Much like the Christmas tree, giving gifts during winter was adopted from pagan celebrations. One such event was the Roman festival of Saturnalia. These winter parties included giving each other small gifts, such as candles, pottery figurines or fruit and nuts. Early Christian leaders borrowed from this and other pagan celebrations to help convert followers to the new religion.
For many, excessive gift giving is just another sign of how commercialised Christmas has become. But this sentiment isn’t a new one! Way back in 1904, Harper’s Bazaar magazine published an article complaining about the amount of “trash” people were expected to buy during the silly season. An organisation was even formed to fight this waste—the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving!
Santa Claus
Picture Santa—what does he look like? A plump old man with a long white beard, wearing a red suit and a jolly smile, right? However, this popular image of Kris Kringle wasn’t fully created until the late 1800s.
The Santa we know and love today is partially based on St. Nicholas, a 4th Century monk who gave all his money to the poor. As the saint’s popularity grew, he also became known as the protector of children, which inspired his modern job of bringing kids presents.
But the suit, the beard, the happy personality—these are all American inventions. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (also known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”) and described Santa as a plump, “jolly old elf” for the first time. Then in 1881, cartoonist Thomas Nast drew an illustration of St. Nick that any child today would recognise. Santa’s new look was adopted by Europeans, who helped spread it to places like New Zealand and Australia.
Christmas crackers
Paper hats, small toys, silly daddy jokes… Christmas day just isn’t complete without popping a few Christmas crackers! This English invention is credited to London sweet maker Tom Smith, who based his 1847 idea on French bon bons. Smith wrapped his sweets in paper and included a short love note, motto or riddle. His treats sold well, but when sales slumped Smith started brainstorming.
Inspired by the cracks and pops of a log burning on the fire, Smith experimented until he perfected the tiny ‘explosion’ that creates that special cracker pop. These new and improved crackers caught on and inspired many imitators. To set theirs apart, Smith’s son Walter had the idea to add paper hats and other small gifts.
The company that Smith built is still in operation today. They’re the largest manufacturer of crackers in the world and has been the official supplier of Christmas crackers to England’s royal family since 1906!
Boxing Day
Today, the ‘box’ in Boxing Day might make you think about the recycling bin or returning boxes of unwanted pressies. But the name for the day after Christmas has a more charitable history.
One theory is that Boxing Day comes from the Christmas boxes that aristocrats gave their household staff on 26 December (as they had to work on Christmas Day). This was a sort of ‘bonus’ given as a thank you for their loyal service all year. Servants received things like money, small gifts or leftovers from Christmas dinner.
Another theory is that Boxing Day refers to the alms boxes placed in churches from late November to just before Christmas. Church members would place money in the box, which was given to the poor on 26 December. This also happens to be St. Stephen’s Day, a saint known for his acts of charity.
What’s your favourite Christmas tradition? Share how your family celebrates the silly season on our Facebook page!
Sources:
ABC News, The Christmas tree: From pagan origins and Christian symbolism to secular status
The Week, A brief history of the Christmas present
History.com, Santa Claus; Why is the day after Christmas called Boxing Day?
The Metro, Who invented Christmas crackers and where did they come from?
Tom Smith, Tom Smith visit by Her Majesty the Queen
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