HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-12-20, Page 49(MS) — Though Christmas is a
holiday that is deeply rooted in
religious as well as familial
traditions, the origin of many of
those traditions remains a mystery
to many.
Some such traditions, including
the origin of the holiday’s annual
date, Dec. 25, continue to be a topic
of debate among even the most
accomplished historians.
To help shed some light on just
why it is many people do what they
do around the festive Christmas
season, here’s a list of some of the
more common Christmas traditions
and their likely origins.
• Dec. 25. Even though Christmas
is about celebrating the birth of
Jesus Christ, it’s widely accepted
that Jesus was not born on Dec. 25,
or even in that time of year. Rather,
most scholars agree Jesus’ actual
birth was closer to the season
known as spring, with the likely
date occurring sometime in the
month of May.
So why Dec. 25? One prominent
theory suggests the date’s origin
rests with the ancient Romans, who
had begun a pagan celebration
around the same time. As a means
of squashing that celebration, the
Roman Catholic Church decided to
celebrate the birth of Christ on Dec.
25 so one of their most sacred
holidays would be in direct
competition with the pagan
celebration.
If that theory is true, the strategy
seems to have worked.
• Poinsettias. A common sight
throughout the Christmas season,
poinsettias are thought to be
flowers, but aren’t really. Though
there are flowers in the plants, the
bright red colours that most people
recognize instantly are actually
leaves and not petals, with the
flowers not very noticeable in the
centre of the leaf bunch.
Though native to Mexico,
poinsettias are named after an
American. Joel Poinsett was the
United States’ first ambassador to
Mexico. Upon a trip home from
America’s neighbour to the south in
1828, Poinsett brought some of thebeautiful flowers along with him. Legends differ as to whypoinsettias are associated withChristmas. One such legend states thatMexicans felt the poinsettia
resembled the Star of Bethlehem,
while another has to do with an
impoverished child bringing them
to a church service as a gift for
Jesus on his birthday.
• Christmas tree. These have
become so symbolic of the holiday
season that many families who
do not even celebrate Christ-
mas have a Christmas tree in their
home.
Typically an evergreen tree,
Christmas trees’ origins might date
back to pagan beliefs that stated the
evergreen tree was symbolic of the
renewal of life.
While that might have been the
seed of what eventually became the
widely practised tradition of
Christmas trees, the more concrete
origin is in 16th century Germany
when the Germanic people
decorated a small fir tree with
apples, paper flowers, roses and
other knick-knacks.
Once the tree was decorated,
children would then collect
the goodies on Christmas morn-
ing.
• Xmas. Many people ask why
Christmas is abbreviated “Xmas.”
Some even feel the abbreviation is
disrespectful to Jesus Christ.
Though that might have been a
more popular feeling years ago thanit is today, it probably was neversomething to get worked up overanyway. Xmas is of Greek origins, as thename for Christ in Greek is Xristos.Much like people do today in e-mails or text messages, shorthandwas popular even way back when.As a means of saving time, Greekssoon started referring to Christmasas Xmas. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2007. PAGE B17. A look at some of the traditional traditions
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Colourful tradition
Displayiing poinsettias is one of the many Christmas
traditions celebrants of the holiday practise. (MS photo)