Christmas is a festival commemorating
the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on 25 December. The feast is also
known as Xmas. The X comes from the ancient Greek language where X refers to
Christ.
One of the most interesting aspects of
Christmas, especially for children, is Santa Claus. Children want to catch
Santa Claus bringing them presents. The character is based on St. Nicholas who
loved children, and enjoyed giving gifts to them secretly.
The popular song “Jingle Bells” was
written for Thanksgiving Day, not for Christmas. Originally this was published
under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh” by James Lord Pierpont in 1857.
“Silent Night” is the most sung and
recorded Christmas song in history.
The poinsettia is a traditional
Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known
as the “Flower of the Holy Night”.
According to the Guinness Book of
World Records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was 221 feet high. It was displayed
in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
In Germany, Poland and Ukraine,
finding a spider, or a spider’s web, on a Christmas tree is believed to be an
indication of good luck.
The first known instances of using
Christmas trees were in the 16th century Germany. They used fruits
and nuts for decoration.
The biggest Christmas gift ever
presented is the Statue of Liberty. This was gifted by France to the USA as a
Christmas gift in 1886.
