One of the biggest Christian holidays is Christmas. In addition, the most cherished dreams come true on Christmas night. There are many signs associated with this holiday. Read on for more interesting and surprising facts about Christmas.
1. Christmas is one of the most important holidays for Christians.
2. Orthodox holiday date: January 7th.
3. Alexandrian theologians in 200 BC proposed to celebrate Christmas on May 26. This incident is the first in history.
4. Since 320, the holiday began to be celebrated on December 25.
5. December 25 is the birthday of the sun. This date was associated with the celebration of Christmas.
6. The Catholic Church still adheres to the date of the holiday: December 25th.
7. The first Christians rejected the holiday of Christmas, celebrating only the feast of the Epiphany and Easter.
8. The day of the week around Christmas is a day off.
9. On the day of the holiday, it is customary to give gifts to each other.
10. The first case of gifting was noted in ancient Rome, where gifts were given to children in honor of the holiday of Saturnalia.
11. The first postcard was created by the Englishman Henry Cole in 1843.
12. In 1810, the US public saw Santa Claus for the first time.
13. The Christmas reindeer was invented by Adman Robert May in 1939.
14. Christmas candles are a symbol of understanding your place in the world, as well as victory over darkness in your soul.
15. Originally, the spruce was installed on Christmas Day, not on New Year's.
16. Spruce is the tree of Christ.
17. Evergreen trees - a symbol of rebirth since pagan times.
18. The first artificial Christmas trees were made by the Germans. The material for them was the feathers of geese.
19. Originally, the trees were decorated with candles.
20. A bucket of water was always placed near the tree in case of a candle fire.
21. Today, it is customary to decorate the Christmas tree with garlands.
22. Originally, the tree (paradise tree) was decorated with fruits and flowers.
23. In the Middle Ages, the Christmas tree was decorated with nuts, cones, sweets.
24. The first glass decorations were created by Saxon glass blowers.
25. The apple of Heaven became the prototype of the first toy.
26. In the middle of the 19th century, the mass production of multi-colored ball toys began.
27. In December 2004, the largest Christmas stocking ever made in the capital of England.
28. The longest stocking was 33 meters long and 15 meters wide.
29. About 3 million Christmas cards are sent out in the USA every year.
30. Gold, green and red: the traditional colors of Christmas tree decorations.
31. The tallest holiday tree to enter the Guinness Book of Records was set in 1950 in Seattle. Its height was 66 meters.
32. In the USA, Christmas trees have been sold since 1850.
33. Before you sell a tree, you need to grow and care for it for 5-10 years.
34. Residents of European countries believed that spirits wake up on Christmas Eve.
35. Over time, good and evil spirits began to be perceived as the elves of Santa Claus.
36. In order to "feed" the spirits, the inhabitants of Europe left porridge on the table overnight.
37. At the beginning of the 19th century, the first book about the holiday, "Christmas Eve", was published by Clement Moore.
38. In the period from 1659 to 1681, it was forbidden to celebrate Christmas in the USA. The basis was the proclamation of the holiday as a decadent Catholic celebration, not related to Christianity.
39. The celebration of Christmas is called the Mass of the Rooster in Bolivia.
40. In Bolivia, it is believed that the rooster was the first to inform people about the birth of Christ.
41. The British wear special crowns for Christmas dinner.
42. Poles decorate the Christmas tree with spider toys.
43. Residents of Poland believe that the spider once weaved a blanket for a newborn baby, so this insect is revered.
44. In 1836, Alabama became the first US state to officially recognize Christmas as a nationwide holiday.
45. Mistletoe (parasitic plant) is considered sacred by the British, therefore, Christmas trees are still adorned with branches of this evergreen bush.
46. The girl who stopped at the mistletoe could be kissed by any guy.
47. The Christmas log is a symbol of the cyclical return of the sun.
48. The log must be burned during the celebration of Christmas.
49. A burning log is a symbol of good luck, health and fertility, as well as a talisman against evil spirits.
50. Saint Nicholas from Myra became the real prototype of Santa Claus.
51. The very first Christmas tree in the White House was established in 1856.
52. It is customary in Finland to go to the sauna at Christmas.
53. On holidays, Australians go to the beach.
54. In honor of Christmas, the largest lottery draw is held annually in Spain.
55. In England, it is customary to bake a holiday cake, inside which must be several items. If someone comes across a horseshoe in a piece of pie, then it's luck; if a ring - for a wedding, and if a coin - for wealth.
56. On the eve of the holiday, Lithuanian Catholics eat only lean food (salads, cereals, etc.).
57. After the holiday, Lithuanian Catholics are allowed to taste a roast goose.
58. In Germany and England, the main dish on the Christmas table is roast goose or duck.
59. Pudding decorated with sprigs of spruce is one of the main dishes of the festive table in Great Britain.
60. The tradition of Westerners is a small Christmas tree in the middle of the festive table.
61. In 1819, writer Irving Washington first described the flight of Santa Claus.
62. In Russia, Christmas began to be celebrated in the 20th century.
63. Russians modestly celebrated Christmas Eve (the day before Christmas), but the holiday itself was not complete without mass festivities.
64. Christmas in Russia was celebrated merrily: they danced in circles, dressed up as animals.
65. In Russia on Christmas days it was customary to guess the future.
66. It is believed that the results of fortune-telling will be true, since these days good and evil spirits help to see the future.
67. The traditional holiday wreath, consisting of branches of a Christmas tree and 4 candles, originated from the Lutheran Catholic Church.
68. The candles on the wreath must be lit as follows: the first - on Sunday, 4 weeks before Christmas; the rest one at a time on the following weekend.
69. On the night before the holiday, you should light all 4 candles on the wreath and put on the table so that the light will sanctify the house.
70. It is believed that the happiness of Christmas is brought about by the first guest who enters the house.
71. It is considered a bad omen if a woman or a man with blond hair enters first.
72. The first guest must pass through the house holding a spruce branch.
73. The first song for Christmas was written in the 4th century AD.
74. The famous Christmas songs were written in Italy during the Renaissance.
75. "Christmas Carols" - Christmas carols, translated from English means "dancing to the ringing."
76. Kutia is the main dish of the festive table.
77. Kutyu is made from cereals (rice, wheat or barley), as well as sweets, raisins, nuts and dried fruits.
78. In the old days, kutya was prepared only from cereals and honey.
79. It is necessary to start a Christmas meal with kutya.
80. The tradition of filling stockings with gifts on a holiday comes from the story of the three poor sisters. Legend has it that once Saint Nicholas made his way to them through the chimney and left gold coins in his stockings.
81. The famous nativity scene with lambs, trees and manger was invented only in the 13th century by Francis.
82. The first cracker was invented in 1847 by the sweet seller Tom Smith.
83. White candy with red stripes is a symbol of Christmas. It was invented by a pastry chef from Indiana in the 19th century.
84. The white color of the Christmas candy signifies light and purity, and the three red stripes signify Trinity.
85. An interesting fact is that because of the curved end of the candy, it looks like a cane of shepherds who became the first apostles.
86. If you turn the Christmas candy over, it forms the first letter of the name of Jesus: "J" (Jesus).
87. In 1955, employees of one of the shops placed an advertisement in the newspaper with Santa Claus's phone number, but the number was printed with a mistake. Because of this, many calls were made to the air defense center. The workers were not at a loss, but supported the initiative.
88. It has become a tradition in America to call Santa Claus. During the conversation, it was possible to find out where he is now.
89. Every Christmas in Sweden, a huge straw goat is erected, which vandals try to set on fire every year.
90. In the Netherlands, on Christmas night, children put shoes to the fireplace for gifts and put a carrot for a magic horse.
91. Children in Italy receive gifts from the good fairy. Those who misbehaved can get a cabbage leaf.
92. In Italy, the Fiesta de la Coretta is celebrated, during which they decorate a large Christmas tree, after which they carry it around the cities and villages.
93. In Greece, children take to the streets and sing kalandas - songs celebrating Christmas.
94. “Happy X-mas” is a wish for a Merry Christmas that has deep roots. "X" is the first Greek letter of Christ's name.
95. In Mexico, for children, a large container with sweets is hung, which other Mexicans must break with a stick with their eyes closed.
96. Christmas in France is usually celebrated in restaurants.
97. In 1914, German and British soldiers arranged a truce on Christmas Day. At this time, the soldiers forgot that they were on the front line, sang Christmas songs and danced.
98. In Canada, Santa Claus's zip code is written “IT IT”.
99. Writer O'Henry, serving time in prison, really wanted to wish his daughter a Merry Christmas. That year, he wrote his first story for the first time, sending it to the editor. The story was published in a magazine, for which the writer received his first fee, and also congratulated his daughter and became famous.
100. Famous actor James Belushi moonlighted as Santa Claus in one of the cities of the United States. He needed to distribute gifts to children. Unfortunately, the actor's license was taken away, but James did not give up, but began to pursue the case further, after which he was caught by the police. In front of several dozen children, Santa Claus was reprimanded by law enforcement officers for driving without documents.
