Countdown to Christmas

A whole year of anticipation and the season of Fa-la-la-la is finally here. I’ve shopped till I can drop dead and all the aromas of this season are wafting in the air. Ever wondered when the first Christmas card was sent or who were the first ones to receive gifts from Santa Claus? What about those yummy plum cakes and so many other traditions of Christmas? Wonder no more and read about some of the most common Christmas traditions.

The Christmas tree

The Christmas tree originated in Germany in the 16th century. The German people used to decorate fir trees, both inside and out, with roses, apples, and colored paper. It is believed that Martin Luther was the first to light a Christmas tree with candles. One dark winter's night near Christmas, he was struck by the beauty of starlight shining through the branches of a small fir tree outside his home. He duplicated the starlight by using candles attached to the branches of his indoor Christmas tree. The Christmas tree was brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans in the 1820's.

Xmas

This abbreviation for Christmas is of Greek origin. The word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. During the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name, "X" in place of the word Christ in Christmas as shorthand form of the word. Later Christians who did not understand Greek mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect.

Santa Claus

The original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the 4th century. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor. The Romans held him in contempt, imprisoned and tortured him. When Constantine became emperor of Rome, he allowed Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian. He is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity. He is the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece, and Russia. He is also, of course, the patron saint of children. After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas dwindled, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed to Sinterklaas. Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. In 1822, Clement C. Moore composed his famous poem, "The Night Before Christmas" and is credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly fat man in a red suit.

Christmas cake

The Christmas cake as we know it today comes from two customs which became one around 1870 in Victorian England.

PLUM PORRIDGE
People used to eat a sort of porridge on Christmas Eve. It was a dish to line the stomach after a day's fasting, or the 'Vigil' as it was called long ago. Gradually, they began to put spices, dried fruits, honey etc in the porridge to make it a special dish for Christmas. Much later it was turned into a pudding, because it got so stiff with all the ingredients. This turned into Christmas pudding.
PLUMCAKE
Later, around the 16th century, it became popular to add butter, replace the oatmeal with wheat flour, add eggs to hold it together better. This became boiled plum cake. Only big houses had proper ovens to bake in. The Christmas cake had dried fruits in season and spices. These represented the exotic spices of the East, and the gifts of the Wise Men. Such things were first brought to Europe and Britain particularly, by the Crusaders coming back from the wars in the Holy Land in the 12th century.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE CHRISTMAS CAKE
The confectioners who made the cakes were left with boxes full of figurines and models for Twelfth Cakes, and also had lost revenue by the banning of the feast. So they began to bake a fruitcake and decorate it with snowy scenes, or even flower gardens and Italian romantic ruins. These they sold not for the 5th January, but for December Christmas parties. And it was thus that we developed the Christmas cake.

Carols

The word carol came from a Greek dance called a choraulein, which was accompanied by flute music. The dance later spread throughout Europe and became especially popular with the French, who replaced the flute music with singing. By the 1600's, carols involved singing only, and Christmas had become the main holiday for these songs.
Most of the carols sung today were originally composed in the 1700's and 1800's. They include "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." The words of the famous carol "Silent Night" were written on Christmas Eve in 1818 by Joseph Mohr, an Austrian priest. Franz Gruber, the organist of Mohr's church, composed the music that same night, and the carol was sung at midnight Mass. "O Holy Night" was introduced at midnight Mass in 1847. Adolphe Adam, a French composer, wrote the music. Popular nonreligious carols include "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas."

Christmas cards

A form of Christmas card began in England first when young boys practiced their writing skills by creating Christmas greetings for their parents, however Sir Henry Cole is credited with creating the first real Christmas card. The first director of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Sir Henry found he was too busy in the Christmas season of 1843 to compose individual Christmas greetings for his friends and commissioned artist John Calcott Horsley for the illustration. The card featured three panels, with the center panel depicting a family enjoying Christmas festivities and the card was inscribed with the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You."