Onondaga Central
Every Christmas, we hang up our stockings with care, decorate our Christmas trees, some of us have real trees, cut by ourselves, while others have artificial trees. We make gingerbread houses, eat candy canes, and so much more. We do have many Christmas traditions every year without realizing how long they have been around or why we do them.
When was the tradition of the Christmas tree started? Using Christmas trees dates back to the Pagans. Pagans used the branches of the trees to decorate their homes for the winter solstice. The branches were meant to make them think of the spring to come. The Romans used the first Fir tree to decorate their temples during the festival of Saturnalia. Christians used the trees as a sign of everlasting life with god. Although nobody knows for sure when Fir trees were used as Christmas trees, it is thought to have been 1000 years ago in Northern Europe. Many of the early Christmas trees may have been hung upside down from the ceiling or from light fixtures. Christmas trees varied throughout Europe, some used cherry or Hawthorne plants and put them in a pot for hope of them flowering by Christmas. Those who could not afford a real plant built pyramids of wood and decorated them to look like trees with paper, apples and candles. The first Christmas tree in one’s house was in the home of 16th German Preacher, Martin Luther. The story goes that he was walking through the forest and saw the stars shining through the tree branches. He thought it was so beautiful. He went home and told his children that it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas. In Germany, many trees were first decorated with edibles, like gingerbread and gold cover apples. In Victorian times, Christmas trees were decorated with candles to look like stars. Some Europeans still follow this tradition. Christmas Trees did not become popular until 1841, when Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's German husband) had a Christmas Tree set up in Windsor Castle. In 1848, the drawing of "The Queen's Christmas tree at Windsor Castle" was published in the Illustrated London News. The illustration was republished in Godey's Lady's Book, Philadelphia in December 1850. In the republished illustration, they removed the Queen's crown and Prince Albert's mustache to make the picture look like an average American couple. The publications helped the popularity of Christmas trees flourish. Fir and Yew trees signify the everlasting life with God. At first, baby Jesus was placed at the top of a tree. As time progressed, it was replaced with an angel to represent the angel that told the Shepherds about Jesus. People also use stars to represent the star the wise men saw. When was the first recorded candy cane? In 837. They began as a white stick and then eventually were given red stripes. The first recorded connection to Christmas was not until 1874 and then they were being flavored with peppermint and wintergreen. Around 1920, Bob McCormack started making canes for his friends and family. They became popular, so he started his own business called Bob's Candies. Some people believe the J shape represents the Shepherd’s hook who visited baby Jesus, while some believe the J stands or Jesus. Some say the white represents purity and the red stripes are for the blood Jesus shed when he was crucified on the cross. The peppermint flavor can represent the plant mentioned in the Bible that was used to purify people and things. Why do we write Xmas to abbreviate Christmas? Many use the term Xmas because it is a quick way to write Christmas. Some believe it is not correct to use the abbreviation. However, the X actually represents a Greek letter pronounced chi, “kye”. This rhymes with “eye” the first letter of in the Greek Word for Christ (Christos). The church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet 'chi' and 'rho' to create a symbol to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top. The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians. It began when Christians had to meet in secret. This was when Romans wanted to kill them, before Emperor Constantine became a Christian and ruled the Roman empire as a mainly Christians place. Jesus said that he wanted his followers to be 'Fishers of Men', so that symbol was used. When two Christians met, one person drew half the fish shape and the other person drew the other half. This was usually done in the dirt by one’s foot. The Greek word for fish is 'Ikthus' or 'Ichthys'. It creates a sentence that says 'Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r' which in English means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". The second word of the sentence is X or Christos! Where does the Poinsettia plant come from? Poinsettias originated in Central America, where they have the ability to flower in the winter. Ancient Aztecs called them 'cuetlaxochitl'. The Aztecs had many uses for the plants including using the flowers. The flower is special types of leaves known as bracts, so technically the flowers are leaves. They could make a purple dye for clothes and cosmetics out of the Poinsettias. The milky white sap was made into a medicine to treat fevers. This white sap is now known as Latex! Poinsettia became famous because of a man named Joel Roberts Poinsett. He is also the reason why we call them Poinsettias! Joel was the first American Ambassador for South America (1825). Poinsett had greenhouses on his plantations in South Carolina. When he visited the Taco area in 1828, he became very interested in the plants. He had some shipped back to South Carolina, where he began growing the plants and sending them to friends. The poinsettia’s shape, flowers and leaves are sometimes thought to be a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ and the white leaves represent his purity. Do you know where the 12 days of Christmas originated? The Twelve Days of Christmas is a famous song, but really, it as an actual celebration, beginning on December 25 and ending January 5. This celebration is thought to have started before the Middle ages. Usually, each day celebrates a Saint. Day 1 is for remembering the birth of Jesus. Day 2 is St Stephen’s Day, who was the first Christian martyr. Day 3 is St. John the Apostle, Day 4 is The Feast of the Holy Innocents. This is when people remember the baby boys killed by King Herod in his pursuit to find and kill baby Jesus. Day 5 is St. Thomas Becket, an Archbishop who was murdered on December 29, 1170 for challenging the Kings’ authority over the church. Day 6 is St Egwin of Worcester, Day 7, New Year’s Eve… Day 8 is Mary- the Mother of Jesus Day 9 is St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. Day 10 is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, this remembers when Jesus was officially 'named' in the Jewish Temple and is celebrated by many different churches. Day 11 is St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint. In past times, it also celebrated the Feast of Saint Simon Stylites, who lived on the top of a small platformed pillar for 37 years. Finally, Day 12, also known as Epiphany Eve. This day celebrates St. John Neumann. He was the first Bishop in American. At the Twelfth Night, the Twelfth Night cake was eaten. Italian Panettone is a modern time cake most like the old Twelfth Night cake. A dried pea or bean was cooked in the cake and if you found it, you would be the Lord (or Lady) of Misrule for the night. The Lord of Misrule led the celebrations. They dressed like a King (or Queen). This tradition goes back to the Roman celebrations of Saturnalia. In later periods of time, to make the Twelfth Night 'gentile', two tokens were put in the cake. One to be found by a man and one for a women. The person who found the token became the 'King' and 'Queen' of the Twelfth Night party. Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on January 6 or January 19 for some Orthodox Churches. Some Orthodox’s Christmas is not until January 7. This is when Christians remember the Wise Men who visited Jesus. For some Churches, Epiphany is a time to remember when Jesus was baptized. After he was baptized he started to teach people about God. Epiphany means 'revelation' and both the occurrence of the visit made by the Wise Men and Jesus’ Baptism are important times. At this time, Jesus was 'revealed' to be very important. Epiphany is mainly celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians Sources: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/trees.shtml
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