The History of Christmas

The festive season is here and we want to learn all about its origins and the most popular traditions in different cultures.

Discussion:

- How do you celebrate Christmas?
- Do you follow any special traditions?
- Is this festivity important to you and your family/friends?

Follow this weblink  from history.com and answer the questions:

http://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas

Read the section ’An ancient holiday’ and look for the answers to the following questions:

1. What did Europeans celebrate long before the birth of Jesus?
2. Why did people celebrate during the winter solstice?
3. Who celebrated Yule from 21 December in Scandinavia?
4. How did fathers and sons mark the return of the sun?
5. Up to how many days was it possible for the Yule feast to last?
6. What did the Norse believe that each spark of the fire represented?
7. Why was the end of December a good time for celebrating?
8. Why were German people terrified of the god Oden? How did they show their fear?

Read the second section ‘Saturnalia’ and look for the answers to the following questions:

1. Who was Saturnalia intended to honour?
2. How did Roman society change during Saturnalia?
3. In what century did the Church decide to make the birth of Christ a holiday?
4. What was the problem with choosing the date of Christ’s birth?
5. Why was 25 December chosen?
6. Why do some churches celebrate Christmas on 7 January?
7. What was the main disadvantage for church leaders of holding Christmas at the same time as other winter festivals?
8. In what way were Christmas celebrations during the Middle Ages similar to those of Roman times?

Read the third section ’An outlaw Christmas’. Look at the statements below and decide whether they are true or false:

1. Oliver Cromwell took control of England in 1645.
2. Cromwell and his Puritan forces encouraged the English people to celebrate Christmas.
3. When the monarchy was reintroduced and Charles l became king, Christmas was celebrated again in England.
4. As a result of the Puritan pilgrims coming to America in 1620, Christmas was not a holiday from 1659 to 1681.
5. In Boston, from 1659 to 1681, anyone exhibiting ’Christmas spirit’ (= publicly celebrating Christmas) was fined five shillings.
6. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the USA until 26th June, 1870.

Think:

In what ways is the modern way of celebrating Christmas different from how it was done in the past?

What do you like most (and least) about Christmas nowadays?

Santa Claus

Read the introduction to Santa Claus taken from history.com:

The man we know as Santa Claus has a history all his own. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red, but his story stretches all the way back to the third century. Find out more about the history of Santa Claus, from his earliest origins to the shopping mall favorite of today:

What do you already know about Santa’s history? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

What do you call Santa in your country?

Is Santa part of your culture? Is there a similar character in your culture?

Go to the weblink text www.history.com/topics/christmas/santa-claus and read the  different sections to answer these questions:

Read the first section ‘The legend of St. Nicholas’. Answer the following questions, then share the answers with your class:

1. When do people think that St. Nicholas was born? In which modern-day country is his birthplace?
2. For what qualities was St. Nicholas most admired?
3. Was St. Nicholas born into a poor family?
4. Which two groups of people is he particularly associated with?
5. When is his feast day celebrated? What do people think it is lucky to do on that day?
6. Why was the way in which St. Nicholas was regarded in Holland different from other saints?

Read the second and third sections ‘Sinter Klaas comes to New York’ and ‘Shopping mall Santas’. Answer the following questions:

1. How did St. Nicolas first become popular in America?
2. Where did the name Santa Claus come from?
3. As Sinter Klaas’s popularity grew, did people agree about what he looked like?
4. What did the advertisements for shops feature by the 1840s?
5. What happened in 1841?
6. In the early 1890s what did the Salvation Army do to raise money?

Read the fourth section ‘Twas the night before Christmas’. Answer the following questions:

1. What was the poem that became largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus? Why wasn’t its author sure that he wanted to publish it?
2. What, according to the now familiar image of Santa Claus, are his physical characteristics and special powers?
3. What cartoonist drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness of our modern day image of Santa?
4. How did the cartoon depict Santa?
5. What new elements did Nast add to the image created by Moore’s poem?

Read the fifth section ‘A Santa by any other name’. What are the names of similar figures all over the world, and what is special about each one? Write down each country, the name of their ‘Santa figure’ and the special features of their celebration.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD:

Christmas is a global celebration. You have already seen how the legend of Santa Claus varies greatly from country to country. For the following task, you will read about different traditions around the world celebrated at Christmas time.
Take a look at the following traditions. As you read them, try to guess which of the countries in the box below these traditions come from. (Some countries are used more than once!)

El Salvador     United States     Great Britain     Spain     Japan     Venezuela     Canada     Brazil     Denmark     Guatemala     Estonia     Poland     Philippines     Italy     Armenia    Germany     Colombia

Twenty Christmas traditions from around the world (Complete this task in your notebooks):

1. During the Christmas meal, Christmas crackers containing toys, jokes and a paper hat are pulled. ________________
2. A white sponge cake covered with cream and decorated with strawberries is often consumed. ________________
3. Children put their shoes in the window in the hope that the three wise men will deliver their presents. ________________
4. Christmas carols are heard as early as 1st September. ________________
5. On 6th January, female puppets are burned on a pyre to symbolize the death of the old year and beginning of the new year. ________________
6. They celebrate the Cavalcade of Lights Festival. ________________
7. The Christmas tree usually stands centrally in the home, decorated with ornaments, tinsel and lights, with an angel or star at the top. ________________
8. People dress up in an ornamental hat named a Puritina and dance in a line. ________________
9. Potato salad with frankfurters and wiener sausages is a popular meal in some families. ________________
10. Children take presents of fruits, nuts and other sweets to older relatives. ________________
11. In many cities, and even in small rural towns, neighbourhoods get together and decorate their whole neighbourhood or street, turning streets into ‘tunnels of light’. ________________
12. Neighbourhoods get together for night festivals where children play with skateboards, rollerblades and bicycles. ________________
13. On 6th December, Saint Nicholas puts goodies in children’s shoes. ________________
14. Rice pudding is traditionally served with whipped cream and lashings of black cherry sauce. ________________
15. Electric candles and glowing stars are placed in almost every window during the month of December. ________________
16. A traditional meal includes herring and beetroot soup with ravioli. ________________
17. It is a tradition for children to leave a glass of milk and plate of cookies for Santa. _______________
18. In some cities, judges decide on the most beautifully decorated house. ________________
19. Children are visited by Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and must sing songs or recite Christmas poems before they receive their presents. _______________
20. Children celebrate Christmas by playing with firecrackers and sparklers. ________________

Now, visit the following weblink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_traditions and check your answers. Don’t try to read the whole article from top to bottom; instead, try to find the countries as quickly as you can.

Discussion:

What traditions above are similar to those in your country?

What is your favourite tradition from the list?

What is your favourite tradition from your country?

If you celebrate Christmas, do you think your country is losing any of its Christmas traditions? If so, why?

If you could start a Christmas tradition of your own, what would it be?