Imagine yourself entering a room beautifully decorated with festive decorations and garlands and you see all the lights hanging on the window pane.You see a huge pine tree, embellished with blinking lights, shining balls, tinkling bells, and numerous gifts scattered here and there. You guessed it right, it’s that time of the year - Merry Christmas!Here, we’ll tell you all that you need to know about Christmas and Christian traditions. The mere thought of Christmas fills our hearts with tremendous joy. The gigantic Christmas tree, Christmas gifts, carols, the arrival of that sneaky, secret Santa Claus, and the tasty Christmas cake and food, makes Christmas a highly awaited festival for kids as well as adults.Hence, let us know more about this exotic Christian festival. Christmas is celebrated every year on December 25th in order to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is welcomed with lots of zeal and enthusiasm all around the world. Christmas is a public holiday in many countries and is an important religious festival for Christians. The Nativity of Jesus, a traditional Christmas narrative, says that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem to Joseph and Mary. When they arrived in the city, they were offered a stable where Mary gave birth to Baby Jesus.Since the time and date of Jesus’s birth is unknown, in the 14th century, the church decided the date to be December 25th which is the day of the winter solstice in the Roman calendar. Saint Augustine explained the reason why this was a perfect day to celebrate Christmas, saying that Christ was born on the shortest day of the year because of his greatness. Christ always believes in bending himself and lifting up his devotees. The linkage of Jesus to the Sun is supported in various passages of the Holy Bible. Jesus was said to be the Sun of Righteousness.As a matter of fact, in the 17th century, Isaac Newton was also born on the same date coincidentally. In this article we will give answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Christmas and Christmas traditions.After reading about classic Christmas traditions, also check out Christmas symbols for kids and does Britain celebrate Thanksgiving.Some Unique Christmas TraditionsThere are various unique Christmas traditions followed all over the world.If you believe that the US goes crazy with Christmas celebrations, you must see the traditions of the Philippines. A huge lantern festival is organized in the city of San Fernando every year which stars the lanterns that resemble the Star of Bethlehem. These lanterns are then released to light up the night sky. Since ancient times, the Yule Goat has been a symbol of Sweden’s Christmas celebrations. In 1966, people started making enormous straw goats. Each year, the huge goat is kept in the same spot from the primary Sunday of Advent until after the New Year when the goat is taken down.With only 1% of the population being Christian in Japan, Christmas is not a designated public holiday in the country. But still, there are some interesting Christmas traditions that are celebrated there. No, there is no Christmas dinner organized in Japan; families head to the nearest KFC or place a takeaway order to enjoy the meal with family and friends.Unlike the popular tradition of having 12 days of Christmas celebrations, there is a 13-day long Christmas celebration in Iceland. Kids across the country place their shoes near the window and in the morning their socks are either filled with candies or rotten potatoes, depending on how they behaved during the year.Other traditions include Elf on the Shelf, the tree ornament, Christmas books, tree lighting, Christmas cookies, candy canes, the Christmas parade, and gingerbread houses. The Elf on the Shelf is a Christmas tradition which is a part of 2005 children’s Christmas books. It is a part of the favorite Christmas memories of the people as a part of the classic Christmas tradition for the whole family during the Christmas season.What are Christmas traditions in Germany?Children in Germany open their stockings on the morning of Nicholas Day, December 6th. Referred to as the Feast of Nicholas, this age-old tradition is observed in many countries irrespective of their religious denomination. Basically, a Christmas stocking is an empty sock that children fondly keep outside their house doors expecting Nicholas to fill with gifts. They find various gifts in it, from small toys to oranges and chocolate coins. It’s a stunning surprise for youngsters to enjoy at the start of December. Christmas Eve (Heiliger Abend) may be a jam-packed day of celebrations for Germans; people spend their entire day cooking for the midnight feast, decorating their own Christmas trees, and enjoying happy family time, and at night, all members of the house gather around the tree to celebrate.As per traditions, the child of Christ delivers presents when youngsters are asleep. Families sing carols before unwrapping their presents. Some families feast upon homemade delicacies whereas others might go to local churches and voluntarily work in order to serve their God and his creations. While December 25th remains a legal holiday in Germany, it’s celebrated differently in different families. Traditionally, the family will gather around a heart-warming meal, attend church, children will play with their new toys and the white candle of the arrival wreath (the one within the middle) gets lit. Another common German Christmas tradition is to make and decorate figures and dolls of politicians or soldiers using nutcrackers. Consistent with German folklore, nutcrackers are also considered equally lucky for the family to guard their home. It’s thought that they might watch the family, keeping evil spirits and danger cornered.Where do Christmas traditions come from?Originating from all over the world, Christmas traditions have come a long way. From counting days before the arrival of the big day of decorating Christmas trees, Christmas is all about traditions. All traditions have a long-forgotten history and are now religiously followed in many parts of the world.First among these are hanging stockings. As per the Smithsonian Magazine, there was a widower with his three daughters. These daughters wanted gifts for Christmas but the person was in a very poor financial condition. St. Nicholas learned about the hardships of the family and out of love, he filled the poor man’s daughters’ stockings with gold coins.Thereafter, people started keeping stockings near the fireplace waiting to find some miraculous gifts the next morning. The famous tradition of Christmas cards originated in England and the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree began in the UK and Germany.Christmas wreaths have been considered holy since ancient Roman and Greek times. Wreaths are circular in shape predicting that life is eternal and the holly leaves and berries are a symbol of Jesus Christ’s crown. In 1882, Hibberd Johnson proposed the idea of decorating the Christmas tree with bulbs all around it.What do families do on Christmas Eve?Everyone has pre-planned and long-awaited gifts on their Christmas time wish list. At the same time, we are all anxious for our loved ones to open our gifts. As a part of the Christmas tradition, many families open their gifts on Christmas Eve.While some people enjoy at home with their family and take family photos, others like long walks or drives to witness the liveliness in the town. Another famous tradition for many families is watching one of their favorite Christmas movies along with enjoying various tasty delicacies to enjoy on Christmas Eve. Movies like Home Alone or The Elf truly add to the occasion.If you have kids in your house, a wonderful way to end the Christmas night is by telling stories of Christ’s birth from the Bible or different storybooks. Some people also plan family gatherings with a big dinner and lots of gossip. Some families have a tradition of cutting a Christmas cake on Christmas Eve while others just order pizza and chill. While Christmas is all about getting together with your loved ones, the way you choose to celebrate is totally up to you.In the 17th century in England, Puritans associated Christmas with drunkenness and misbehavior and hence it was banned. Later on, in 1660, it was again restored as a national holiday. Around this time, ‘A Christmas Carol’ was also released as a holy tale by Charles Dickens. The message conveyed by the story was of humanity and spreading love among people.What is Christmas without Santa Claus? The legendary Santa Claus was referred to as a monk named St. Nicholas. In around 280 A.D., Nicholas was born in Turkey. He gave up all his wealth in charity and lived his entire life helping the needy and poor people. He became famous for his goodwill and humanity. Christmas is known for spending loads of time with family members; decorating the whole house, inside and out; and shopping with friends and relatives as a family tradition.Spending Christmas with family is extremely important. People spend most of their time baking cakes or cookies or cooking fudge and also visiting different buildings that shine with lights and decorations. Youngsters like to see one another and spend the day playing games and sharing their new gifts and toys that Santa Claus brought for them. Everyone feels fortunate to have their families close to them. The year’s most celebrated holiday on December 25th is vital, both for homes and churches, worldwide.Christmas angels were considered messengers of God and they played an important role during the birth of Christ. The word angel means messenger in Greek. Wings of angels represent virtue, cleanliness, peace, immortality, love, and innocence while their halo symbolizes that they’re heavenly beings. Many stories tell us about the great deeds that these heavenly creatures did.Christmas bells are a symbol of harmony that exists within society. Christmas bells are considered a protective symbol and they ring to chase away negativity. The ringing of bells within the church is a holy declaration of the presence of Jesus at the mass. These bells are a portrayal of a strong bond between the Earth and Heaven. Jesus Christ’s birth on our planet is witnessed with the sound of jingling bells.One of the best Christmas traditions includes buying items from the local Christmas market which supports the needy people during the holiday season. There are candy canes, a gingerbread house, a Christmas tree from the local Christmas tree farm, and Christmas lights. Such fun family Christmas traditions will support these people and will always give them a beautiful Christmas story to narrate along with singing to the classic Christmas music during the holiday season.On Christmas Eve or even during the entire 12 days of celebrations, it is a popular family tradition to sing Christmas carols. Christmas carols are sung by choirs in various public places as well.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for curious Christmas traditions for kids: happy holidays ensured, then why not take a look at ladybug look alike: difference on Asian lady beetles revealed or lion vs hyena smack down: difference between animal species revealed.
Imagine yourself entering a room beautifully decorated with festive decorations and garlands and you see all the lights hanging on the window pane.
