Tuesday, December 21, 2004

4 days to Christmas...

With the over-commercialisation of Christmas, each year, I find it so difficult to stay focused. Therefore, I did a lil' research to find out some of the origins of this festive day. Read on...

1. Merry X'mas!
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 a shorthand form of the word.

2. The Christmas tree
A reminder of the tree which Adam & Eve took the fruit from. It is also symbolic of the tree on which Jesus died.

3. Santa Claus
The original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was very pious from an early age, devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor. The image of Santa Claus was later popularized by Coca Cola's Christmas commercial and Clement C. Moore, who composed his famous poem, "A Visit from St. Nick," which was later published as "The Night Before Christmas."

4. The candy cane
The colour white symbolises the purity of Jesus. The red stripes represents the pain Jesus inflicted during his death. It is shaped like a shepherd's staff because Jesus is the shepherd. And if you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter J symbolizing the first letter in Jesus' name. The candy maker made these candy canes so that everyone would remember what Christmas is all about.

5. Exchange of presents
This is an imitation of the three wise men who came from the Orient to present gifts to the newborn baby Jesus.

6. Mistletoe and holly
Mistletoe is used to celebrate the coming of winter because it is an evergreen plant. It is also used to decorate the homes. People believe that the plant has special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. Mistletoe is associated with the goddess of love, Frigga, so the custom of kissing under the mistletoe probably derived from this belief.

7. The day after Christmas
The 26th of December is traditionally known as St Stephen's Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. This is because alms boxes in church were opened on this day and the money was distributed to the poor. Boxing day is NOT named after the practice of throwing out large numbers of boxes after Christmas!

8. Rudolph the red nose reindeer
As much as we would like Rudolph to be real, he is a fictional character created as a commercial gimmick.

Disclaimer: Information displayed here is based on myths and hearsays of ancient times and bored storytellers. The data may not be factually accurate. Pls read with a pinch of salt. Thank you.

So that's it folks. Hope the information's useful for you. As Christmas Day draws nearer, let's remember that CHRIST is the reason for the season!

Have a blessed & merry Christmas...

Posted by Jo at 1:55 PM