10 Interesting Facts About Christmas

Christmas is filled with countless traditions and emotions. It is a holiday that brings people together, family and friends, and also makes wishes come true. Many people associate Christmas with various customs, celebrations and beliefs, so today we will talk about them here. These are 10 interesting facts about Christmas that you might not know:

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1. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

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Christmas is an annual Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For most people it takes place on 25 December - the day the Roman Catholic Church chose to mark His birthday.

2. Not all people celebrate Christmas on the same day.

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While most Christians celebrate Christmas on 25 December, there are countries with large populations of Orthodox Christians who celebrate it on 7 January, some of them being Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia.

3. Coca-Cola played a role in Santa's appearance.

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Santa hasn't always been the jolly man in red that we know today. In fact, early 1900's depictions of Santa portray him more harshly and cold. The happy Santa came from Coca-Cola ads, drawn in 1931 by the illustrator Haddon Sundblom.

4. There are 9 Reindeer.

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We all know Rudolph, but how many of you know Santa's other faithful reindeer? Their names are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph

5. Santa originally had 8 Reindeer.

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Rudolph is the most famous one in the pack, but did you know he is also the youngest? Rudolph was introduced in the pack in 1939 in the famous story Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Before that, Santa had 8 reindeer, but in modern times they are 9, including him.

6. Christmas trees first appeared in the 1500's.

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Christmas trees became popular in Victorian Britain, but did you know that it was first seen in Germany during the 16th century? Back then, people decorated them with nuts and fruits, candy and candles. Amazingly, some historians date them back to the Romans and Ancient Egyptians.

7. The first ever Christmas tree, wasn't a tree at all.

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Amazingly, the first ever Christmas tree, wasn't a tree, it was in fact made of goose feathers that were dyed green. These trees are considered to be one of the first artificial Christmas trees.

8. The terms "Christmas" and "Xmas" mean the same thing.

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The use of the term "Xmas" comes from ancient Greek language and it dates back to 16th century. In Greek, Christ begins with the letter "X", so Xmas simply means Christmas.

9. "Jingle Bells" wasn't originally a Christmas song.

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The famous song was actually written for Thanksgiving! Written in 1850, the popular tune was originally called "One Horse Open Sleigh" and it was meant to be sung during the fall holiday!

10. The traditional meal used to be pigs head instead of turkey.

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Turkey didn't appear on the Christmas menu until Henry VIII in the 1500's. Before that, people enjoyed pigs head with mustard.

Christmas is a wonderful holiday filled with happiness! Thank you for reading!