Christmas - The facts!! (10/10)

Boxing Day
'Boxing' refers to to boxes, not the sport!
This was the day that the alms boxes were opened in church & the money collected was given to the poor of the parish, known as the 'dole of the Christmas box'.

Over time it became a tradition to give a 'Christmas Box' (a thank you payment) to people who've provided a service over the year such as postmen, milk men & refuse collectors.

Happy Christmas!!

Christmas - The facts!! (9/10)

The Yule Log

The Celts believed that for 12 days at the end of December, the sun stood still, making the days grow shorter. They thought if they could keep yule logs burning bright for those 12 days, the sun would be persuaded to move again to make the days grow longer.

More facts to follow..................

Christmas - The facts!! (8/10)

The Christmas Cracker
The cracker was devised in 1847 by an English confectioner and stationery manufacturer whilst on holiday in Paris with his family.
At a time when English sweets were still sold loose from the trays they were made in, his children discovered the Parisian Bon-Bons - coated sugar lollies prettily wrapped in a twist of coloured paper. He liked the idea so much that on his return to London he wrapped his lollies in similar paper, still including the mottos he had always put in.
It was the 'crackling' sound a log makes when throwing it onto a fire that gave Tom Smith the inspiration for the 'pop' sound Crackers are known for. A ' crackle' would add the necessary excitement and spark to his novelty 'bon bon'.
It was simply a matter of experimentation to find a compound which gave a satisfactory bang without going too far. Eventually, Tom perfected his chemical explosion to create a 'pop' caused by friction when the wrapping was broken. This became the snap and the Cracker as we know it was born!

Christmas - The Facts!! (7/10)

Mince Pies
Originally mince pies were made in the shape of a crib, some even with pastry baby Jesuses! They were band along with Christmas, by Oliver Cromwell's parliament in 1647, but as people still wanted to eat mince pies, they made them plain round.

This shape continued to be used when a king was back on the throne in 1660.
Just for info.....................It's meant to be bad luck not to eat a mince pie someone offers you!!

More facts to follow...............

Christmas - The facts!! (6/10)

The Christmas Stocking
Before Saint Nicholas was known as Santa Claus, he was a bishop in Turkey and well known for giving gifts to the poor, anonymously.
He used to slip into their houses at night & leave gifts in shoes & stockings, knowing they would be found the next morning when people would put their feet in them!
Nicholas became so famous for his kindness in helping others, that people made statues of him and painted his picture on church windows all over Europe.
Now he is known by many names, in many countries including: Sankt Nikolaus, father Christmas, Pere Noel, Kriss Kringle, Santa Klaas, and Santa Claus.


More facts to follow....................

Christmas - The facts (5/10)

The Christmas Tree
According to legend, in Germany in the eighth century, the Christian saint, Boniface, came upon a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. They were just about to sacrifice a baby to the tree when St Boniface snatched the axe about to be used to kill the baby and chopped down the tree instead.
When he picked up the child, he noticed a tiny fir tree growing between the roots of the oak tree. To him this symbolized new life coming from death, as with Christ's resurrection.

From then on, the tree became an important part of the Christmas celebrations in Germany.

More facts to follow........................

Open Weekend

If you're in the area & want to pop in and say hello, I'll be opening my home studio next Saturday & Sunday ( 20th & 21st December )

The more the merrier!!!

Christmas - The Facts! (4/10)

The Crib
One of the first documented models of Joseph, Mary the baby Jesus, three wise men & animals gathered around a manger was put in a church in Rome by Pope Gregory 3rd (731-741), now a common sight in churches, homes & shopping centres!
There is even an extraordinary life size underwater crib on the sea bed, off the Amalfi Coast in Italy!!


Trust me........it's in there somewhere!!!

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Christmas - The Facts!!! (3/10)

The Christmas Tree Star
We put a star at the top of the Christmas tree to represent the star which, according to the Bible, appeared above the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born.



If Jesus was born in 6BC (now the date believed to be correct by most historians), the planets Mars, Jupiter & Saturn were in a strange configuration at that time, which could have been the mysterious sign that the three wise men saw?
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Christmas - The Facts!! (2/10)

The Twelve Days of Christmas
Traditionally, the Twelve Days of Christmas began the day after Christmas Day! This is why Twelth Night is January 6th, confusing isn't it??

The 6th January is also known as The Epiphany, which in the Western Church, commemorates the three wise men bringing their gifts for the baby Jesus. In Germany this day is known as Three King's Day. In the East, Christmas Day was originally celebrated on January 6th.

More facts to follow...........................

Christmas - The Facts!! (1/10)

25th December
The date came about due to a Roman tradition to celebrate the sun called Saturnalia as part of the winter solstice during December. The 25th was Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (the Birthday of the Invincible One). People decorated their houses & exchanged presents.
When Constantine became the first Christian emperor, he declared that it would be the day that Jesus' birthday would be celebrated instead.
The non-Christian Romans didn't mind as they still had an excuse to party!!


More facts to follow..................................