Origins of Classic Christmas Traditions
Olivia Fernandez (8)
During Christmas there are a vast variety of traditions that families do for the holidays.
Some traditions are similar to others and some are very unique! But what people forget about is how these traditions began. So here are the origins of classic Christmas traditions.
Christmas Tree’s
Over 93 million people put up Christmas trees in their homes every year. This has been a tradition since 1539! Since then a lot of different variations of Christmas trees have been developed. Some trees are now artificial and some are different colors! But where did this tradition start from? It all started in Germany where the people of the country would put up these freshly cut trees and decorate them with wafers to symbolize their religion. They would also use ornaments as a way to symbolize meanings and memories. Christmas trees really started to sell on the market in 1848 when Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, put up a Christmas tree in the palace.
Presents
The average American spends around $997 on Christmas every year. But where did this giving of gifts come from? Giving gifts in general is an ancient tradition that was also associated with the Christian Feast of Christmas. However, in ancient Rome giving gifts took place during the winter solstice. Presents are meant to represent the appreciation and the love you have for someone and turn it into a gift. Over the years however gifts might have lost their original meaning and just represent a toy or a gift, but it still unites everyone together like it did back in ancient Rome. A new problem has sparked within this gift giving. As inflation goes up parents find themselves having a harder time looking for less pricey items. But this problem can be solved quickly by setting a budget for you and your family. Experts recommend the budget be only 1-2% of your annual income.
Christmas Lights
During the month of November and December families put up Christmas lights to decorate and light up their home. However, this might sound like a recent made up tradition but this has been around since 1882. Although, Christmas lights originated in Germany during the medieval times with the burning of Yule log. It was said to have been done easily and would help during the winter to bring light to their dark homes. After a while Christmas lights began to grow really popular as years progressed. So much so that nowadays, there are competitions between houses to see which house has the most festive lights. New forms of different lights have been introduced every year and become popular. Instead of just the classic bulb lights they now have LED lights and ones you can control with a remote! All these are just a few of the many variations you can buy.
All in all, traditions route us back all the way to ancient times. Yet, these traditions are still kept alive and are treasured for the next generations to come.