Christmas traditions: Where did they come from?

Christmas cards:

The custom of sending Christmas cards originated in the United Kingdom in 1843. Sir Henry Cole shared the idea of Christmas cards with his friend John Horsley, who was an artist. They designed the first card and sold them for one shilling each. As the years went on, printing methods improved and Christmas cards became much more popular. Eventually, they were mass produced in large numbers from about 1860. During the 1910s and 1920s, homemade cards became even more popular. People spared no creative thought and had decorations like foil and ribbon pasted on them. These cards were usually much too delicate to send through the post and so they were often given by hand.

Mistletoe:

Mistletoe is a plant that grows on a range of trees, including willow trees, apple trees and oak trees. The tradition of hanging it in the house originates from the times of the ancient Druids. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe originated from England. The original tradition was that a berry was picked from the sprig of mistletoe before a person could be kissed and when all the berries had gone, there could be no more kissing.

Presents:

The main reason behind the giving and receiving of presents during the Christmas period is to remind us of the presents that were given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. Christmas is about the giving not only to the people you love, but also to those who are struggling. Children all around the globe believe that St Nicholas, Santa Claus or Father Christmas is responsible for the presents they receive.

Christmas carols:

Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols, they were only pagan songs which were sung during the Winter Solstice celebrations. The Winter Solstice is also known as the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around December 22 (in the Northern Hemisphere, not in South Africa) and the word ‘Carol’ actually means dance or song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written and sung all year round, but as time went on, the tradition of singing became reserved for the Christmas period.

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