12 Christmas Facts
Here are 12 'interesting' (and rather random) Christmas Facts to excite/educate/amaze/bore your family and friends with this Christmas!
The two old Saxon works which make the word Mistletoe can be translated as 'poo on a stick'!
Mistletoe doesn't seem quite so romantic now does it?
In Sweden watching old Disney cartoons on Christmas Eve afternoon is VERY popular!
Every year, since 1959, at 3.00pm the 1958 Disney special "From All of Us to All of You" is shown on TV.
Christmas Pudding was originally a porridge made with beef or lamb!
The porridge also contained alcoholic drinks like wine or beer and contained meat until the mid Victorian period.
Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th!
It more likely happened in September or October. '25th December' might come from associating his death and conception to the same day.
Turkeys don't come from Turkey!
The 'official' name for Turkeys is 'Meleagris gallopavo' which means 'guinea-fowl chicken-peacock'; but they are none of those!
Christmas Crackers were originally called 'Bangs of Expectation'!
They were invented by a London sweet maker called Tom Smith as and new and fancy way of selling his sweets.
In Catalonia a popular Christmas decoration is 'The Pooping Log'!
You feed it goodies from 8th to 24th December, then it poops them out so you can eat them over Christmas.
Jesus was NOT born in a stable!
The term 'stable' came from a mistranslation of 'guest room'. There's also no Innkeeper or donkey mentioned in the Bible.
This emoji 🍰 is Japanese Christmas Cake!
And KFC is a VERY popular option for Christmas dinner in Japan! (Christmas is also NOT a public holiday in Japan.)
Calling Christmas Xmas is perfectly fine!
The X comes from the Greek letter 'Chi' and monks used it as shorthand for 'Christ'. But Xmas should be pronounced Christmas.
The Christmas Pickle is NOT a German tradition (but yes, it is a thing)!
The 'tradition' was probably invented in the early 1900s in the USA to sell some left over ornaments.
In Finland visiting a cemetery on Christmas Eve afternoon is a popular outing!
It also happens in some other nordic countries. The cemetery and graves are lit up with lanterns and candles.
Here endeth the 12 Random Facts of Christmas! You can find out about lots more about Christmas Traditions and Customs, Christmas Around the World and The Christmas Story!