Christmas, a period long awaited by parents, but especially by children. In order to liven up this magical evening and shine with your guests, here are some anecdotes about this mythical festival! According to historians, Christmas has its origins in a pagan festival celebrated on December 25, during the winter solstice, in honor of nature and the sun. In the second century, with the expansion of Christianity, the Church decided to celebrate the birth of Christ and was looking for a date that could at the same time overshadow this pagan festival. It was not until the year 330 that the emperor Constantine set the date of Christ's birth at December 25, which is how Christmas became Christmas.
1) Celebrating Christmas has long been illegal
Yes, yes, you read that right. Between 1651 and 1681, for 30 years, Christmas was forbidden in the English colonies of North America.For the Puritans, this pagan festival brought only disorder and perdition. And those who celebrated it were forced to pay a fine. This ban was lifted by the British governor Edmund Andros, but it was not until 1950 that the United States made Christmas the great commercial celebration we know today.
2) The Christmas tree would be of French origin…
The Christmas tree dates back to medieval Germany and northern France, during the plays that recounted the creation of the world.In each play performed on December 24, a tree appeared on stage, decorated with apples and ribbons to symbolize the tree of life in the Garden of Eden.Moreover, at the time, it was decorated with red apples. It was from 1521, in the town of Sélestat, in Alsace, that the Christmas tree as we know it, escaped from the theater to lodge near our chimneys. The Alsatian inhabitants cut down the trees still green on the occasion of St. Thomas. Once cut, they were decorated with flowers, apples, sweets and cupcakes. It was Queen Victoria of England who made the tree the "fashionable" Christmas tree in Britain, after her German husband, Prince Albert, decorated hers at Windsor Castle in 1841. 
3) …And the decorations too!
It was a glassblower from Moselle who would have proposed replacing apples as a Christmas tree decoration with glass balls painted red. Why? In 1858, the apple harvest had been catastrophic, due to a great drought that would have fallen on the region. Glass Christmas baubles will begin to spread in France thanks to the Vergo factory ("worm" of glassware and "go" of Goetzenbruck), which began to produce them in large numbers at the end of the nineteenth century. 
4) In some countries, it is not Santa Claus who brings the presents…
Although this custom is universally known by children, in some countries it is not Santa Claus who goes down the chimney to place gifts at the foot of the trees. In Spain, for example, it is the Three Kings who bring the gifts on January 6. A holiday that also corresponds to the epiphany. In Sweden, it's Jul Tomte the little elf. This is a skinny little man half goblin, half gnome. We call his gifts "julklappar" (Christmas shots) because when he slips to the houses, the Jul Tomte knocks very the door and often throws the gifts inside before disappearing quickly into the night. Finally, Befana the witch in Italy. According to legend, the festival of Befana is very old. It would date back to Roman times, then Christians would have recovered it. Italian children are told that the Three Kings, a little lost, found an old woman on their way. They asked him for directions. The wise men even offered to accompany them to the baby Jesus, but the old lady refused. Remorseful, she then tried to find them. Without success…But all along the way, she was handing out gifts and cupcakes to the children.
5) Christmas legends and customs differ from country to country
In Iceland, the Jólakötturinn, Yule's cat is a well-known legend. Don't imagine a cute little cat…It is a huge and vicious cat that prowls the snowy countryside during the holidays and eats people who have not received new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. Associated with other characters from Icelandic folklore, such as the giantess Gryla, with whom the cat Yule is supposed to live. In the past, farmers used this legend to frighten their workers. The latter encouraged their workers to finish processing autumn wool before the Christmas period. Farmers offered new clothes to the hardest-working. But, the most lazy received nothing, thus becoming potential prey for the monstrous cat. Download Latest Crack Softwares Thus, to motivate the lazy children, their parents threatened to hand them over to Jólakötturinn, which terrified them. Unfairly, the poorest, who could not afford anything, risked suffering the wrath of the Christmas Cat. 
In Ukraine, Christmas is a bit like Halloween. Indeed, it is customary to decorate your traditional Christmas tree with cobwebs, a sign of good omen! A tradition coming from a very ancient Ukrainian Christmas legend. A very poor widow had no money to decorate the tree. During the night, spiders used her children's tears to create beautiful webs to adorn the tree. The very next day, the family's destiny changed and they lived in prosperity. Since then, Ukrainians have continued this tradition in order to ensure prosperity and luck for the coming year. In Mexico, more precisely in the region of Oaxaca, December 23 is the Night of the Radishes (Noche de Rabanos). Artists have to make sculptures on giant radishes. Each year, more than one hundred participate. The event originated in the colonial period, when radishes were introduced to the country by the Spanish. Oaxaca has a long tradition of woodcarving and farmers began carving radishes, shaped like numbers, in order to attract the attention of customers at the Christmas market, which took place in the main square on December 23. It was therefore in 1897 that the city officially created the competition. 
There you go! We gave you something to show off to your family on New Year's Eve. It's up to you to be convincing enough for her to believe you as these anecdotes are so far-fetched!
