Christmas is here! It is the favorite date of the little ones in the house and it is not for less: lights everywhere, shows designed for them, new decoration at home and gifts.
For adults it is a little more different: food shopping, gifts, organizing family lunches and dinners, rushing, stress… what do you think if this year we live Christmas as if we were children and relax a little?
This week and the next two we will dedicate our blog to these festivities, discovering some things that you probably didn’t know. We start today with some curiosities about Christmas:
- The word “Christmas” comes from the Latin word “Nativitas” which means birth, and it is on these dates that the arrival of the Child Jesus into the world is celebrated.
- December 25 was officially recognized as Christmas Day in the year 345, under the influence of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory of Nazianzenus, although there is no evidence that Jesus was born on this day. Do you know why December 25 was chosen? December was a month in which numerous pagan festivals were celebrated, so the Church decided to establish this day to put an end to them.
- The official colors of Christmas have their meaning: green represents rebirth and life, red represents the blood of Christ, and gold represents light and wealth.
- The tradition of the Christmas Nativity Scene dates back to the year 1223, when St. Francis of Assisi gathered the inhabitants of Greccio to celebrate Midnight Mass around a manger with a figure of the Child Jesus carved by him. Legend has it that the figure came to life and that is why the custom of putting a Nativity scene in each house during Christmas spread.
- The so-called “Gordo de Navidad”, that is, the Extraordinary Christmas Draw, was held for the first time in 1812, in the city of Cádiz.
- The best-known carol in history “Silent Night” was composed in Obernforf (Austria). Its history is curious: in 1818, two days before Christmas, the organ of the Church of San Nicolás broke down, so in order not to disappoint the neighbors, the priest of the church asked an organist friend of his to compose a melody for a Christmas text.
- The tradition of Christmas cards began in 1843 when Sir Henry Cole commissioned a painter to draw a Christmas scene for him to send to the printer and write wishes for happiness on the back.
- The Christmas tree began to be used in Germany in the fifteenth century and spread to the rest of Europe, arriving in Spain in 1870 by the hand of Napoleon’s former sister-in-law.
- Panettone is one of the typical Christmas sweets in Italy, but in recent times it has spread to other Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain. The first was made in Milan at the request of Duke Sforza, who asked his cooks for a special Christmas meal that included dried fruit and raisins.
- The most expensive Christmas tree in the world is at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, valued at more than $11 million. It is 13 meters high and is decorated with balls and garlands of gold, silver, diamonds, sapphire, pearls and gold.
Don’t you find the story of Christmas curious? We love it! Have a great Christmas week! 😉
