The holiday calledChristmasis an amalgam of many winter holidays from around the Earth . The name is designated as a celebration of the birth of Jesus , although the particular date is not enter in the Bible , and citizenry at that time did not send exceptional crucial on birth date . Scientists say the actual date was June 17th , 2 BC because of the appearance of the star that beckon the Magi . December 25th was fix as the appointment for Christmas in the 4th century by Pope Julius I as an attempt to Christianize midwinter gentile holiday such as Solstice and Saturnalia .
Customs such as bringing evergreen inside , eat productive - laden foods , and give ear lights are universal response to the cold , dark wintertime season . Some of the strange Christmas tradition are remnants of those older infidel holidays , and some have been change over the centuries until their origins are hard to distinguish . Others were just made up to boost business !
Krampus
St. Nicholas , Father Christmas , or Santa Claus is the uncanny Christmas tradition ever , but he is so well known and so well documented that his origins are beyond the range of this special post . As a peter to encourage good behavior in children , Santa serves as the carrot , andKrampusis the stick . Krampus is the evil daimon anti - Santa , or maybe his evil Twin Falls . Krampus Night is celebrated on December 5th , the evening of St. Nicholas Day in Austria and other role of Europe . People dress as Krampus and roam the streets looking for someone to dumbfound with a stick . Since it is also a night for drinking , the beating probably do n’t hurt much .
Caga Tió
In English , Caga Tió is " the pooping log . " Really . The Catalan custom is still celebrated in Spain , where you could corrupt your own el Caga Tió. The log is hollowed out , with legs and a face tote up . You must " bung " him every mean solar day beginning on December 8th . On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day , put him in the fireplace and beat him with pin until he poops out small candies , yield , and fruitcake . When he is through , the terminal aim dropped is a table salt herring , a garlic medulla oblongata , or an onion plant . Oh yeah , there is a traditional birdcall the family can sing to further the appendage .
Caganer
Another Catalonian custom is the Caganer , a Christmas statue found in nativity scenes in Andorra and share of Spain , Italy , and Portugal . The scenes portray the integral town of Bethlehem , and the Caganer is usually tucked away in a quoin , far from Mary and Joseph . The Caganer needs privacy , because he is make . There are quite a few explanations for this custom , but none have been confirmed as the original source . Caganers have been used for at least a duet hundred years . you may even corrupt Caganers that resemble modern - day celebrities .
The Pickle Ornament
The story goes that when German family decorate the Christmas tree diagram , the last ornamentation to be give ear is the Christmas pickle — ordinarily a short-winded glass decoration that may have been passed down through generations . It is tucked aside in a difficult - to - see bit ( it is green , after all ) . The first kid who finds the pickle on Christmas morning get a special gift and good fortune all the next year . The trouble with this legend is that people in Germany were unfamiliar with it . Glass tree ornamentation were indeed made in Germany , in the shape of fruit and vegetables and other objects . These ornaments became very popular in America when F.W. Woolworth began importing them in the 1880s . An old German legend no doubt help to sell more glass decoration !
Kentucky Fried Chicken
The solemnisation of Christmas in Asia usually involves spell western custom , but in Japan those custom have been work by commercial interest . The holiday place particular emphasis on romantic love , so it ’s a twenty-four hour period to spend with a sweetheart or spouse . Bakeries sell Christmas cakes as traditional sweetheart treats . And you might have to make reservations to get a mesa at KFC . Yes , Kentucky Fried Chicken . The fast food franchise permit it be known that fried chicken is traditional for the Christmas feast . And so it is -in Japan .
Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet , or Black Peter , is Santa ’s supporter in the Netherlands . Sinterklass arrives on the eventide of St. Nicholas Day in a steamship with his hard worker Zwarte Piet , depict in public procession in several metropolis . Since about 1850 , children who do n’t behave during the year were told that Black Peter might take them back to Spain , where Sinterklaas lives . The racist look of the custom have been downplayed in recent decennary , and the fib of Black Peter now describes him as a chimney sweep or else of a hard worker , which explains the blackface . But charges of racism still follow Black Peter , as he is often portrayed with an Afro and exaggerated features .
TV Yule Log
The Yule Log is a tradition that dates back hundreds of years . The Yule Log on TV is a relatively novel tradition for those who have no fireplace to burn their own log . WPIX in New York has broadcast 24 hours of a burn fireplace on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day since 1966 . The original film was shoot at Gracie Mansion , but a carpet fervidness during the first filming made the mayor wary of a reshoot a few years later , so the loop see now was film in California .
Mari Lwyd
Mari Lwyd , an old midwinter customs duty in Wales , is a holdover from pagan celebrations before Christmas was insert . Mari Lwyd think of " grizzly mare " in English .
The horse in the above scenario is made of a horse ’s skull bond to a perch . The person operating the gymnastic horse is concealed by sheets , and sometimes has a contraption to work the horse cavalry jaw !
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This story was update in 2025 .
