When you think of Christmas, all you can think of are Santa Claus descending the chimney to deliver presents, jingle bells ringing endlessly, presents piled high under the Christmas tree, luxury snow globes, beautiful tables filled with Christmas dinner… Here are some facts about Christmas that might surprise you.
Today, the festive atmosphere of Christmas has already spread all over the world. Both the traditional Western countries and the multicultural Eastern countries are embracing Christmas. On this day, people gather with friends and relatives, exchange gifts and welcome the New Year together.
However, you may not think that Christmas has been as popular as it is today since its birth. It was even officially banned when it was an occasion for pagan revelry.
Everything, all from the fourth century AD, the Christian Church announced December 25 as the birth of Jesus, and this day, and the ancient Roman pagans to celebrate the collision of Saturnalia. As a result, Christmas in Europe has been a great excuse to party for centuries.
There was public drunkenness, dancing, teasing, gambling, and even some church services mixed in. But not everyone is happy with the loud and wild celebration. Some of them traveled across the ocean to the United States to try to find a more sacred way of life.
The Puritans point to the Bible, which says nothing about the birth of Jesus, much less about celebrating it. So in 1659 they banned the celebration of Christmas, and those who did it without permission were fined five shillings, or could be sent to jail for a night.
It wasn’t until 22 years later, in 1681, that the ban was lifted. But this did not mean that people suddenly began to celebrate Christmas. In fact, at that time, many citizens still resisted it. Until, that is, Santa begins to come into view…
Among the many Christmas legends, Santa Claus is the most representative popular idol. You think this jolly old man in red came from centuries of scripture? But the Santa we see today is the brainchild of three New Yorkers.
In 1809, Washington Irving updated the folklore of Nicholas. As a Greek bishop in the fourth century, St. Nicholas was known for giving gifts. But in Irving’s hands, he is no longer a bishop in episcopal robes, nor does he even look like a saint. He became a man in knickerbockers and flew around in a carriage.
In 1823, Clement Moore, a professor at New York University, took this image further. In his poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” he dresses Santa Claus in a red velvet suit with a large jelly belly and sends him flying through the sky with eight reindeer. The poem was popular among the people, and the influence of Santa Claus quickly spread.
The final contributor is New York-based illustrator Thomas Nast. Not only did he draw the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant. He also added more details to the image of Santa Claus with his own illustrations: He lives at the North Pole, has a long gift list, children write to him…
Although the story was completed in the early 20th century and the image of Santa Claus changed several times before it was finally settled in 1931, it was the Coca-Cola Christmas advertisement that really made Santa Claus popular.
For 34 years, Coca-Cola’s Christmas ads featured paintings by Haddon Sandbrom. For most people who lived at that time, the image of Santa Claus would come to mind, and it would be the image of a white-bearded grandfather on a Coca-Cola poster.
It would shock you to know that Coca-Cola is responsible for the birth of the classic Santa Claus. Here’s another truth you probably haven’t heard: “Jingle Bells,” which is sung every Christmas, wasn’t originally written just for Christmas.
What James Lord Pierpont had in mind when he wrote “Jingle Bells” was actually the first snow on Thanksgiving. For many years in the 19th century, the tune we remember as so pure was little more than a noisy drinking song: people would rise in chorus and shake the ice in their whisky glasses.
If you read the lyrics carefully, they are full of descriptions of fun and mischief: for example, a man is driving a sleigh through the countryside with a beautiful woman in his arms when he accidentally bumps into someone.
“Jingle Bells” became widely sung as a Christmas carol only because the snow scenes depicted in the song were more reminiscent of Christmas.