These 7 curiosities about Christmas may not be essential for survival, but they make for interesting conversation.
Did you know that in Catalonia (northeast Spain), on December 25, children hit a tree trunk with a painted face with a stick, which then brings them presents? Christmas may be a well-known celebration with thousands of years of tradition in our country, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t many curious and secret facts surrounding this festival – as the Catalans prove. Whether you celebrate with family, friends, alone or not at all, these 7 facts might interest you.
1. a seemingly random date of birth
Everyone knows that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. But the problem is that no one really knows exactly when Christ was born. The birth scenes are recorded in the Bible, in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, where no date is given. In the early fourth century, the church established December 25 as the feast day, which coincides with the winter solstice in the Roman calendar. Coincidentally – or not – the Romans celebrated the feast in honor of their sun god on this day. Even more confusing is that part of the Eastern Christian churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar.
2. prohibition of Christmas
In the hundreds of years that Christmas has been celebrated, it has been banned several times – mostly for political reasons. But, surprising as it may sound, it has also been canceled because people celebrated a little too much. In the 17th century, December 25 was a day of lavish dinners, elaborate masked balls, gambling and pageants – a day of indulgence in an otherwise very austere society. So much so that the Puritans associated the day with drunkenness and other misbehavior and banned it in England and colonial America for several decades.
3rd Christmas market – a Germanic tradition
Christmas markets have their origins in the German-speaking countries. Dresden’s Striezelmarkt is considered to be the first real such market, first held in 1434. Nowadays, it attracts around two million people every year – even before Corona. However, the two largest Christmas markets take place in Dortmund with more than three and a half million visitors to 300 stalls and in Cologne with 4 million people. In any case, it has taken hundreds of years to export this tradition to non-German-speaking countries. The first Christmas market we know of is the one in Barcelona, the Fira de Santa Llúcia. It takes place in the square of Barcelona Cathedral and has been held every year from December 13th since 1786.
4. as many variations of Advent wreaths as there are Christians
This Christmas symbol was created by Johann Wichern in 1839. It consisted of a wagon wheel hanging from the ceiling with 4 large white and 20 small red candles – the large ones corresponded to Advent Sundays, the small ones to weekdays. Over time, it was decorated with fir greenery and simplified to 4 red candles.
In the Catholic regions of Germany and Ireland, however, the candles are purple, with the exception of a pink one, which is lit on the third Sunday in Advent. The “largest real Advent wreath” in Mariazell, Austria, draws on both traditions: In its 12-meter radius, it includes 24 candles, of which 20 are white and 4 are purple.
5. glass gherkins as Christmas tree decorations
The glass Christmas cucumber is hung half-hidden on the Christmas tree every year. Whoever finds it gets an extra present. Although this tradition is not particularly well known in Germany, it seems to be a classic in the United States.
The funny thing is that Americans consider it a German custom. Legend has it that the creator was the Bavarian emigrant Hans Lauer in 1864, and since then the pickle has been hung all over North America at Christmas. And perhaps here too?
6th Willisauer Ringli – the real Ringli
It may surprise you, but you still have to believe us: the real Ringli don’t taste like paprika. They come from Willisau, a small town in Switzerland, and are a true legend in the culture of our southern neighbors. Created in the first half of the 19th century, these honey and lemon-flavored cookies are eaten with hot chocolate on Christmas Eve before presents are opened. And they are delicious.
7 More than just a reason to celebrate
Everyone knows that the birth of Christ is celebrated at Christmas. What fewer people know is that the ancient Romans celebrated a different birthday on the same date: that of Sol Invictus. According to the calendar created by Julius Caesar, the days get longer from December 25 and decades after creation it was reinterpreted as the birth date of the “unconquered sun god”. Despite the coincidence, some historians are not sure whether one festival arose directly from the other.
What is certain is that December 25 also commemorates the birth of one of the most important scientists in history. The name is Isaac Newton, the date is 1642. The author of the description of universal gravitation and the man responsible for a huge leap forward in science should be reason enough for non-believers to celebrate these dates.