10 things you didn't know about Christmas

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Today is Christmas Eve, and we're taking the opportunity to present 10 things you didn't know about Christmas - or that you perhaps didn't know about Christmas. A few days ago we wrote a post about Christmas traditions and about why we do what we do, and we came across so much interesting information that there will be another post. Anything new or unexpected for you? Or maybe you have some other interesting information about Christmas to share?

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1. Odin may be the forerunner of Santa Claus

In pagan times, the Germanic cultures celebrated 'jól', or 'yowl" in English, at the time of the midwinter solstice. The celebration was linked to Odin, also known as 'Jólnir'. Odin's ghostly ride across the sky, with his white beard fluttering, is thought by some to be the basis for Father Christmas.

2. Santa Claus can be traced back to St Nicholas.

Santa Claus' American name 'Santa Claus' comes from the Dutch 'Sinterklaas', which in turn is derived from the saint St Nicholas. The good-hearted St Nicholas lived in the 3rd century and, among other things, rescued three girls, who had no money for dowry, from prostitution.

3. The Coca Cola cartoonist was of Swedish/Finnish origin.

The American Santa Claus we're used to seeing today was popularised in Coca Cola advertising in the 1930s, using images by cartoonist Haddon Sundblom, who was born in the US to a Swedish mother and an Ålandic father.

4. it is unclear where the plot lives

The American Santa Claus lives at the North Pole and the Danish one in Greenland. The Finnish-Swedish Santa Claus is considered to originate from Korvatunturi, but has faced competition from tourist ventures in Rovaniemi. In 2007, the company Sweco argued that Santa Claus should live in Kyrgyzstan, as it would be optimal for Santa's logistics.

5. Christmas ham is not a pagan custom

Christmas is originally a pagan tradition and we know that the Vikings drank beer and partied at this time of year. Perhaps they also ate pigs, but the Christmas ham has nothing to do with the mythical pig Särimner. The custom of Christmas ham only came about at the end of the 19th century.

6. The advent calendar invented by a German mum - and her son

In the 1880s, a German mother decided to give her 4-year-old son Gerhard a piece of colourful cardboard with 24 cookies on it - one every day until Christmas. As Gerhard Lang grew up, he became a partner in a printing company and, inspired by his childhood, produced a successful advent calendar.

7. Ersta Diakoni brought in the Advent tree - which became a candle holder.

In the 1870s, Ersta Diakoni introduced an 'Advent tree' modelled on the Kaiserwerth Deaconess Institute in Germany. The tree had 28 candles, seven of which were lit every Advent Sunday. This custom then spread across the country and developed into the Advent candlestick.

8. We celebrate on the 24th instead of the 25th due to a clock.

Around the year 300, the Church decided that Jesus was born on 25 December, but in the Nordic countries we celebrate on 24 December. This custom has roots in the days before the mechanical clock - a new day began at sunset, instead of midnight as it does today.

9. Orthodox celebrate Christmas on 7 January

Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on 6-7 January because they use the Julian calendar, which is thirteen days behind the Gregorian calendar. Thus, in countries where Orthodox Christianity is strong (Russia, Eastern Europe, etc.), the celebrations start later - and many times are celebrated twice.

10. Some children receive their Christmas presents on 6 December.

St Nicholas' Day is on 6 December and in some countries (Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium) it may therefore be on 5 or 6 December that the children receive their Christmas presents.

To write this post about Christmas traditions I have taken information from several different sources, including Wikipedia, History of the world, Metro and the blog Holidays.

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