Isn’t it amazing that tonight people will be all set and excited to welcome Santa Claus who will arrive on his sleigh drawn by reindeer to slide down the chimney in his red suit with long white beard and a sack over his shoulder? And tomorrow will be the Big Day when people will open presents under the decorated Christmas tree. But I never knew since how long and old are these traditions continuing from.
The Bible offers no date for the birth of Jesus, and it may or may not have been in December. The celebration of the birth of Christ on 25 December dates back to the fifth century, when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.25th Dec has been chosen for this festival of giving, sharing and rejoicing s to associate with the shortest day of the year, which falls between 22 December and 25 December. It was also Jupiter's birthday and there are many other strange facts associated along with this selected date.
The story behind the change of name from St Nicholas to Santa Claus is nothing but the miss pronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is also known as Sint Nikolaas in Dutch-a holiday tradition in Netherlands and Belgium.The practice of thinking that Santa slides down from the chimney came from the writings of Washington Irving in which St Nicholas appears as a fat, jolly figure, dressed in fur, with a clay pipe and beard, who slides down chimneys. Santa got his dress-the trademark red suit from the cartoonist Thomas Nast. It was when Coca Cola Corporation appropriated him for an advertising campaign that began in 1931, and ran every Christmas for 35 years. And Louis Prang was also a contributor in the dressing of Santa. He was a Boston Printer who first introduced Christmas cards to America. He featured chubby Santa with a red suit in his card. This picture rapidly changed the fur dressed and multicolored Santa's to the red cloaked round-bellied Santa.
To know more:about the origin of Christmas cards, reindeers, turkey, mince pies check the Articleat:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfmc_id=6&objectid=10549639&pnum=2
Posted By: Jaspreet
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