 The Legend of the Poinsettia
In a small Mexican village, it was a custom to place gifts for the
Christ Child in front of the church manger on Christmas Eve. One
Christmas, a young boy, having nothing to give, knelt outside in the snow
to pray. In the spot where he knelt, legend says, a beautiful plant with
scarlet leaves miraculously grew, and the boy presented the poinsettia as
his gift. |
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Boxing Day
Boxing day is celebrated in England, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. It was originated by the rich and powerful of old England where
their workers would go for the holiday. The day after Christmas, the
Masters and Mistresses of the castle would give to their employees their
clothes, shoes, tools and food for the year. These would be packaged in
boxes. As England changed, it was then the servants of the castles that
would bring a box to their Masters to be filled with coins instead of
clothes or tools. |
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The Candy Cane
In Europe, they decorated their Christmas trees with white sugar
candy sticks. A church official bent the ends to make it look like a shepherd's
crook. They were passed out at the services to children to keep them
content during the services. It wasn't until the 1900s that we put the
stripes in the candy canes as we know them today.
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The Pickle Tradition
In old world Germany, the pickle ornament was the last ornament that
parents hung on the tree on Christmas Eve. In the morning, the first child
to find the pickle, received an extra gift to open. |
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The Christmas Tree
In the 11th century, people decorated trees with red apples to
symbolize the tree of Paradise. In the 15th century, people put the trees
in their houses on December 24th, which was believed to be the feast day
of Adam and Eve. Prince Albert set a Christmas tree up in 1841 and was so
popular everyone began putting up their own trees. They were decorated
with homemade items such as candy and cookies and garlands. |
How to Say Merry Christmas Around the World!
- African: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
- Arabic: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
- Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
- Brazilian: Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
- Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda
- Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
- Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
- Dutch: Zalig Kerstfeast
- Finnish: hyvaa Joulua
- French: Joyeux Noel
- Greek: Kala Christouyenna
- Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
- Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
- Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
- Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
- Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit
- Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
- Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
- Latin: Natale hilare et Annun Faustum
- Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
- Navajo: Mery Keshmish
- Norwegian: God Jul
- Philippine: Malagayn Pasko
- Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Nardozenia
- Portuguese: Feliz Natal
- Romanian: Sarbatori Vesele
- Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s Prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
- Spanish: Feliz Navidad
- Swedish: God Jul and (och) Ett Gott Nytt Ar
- Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym
- Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
- Yugoslavian: Cestitamo Bozic
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