8 Christmas symbols and the fascinating stories behind them
Every year, we all eagerly await the arrival of Christmas and the joy that the festive season brings along with it! We celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December each year, the day when Jesus Christ was born, as per legends. However, the Christmas fun begins long before the big day, doesn’t it? You enjoy decorating the Christmas tree, hanging ornaments on it, wrapping presents, and making your own stockings! Nothing says Christmas like sipping hot cocoa, singing Christmas carols, unwrapping presents, or even better, building a snowman! But have you ever paused to consider the origin and meaning of Christmas symbols such as stars, bells, tinsel, stockings, and Poinsettias? Or have you wondered why we build snowman and sing Christmas carols? This Christmas, keep reading to know about the fascinating stories behind 8 iconic Christmas symbols and their traditions.
Stars
After adorning the Christmas tree with tiny ornaments and lights, it's time for the big ornament to take its place right at the top. The star! Although an angel can be placed on top, the star is more popular. Why? Because of its significance in the Bible! The Star, known as the Bethlehem star, according to the Bible, guided the three wise men to baby Jesus.
Tinsel
The first tinsel was created in Europe in the 1600s. The tiny tinsel has seen its share of ups and downs in its life as an ornament. People back then added tinsel to their trees as they reflected the light flickering from candles making the tinsel sparkle and the tree more attractive. But the proximity to candles caused the tinsel to turn black on one side, which, as you would have guessed, no longer made the tree attractive.
People did some experiments and changed the material of tinsels. They tried to make it with tin and lead but failed because the lead used in production turned out to be poisonous! The dark ages of tinsel came to an end when in 1846, the tinsel made its grand entrance with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the Illustrated London News. After this, tinsel became widely popular and still is!
Snowman
Christmas is incomplete without a snowman. Although snowman was first documented in 1380, the Snowmen are said to be as old as the date of Jesus' birth. They were especially popular during the Middle Ages. Back then, people lacked the resources to express themselves artistically. So instead of trying to find expensive methods, they turned to snow all around them and what a jolly thing for you that they did! Today, building a snowman with your friends and family is a fun thing that brings forth joy and love, which is unquestionably what Christmas is all about.
Christmas Carols
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! You must have been singing ‘jingle bells’ in your mind even as you read this! Carols are catchy and some even tell stories from the Bible, which is where the carol tradition actually began. St. Francis of Assisi began performing nativity plays with carols telling the story of Jesus' birth in the 1233 Europe. The audience used to join in and sang heartily. Since then, the tradition has evolved into cheery songs. The ‘12 Days of Christmas’ is an example of a modern classic carol that recounts biblical events.
Stockings
Hanging stockings is one of the most exciting parts of all Christmas traditions. You love discovering presents inside the stockings on the day of Christmas, and before that, enjoy making the stockings! But do you know why you hang stockings? Why does Santa Claus put sweets only inside stockings? It’s all because of the legend of Saint Nicholas! It is believed that Saint Nicholas heard a widower worrying about his three daughters who couldn’t get married due to their poverty. Saddened, the saint found out where the family lived and snuck down their chimney. Inside the house, he saw the girls’ socks drying. He filled these with gold coins! The next day, when the girls woke up, they were overjoyed with the presents. And the rest is history!
Poinsettias
The poinsettias are the official flowers of Christmas. They adorn our front doors and Christmas trees. But did you know how these flowers became a symbol of Christmas? According to legends, a poor girl left weeds as an offering to baby Jesus at a nativity scene in Mexico. To everyone’s surprise, the weed turned into a beautiful flower the next day! As a result, it came to be believed that Jesus blessed the weeds and converted them into poinsettias. That’s how these flowers came to symbolise Christmas!
Saying ‘Merry Christmas’
Merry Christmas is the go-to greeting of the season. It doesn't matter whether you say merry or happy Christmas because the meaning remains the same. The Britishers usually say Merry Christmas after the English author Charles Dickens used the phrase in his book called A Christmas Carol (1843). But that's not how you must have known it, right? You think Britishers say Happy Christmas and Americans Merry Christmas, right? When Charles Dickens's book gained popularity in America, the Merry Christmas phrase got quite famous. The Britishers, however, immediately changed their greeting to Happy Christmas, owing to their linguistic rivalry with Americans.
Bells
Bells in the ancient times were rung to indicate the time of birth of Jesus Christ and to let people know that it’s time to go to church. A familiar example of using bells to announce arrival is of Santa Claus! Ho Ho Ho! Does it ring any bell?