What did “my true love give to me” on the “ninth day of Christmas”?
QUESTION OF THE DAY
NOVEMBER 21, 2020
The answer, of course, is 9 Ladies Dancing!
The song, published in England in 1780 as a rhyme without any music, is thought to be French in origin. It was often sung as a game with an associated dance. It’s a weird song. But when you really step back and look at it objectively, aren’t a lot of holiday traditions weird? I mean, a tree inside your house with popcorn and lights hanging on it? Weird.
Let’s explore some other traditions and fun facts around Christmas!
Fun Facts about the Christmas holiday
1. The Christmas tree began with the Romans
The origin or the use of Christmas trees goes way back to ancient Egyptians and Romans. They used evergreen trees like fir or pine trees, wreaths, and garlands. And the use of modern Christmas trees started in Germany in the 16th century. Instead of the glitzy decorations that we see on them today, they were decorated with fruits and nuts. Wet bet you didn’t know this interesting fact about the Christmas tree!
2. Santa Claus is less St. Nicholas and more Madison Avenue
For kids, Christmas is usually about one thing and thing only. Gifts. And who brings these gifts? Santa Claus, of course. The character of Santa Claus is loosely based on St. Nicholas. As per the legend, St. Nicholas was a Christian bishop who provided for the poor and needy. We do know he was of Greek decent, lived in the city of Myrna in present day Turkey, and died around 343 A.D. He loved children and enjoyed giving gifts to them secretly. As his story spread, he was called Sinterklaas in Dutch, which later became Santa Claus. Over the course of hundreds of years, the legend of “Sinterklaas” spread in many different directions and with many variations. For instance, the aforementioned Dutch version of Santa Claus doesn’t come from the North Pole. He comes from Spain. His elves are black. And if a child misbehaves, she or he doesn’t get coal in their stockings. She gets taken back to Spain by the elves. Would that really be so bad?
3. The Coca-Cola ad men also chose Santa’s clothing
Santa Claus initially wore clothes that were in green, purple, or blue. For many years, this was the common theme for the jolly old man at the North Pole. However, Coca Cola decided to dress him up in colours that match their brand and that stuck. So this is why he is always in red clothes now!
4. Mistletoe has been around for a long time
Misteltoe has been used for years to treat a variety of ailments, but one of the so-called uses was as an aphrodisiac. Meaning, mistletoe was thought to increase the sex drive. There is no current scientific evidence to really support this, ut it probably started from the fact that the misteltoe reproduces virtually all year. Even when the ground is frozen, the misteltoe is capable of producing offspring. So this is likely why the Druids and other ancient civilizations gave mistletoe its meaning, which translated over the centuries to its holiday meaning that you have to kiss anyone you are caught with under the mistletoe.
5. Christmas sweaters were so dorky until they became cool
For years, the “ugly Christmas sweater” was something only your great-aunt or some older and tragically un-hip person would wear. The tackier the better.
And then….they became cool. Now, an ugly Christmas sweater – often with some witty or edgy phrase – is required Christmas apparel for the holiday party. In her Atlantic article, What Explains the Rise of the Christmas Sweater?, Uri Friedman offers several reasons. Perhaps most compelling is the fact that the christmas sweater became a way to express yourself while not being expensive or formal. Who wants to wear a suit and tie or a gown to a party anyway?
The article also profiles the site RustyZipper.com which sells ugly Christmas sweaters. That online store sold 3,000 ugly Christmas sweaters in 2010. Sweaters on their website look to be around $40 on average (before taxes or shipping). So right there, one little ecommerce site is selling $120,000 worth of ugly sweaters.
Crazy.
6. The Status of Liberty is the world’s largest Christmas gift
Strange but true, sort of. France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty on December 25, 1886. The gift was a symbol of support between the two countries through war, trade, and a mutual adoration of cheese. The official reason was the mutual love of democracy, seeing as both countries had endured revolutions within the prior century and supported each other (although, candidly, it seemed that France gave the U.S. a whole lot more support during its revolution than vice-versa).
It was actually complted and presented by Gustav Eiffel to U.S. ambassador Levi Morton in Paris, 1884. But disassembling, shipping, and reassembling a 151 foot tall copper statue is apparently difficult. It wasn’t until Christmas 1886 that it was completed and unveiled.
7. Christmas is not always celebrated on Dec 25th
Did you know that not all Christians celebrate Christmas on the same day? Orthodox Christtians celebrate on January 7th. Some Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th, too. So in countries with a large population of Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Christians, such as Russia, the Ukraine, Romania and Macedonia, Christmas Day falls 13 days later.
6. The Status of Liberty is the world’s largest Christmas gift
Strange but true, sort of. France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty on December 25, 1886. The gift was a symbol of support between the two countries through war, trade, and a mutual adoration of cheese. The official reason was the mutual love of democracy, seeing as both countries had endured revolutions within the prior century and supported each other (although, candidly, it seemed that France gave the U.S. a whole lot more support during its revolution than vice-versa).
It was actually complted and presented by Gustav Eiffel to U.S. ambassador Levi Morton in Paris, 1884. But disassembling, shipping, and reassembling a 151 foot tall copper statue is apparently difficult. It wasn’t until Christmas 1886 that it was completed and unveiled.