| Poinsettia
as wedding flowers? Christmas tree and mistletoe as reception
décor? Bells, candy canes as wedding favors? Read on
and learn the meaning, importance of these Christmas symbols.
Bells
- Early pagan winter celebration rung bells to drive out evil
spirits. This was adopted on
| Christmas
eve to welcome in the spirit of Christmas with joyful
noise.
Candy
Canes – Candy canes were first made by an 18th
century English candy maker who decided to make a candy
commemorating Christmas.
Candles
– Lighting of candles is symbolic of the birth
of Jesus, the Light of the World.
Cards
– The first commercial Christmas cards were
produced in 1846 by John C. Horsley. The first Christmas
Card shows a family celebrating a Christmas dinner and
charitable acts of feeding and clothing the poor, with
the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year to You." |
The
candy cane is shaped like a shepherd’s staff.
|
Carols
– The word came from a Greek term for “a dance accompanied
by flute music.”
Gift
Giving –- An early Roman festival, gifts were given
as good luck emblems. This tradition was reinforced by the
Three King’s giving of gifts to the newly-born Savior.
| |
Mistletoe protects people from evil. |
Mistletoe
– Also known as the golden bough, it was held sacred
by both the Celtic Druids and the Norseman.
Around
New Year, ancient Celtic Druids would gather mistletoe
from their holy oak tree, divide the branches into many
sprigs and distribute them to the people, who hung them
over doorways as protection against bad weather elements
and evil.
Although
many sources say that kissing under the mistletoe is
a purely English custom, another explanation for its
origin extends back into Norse mythology: |
Frigga,
the goddess of love and beauty, loves her son Balder so much
that she tried to make sure no harm will come to him. However,
an evil spirit made an arrow from a mistletoe, and struck
it to Balder’s head, causing him to die.
Frigga's
tears on his death transformed into mistletoe's white berries
and brought Balder back to life. Because of this, the joyous
goddess reversed the character of the mistletoe--making
it an emblem of love and promising to bestow a kiss upon
anyone who passes under it.
Holly
– Earlier called as “Holy Tree, ” the pointed
green leaves reminded people of Jesus’ crown of
| thorns
and its red berries of His drops of blood at the crucifixion.
Poinsettia
– Legend has it that a small boy was sad one Christmas
Eve because he had nothing to give to the Child Jesus
Christ. While the boy was praying, a beautiful read
and green flower sprang up, thus called, the “Flower
of the Holy Night.”
Later,
the plant’s name was changed to poinsettia, after
the American ambassador to Mexico, J. R. Poinsett, who
sent some plants to his home in South Carolina. |
The flower of the Holy Night, Poinsettia. |
Santa
Claus, St. Nicholas – St. Nicholas, born in AD280
in Asia Minor and became bishop of Myna, was said to be born
in a wealthy family and gave all his inheritance to the poor.
A true man of love and charity,
Santa Claus. |
He
was noted for begging money for the poor and also disguising
himself from being recognized as a bishop. |
|
Christmas
Tree - Early legend has it that St. Boniface, in
an effort to stop an evil act by the German pagans,
axed a sacred tree. At the foot of the tree sprung a
tiny evergreen. He explained to the pagans that Christ
is like the evergreen, bringer of life, thus starting
a revival of Christian belief.
|
Christmas tree, bringer of life. |
The
first writings about Christmas trees were found in the
diaries of a man from Strasbourg (Germany) 1605. The
diaries documented that during Christmas time, the local
people set up and decorate fir trees in the parlors.
Charles Dickens, a British author, described a Christmas
tree in the 1850's as being “laden with dolls,
miniature furniture, tiny musical instruments, costume
jewelry, toy guns and swords, fruit and candy.” |
Twelve Days of Christmas – The Western churches’
date for Jesus’ birth was Dec. 25th, the Eastern churches’
date was Jan. 6th. In the late 4th century, they adopted one
another’s dates, thus, Christmas now started with Dec.
25th and ended with Jan. 6th, giving us 12 days of Christmas. |
