We all have our favourite Christmas tradition.
Key points
- Do you know why we call Christmas ‘Christmas’?
- Find out where greeting cards and Christmas carols originated.
- There’s an interesting story behind the Nativity Scene.
- Carols and candles are linked – find out why.
It’s the moment that finally feels like Christmas… when all the hustle and bustle of the season fades away and we can take a moment to soak it all up.
Here are some of our favourite Christmas traditions here at Hope 103.2, and the meanings and origins behind them.
Click on any of the links below to learn more about why we celebrate Christmas the way we do.
- The meaning of the name ‘Christmas’
- The meaning of ‘Noel’
- The story of Santa
- How Christmas Carols started
- How greeting cards became part of Christmas
- How the Christmas tree became a tradition
- Why red and green?
- Why we celebrate Christmas on December 25
- The meaning of Boxing Day
- The story behind the Nativity Scene
- What do candy canes have to do with Christmas?
- How carols and candles are linked
Which one is your favourite Christmas tradition?
The meaning of the name ‘Christmas’
The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the original church service to celebrate Jesus’ birth when it was called ‘the Mass of Christ’ or ‘Christ’s Mass’.
Many people spell Christmas as ‘Xmas’, which offends some Christians, partly due to its association with retail marketing.
However, ‘Xmas’ was originally an ecclesiastical abbreviation and has been used in Church calendars for about a thousand years because it was considered a holy symbol.
In Greek, ‘X’ is the first letter of Christ’s name, while ‘P’ is the second letter, so ‘XP’ became an abbreviation of ‘Christ’, at a time when few people could read and write.
Many churches have ‘XP’, with the ‘P’ on top of the ‘X’, on their walls, windows, floors and furniture to symbolise the name of Christ.
The meaning of ‘Noël’
The word ‘Noël’ emanates from various roots.
The French word ‘nouvelles’ means ‘news’ and ‘les bonnes nouvelles’ is ‘the good news’.
‘Noël’ is derived from the Latin word ‘natalis’ meaning ‘birth’.
The English root comes from the word ‘nowell’ meaning ‘shout of joy’.
Therefore, ‘Noël’ is a most fitting description for ‘the good news’ of the ‘birth’ of Jesus thus joining with the Angels to ‘shout for joy!’
The story of Santa
Santa Claus originated from St Nicholas, a fourth century Bishop in what’s now Türkiye, who loved children and secretly gave gifts to those in need.
Other countries have Santa traditions; in some he’s known as ‘Father Christmas’, however the name by which we know him derives from ‘Sinter Klass’ which is Dutch for ‘St Nicholas’.
The image of a big, round, jolly elf dressed in a red suit is thanks largely to an American cartoonist commissioned to illustrate magazine ads for a soft drink company in the 1930s.
In most countries, Santa rides in a sleigh giving gifts to children who’ve supposedly been good.
But in Germany and some other countries he’s only the helper; the presents come from the Christ Child. In German that’s ‘Kristkindl’, from where we get ‘Kris Kringle’.
This tradition was inspired by Martin Luther, who wanted the focus of Christmas giving to be not on Santa, but Jesus.
How Christmas Carols started
What we now know as carols were initially not Christian in content, rather being songs originally sung throughout the year, then eventually only performed in December.
Originally ‘Carol’ meant to dance to something, a song of praise and joy.
It’s believed the first true Christmas Carols were written by Francis of Assisi.
His were simple Gospel based songs, much lighter and happier than the more somber, traditional hymns of the time.
The practice of walking around singing carols is thought to have started in the Middle Ages in France and England.
An Anglo-Saxon tradition involved a choir standing in the village green, singing carols so the whole village could celebrate the birth of Jesus.
How greeting cards became part of Christmas
The first Christmas card was created in 1843 by illustrator John Horsley for Sir Henry Cole, a prominent London businessman.
There were three panels on the front; one showed a family enjoying a meal together; the other two featured people feeding the hungry and clothing the poor; to encourage acts of service to others.
The greeting was “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You”, similar to what is now the most common phrase on modern cards.
In the 1800s ‘merry’ meant ‘blessed’ and ‘peaceful’, so the phrase ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ meant ‘God make you blessed and peaceful’, which people understood to be a Godly blessing, in line with the Angels’ announcement of “good news of great joy”.
How the Christmas tree became a tradition
Trees were important to Europeans enduring the cold northern winter, and live trees were often taken into homes as a reminder that crops would one day grow again.
It’s believed a seventh century Monk used the pyramid shape of trees to explain the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
One story says Martin Luther was walking through a dark forest when he was impressed by the light of the stars shining through the snow-covered branches of the fir trees.
He thought how God’s light shines through the darkest night, so he took a small tree home for his children and decorated it with candles to represent the stars.
After Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, electric lights became a part of Christmas tree decorations.
Martin Luther wanted his family to see Christmas trees as a reminder of God’s love shining through Jesus – the light of the world.
Why red and green?
Red and green feature prominently in Christmas decorations because in early times they were considered holy colours.
Red represents death, symbolic of Christ’s crucifixion.
Green represents hope and new life, important to people enduring the cold northern winter, but later it came to represent the hope of new life that Jesus brings.
Early Christians used holly as a Christmas decoration because it has both colours, and its sharp edges reminded them of the crown of thorns Jesus wore on the Cross.
Wreaths originated from the Roman custom of wearing them as a celebration or a sign of victory in battle. Christians saw them as a reminder of why Jesus was born.
Why we celebrate Christmas on December 25
The Bible doesn’t give a specific date when Jesus was born. Most historians believe it was probably in September, when the weather was warmer.
It’s most unlikely shepherds would’ve had their flocks out in the open on a cold winter’s night in Judea.
In the fourth century, the Pope declared December 25 as the day to celebrate His birth, as late December to early January was traditionally a festival time.
December 25 is close to the winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year – and many pagans used that time to honour their gods of light.
Eventually, the worship of the sun gods instead focused on the coming of the Son of God.
The meaning of Boxing Day
In some countries December 26 is known as ‘Boxing Day.’
The name comes from the practice of putting money or gifts in a special box on Christmas Day, then the next day priests would distribute them to the poor.
In some countries a ‘gift in a box’ was given to servants or someone who was owed a debt of gratitude.
Today some Christians don’t give gifts until Boxing Day, preferring to spend Christmas Day focusing on Jesus’ birth.
No one is sure when the practice of giving gifts became part of Christmas celebrations. Many believe it was inspired by the Magi bringing gifts to Jesus.
Others think it’s a response to God giving us His greatest gift.
The story behind the Nativity Scene
‘Nativity’ comes from a Latin word meaning ‘to be born’.
Francis of Assisi is credited for making the Nativity scene popular, although it was originally quite different to those we have today.
Despite the scene commonly depicted in paintings or on cards, Jesus wasn’t born in a wooden stable.
In those days, animals were usually kept either in part of the house or in caves, to shelter from the cold desert nights.
Around 1223 St Francis wanted to bring more hope and love to Christmas Eve celebrations, so he created a life-sized Nativity scene in a cave, inviting people to bring their animals.
Everyone sang hymns, surrounded by cattle, sheep and donkeys, illuminated by torches to signify the coming of the Light of the World – Jesus.
What do candy canes have to do with Christmas?
According to legend, in 1670 the choirmaster in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral wanted to give children something so they’d sit still during the long Christmas Mass.
He initially gave them straight white sugar sticks, but wanting to focus on Christ, he bent them like a shepherd’s staff as a reminder that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
Around 1900 they were flavoured with peppermint as that’s similar to hyssop, a mint used in Biblical times for purification and sacrifice, as a reminder that Jesus is the sacrifice for the sins of the world.
About the same time the red stripe was added, to represent His blood shed on the cross.
Although their origins are mostly legendary, candy canes can remind us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lay down His life for His sheep.
How carols and candles are linked
Around the world ‘Carols by Candlelight’ services are a popular part of Christmas celebrations but their origins are Australian.
In the 19th century in Moonta, South Australia, miners sang carols using the light from candles stuck on their helmets.
In 1937 Melbourne radio announcer Norman Banks saw an old lady in her home, singing along to carols on the radio, while holding a candle for light.
Wishing to overcome the isolation many people feel at Christmas, the next year he organised a Christmas Eve broadcast of an outdoor candle-lit sing-along, and ten thousand people came.
‘Carols by Candlelight’ eventually spread world-wide, fulfilling Norman Banks’ aim to bring the community together in song to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Images: All photos by CanvaPro,
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