The History of Christmas Traditions Around the World
A look at the origins of some of the most popular Christmas traditions in the west, and current traditions around the world.
AS THE SUNLIGHT filters through frosted glass, its reflection gleaming off of fluffy mounds of snow piling on the windowsill, a child shoots out of bed with an excitement that few could hope to match. Bolting down the stairs in their dinosaur footie pajamas, the child has only one thing on his/her mind- “What did Santa bring me this year?”. Drifting around the corner, nearly colliding with his/her parents carrying coffee and hot chocolate into the living room, the child lays eyes on the brightly lit tree, adorned in glistening silver garland and ornaments from past family trips. Behind the tree is the nativity scene, depicting angels hovering above a newly born Messiah. Beneath the tree lies many colorfully wrapped boxes of varying sizes. This Christmas will be one to remember.
We are all familiar with the majesty of Christmas as a child and the significance of the holiday in our modern culture. But have we ever stopped to wonder how these traditions- gift giving, Christmas trees and Santa Claus- all began? As we gear up for Christmas in just a few days, let’s take a look at the history of some of the most prominent Christmas traditions in the west and then how other parts of the world celebrate this legendary day.
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN THE WEST
The first recorded Christmas celebrations can be traced back to 336 AD, as the Chronograph of 354 detailed feasting on December 25 to celebrate the birth of Christ. However, some contemporary writing has celebrations of the birth of Christ dating back much further in the middle-eastern regions of the Roman Empire.
Many traditions, such as feasting and attending mass, can be traced back to the earliest instances of Christmas celebrations. Many more, however, developed over time as Christianty expanded across the continent and other non-Roman cultures were assimilated into the church. As a result, many traditions today actually have origins in pagan religions and were modified to suit the religious symbolism of Christmas. This precedent was set into motion by Pope Gregory I in his letter to Abbot Mellitus in 597 AD, as Mettilus worked to convert the now abandoned Roman province of Brittania. In his letter, Pope Gregory I wrote:
“Tell Augustine that he should by no means destroy the temples of the gods but rather the idols within those temples. Let him, after he has purified them with holy water, place altars and relics of the saints in them. For, if those temples are well built, they should be converted from the worship of demons to the service of the true God.”
Over nearly 2,000 years, these ancient traditions were adopted, and many new ones came together to create the Christmas experience that is familiar to most people in Europe and North America today.
Christmas Trees - Evergreens have been symbols of everlasting life in Northern Europe for millenia due to the fact that they do not lose their foliage as other trees do. This led to their incorporation in Germanic and Scandinavian worship groves. During the medieval era, it became increasingly popular to decorate the tree with wafers to symbolize the eucharistic host and candles to symbolize Christ as the light of the world.This tradition, and its symbolism, was adopted by early Germanic and Scandinavian Christians. However, it was not popularized in England and the New World until the 19th Century by Queen Victoria, who began decorating the tree with popcorn strings and toys that eventually evolved into ornaments and garland today.
The Mistletoe - The mistletoe’s connection to love can be traced back to Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, who wrote about how druids used the plant to aid in fertility. Mistletoe also held significance in the Germanic and Scandinavian religions, as the plant served as a symbol of the Nordic goddess of love, Frigga, and as a symbol of peace between warring tribes. Today, the mistletoe is often hung in doorways and is said to require two people who meet under its gaze to kiss. It is also a common Christmas decoration both by itself and as part of Christmas wreaths.
Gift Giving - While commonly characterized as having its roots within the gifts given to the baby Jesus by the Wise Men, gift-giving holidays actually predate Christmas by centuries. It was a common practice to give gifts during the Roman Saturnalia, the festival honoring the god Saturn from December 17-23. The tradition is also associated with the actions of Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus below.
The Nativity - The nativity scene dates back to the fourth century, as it was carved into Christian sarcophagi and included in artwork in the early basilicas and churches. The nativity scene has undergone many different versions throughout the last two millennia with symbolism of angels and saints as well as the prominence of the Christ Child. This has changed over time and is based on the region, with the depictions in Western Europe more closely following the earliest depictions, focused on Mother Mary and the wisemen, until the 14th century when it merged with more symbolically complex and detailed Eastern depictions. Today, depictions of the birth of Christ vary depending on both region and denomination but is a mainstay of Christmas around the world.
Advent Calendars - This tradition was begun in 1903 by Gerhard Land. Originally, each day leading up to Christmas children would open a door to reveal a Bible verse. These days, each compartment contains a small gift and has gained massive popularity even among secular communities.
Santa Claus - Santa Claus is unique to the United States and some European countries with the remainder still using “Father Christmas” to fill the role of the patron of Christmas. Santa is based on the fourth century Saint Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children, brewers, pawnbrokers and unmarried people. St. Nicholas was known for his generosity and served as the basis for the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more commonly known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” The portly and friendly man in a red suit was first popularized in the United States by Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly and further gained popularity due to his presence in Coca-Cola advertisements beginning in 1931. Today, Santa Claus serves as the primary symbol of Christmas in the United States.
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD
Outside of the West, where Christianity plays a much smaller role in the everyday lives of most citizens, Christmas is still widely celebrated in nearly every country. In many places, Christmas is celebrated as a secular holiday to be spent with family and loved ones. Yet even in those places where Christmas retains its religious significance, the way in which it is celebrated can vary wildly by region and even by country.
East Asia - Due to the lower number of Christians in East Asia, Christmas is celebrated more as a secular holiday than a religious one. Korea has their own version of Santa similar to the United States’ but in a blue suit and traditional Korean clothing. In Japan, Christmas Eve is celebrated as a romantic day for couples to exchange presents, and in Indonesia, Christmas is often celebrated with a tree made from chicken feathers and bamboo cannons that are fired on Christmas Eve. As for mainland China, Christmas is largely uncelebrated due to general communist opposition to religious holidays and the lack of a permissible Christian presence.
The Middle East - Throughout the Middle East, Christmas is widely celebrated as a time to spend with family and loved ones, and with the density of religiously significant locations in the region, pilgrimage is common. In the city of Bethlehem (birthplace of Jesus), celebrations can begin up to nine days before Christmas as the Patriarch of Jerusalem makes a procession through the city and hundreds-of-thousands of pilgrims flock to the city every year. In Jordan, a Christmas cake is prepared from scratch, beginning with soaking dried fruits in rum, brandy and cognac at the beginning of December and ending with the cake being served on Christmas Eve.
Africa - Christmas is widely celebrated in Africa, even in predominantly Muslim countries. Often it’s with large parades, festivals and even Christmas trees like one would see in the United States. Gift giving is not as common, but large family gatherings with slow-cooked meals still feature prominently across the continent. In The Gambia, parades feature large lanterns called fanal in the shape of boats. Interestingly, Egypt and Ethiopia both still use the Julian calendar, so they celebrate Christmas on January 7!
South America - While many traditions in South America echo that of North America and Mediterranean Europe, Christmas festivities are often treated to a local spin on these traditions with fire dances and extended nativity scenes being common. In Guatemala and Mexico, Posadas is celebrated nine days before Christmas to commemorate Mary and Joseph’s pilgrimage to Bethlehem. On December 23 in Oaxaca, Mexico, locals celebrate the Night of the Radishes, where merchants compete to carve radishes into the most elaborate designs. In Venezuela, baby Jesus is responsible for giving out gifts rather than Santa Claus.
Eastern Europe & Russia - Following the Communist Revolution of 1917, Christmas was banned within the Soviet Union and its satellite states due to its religious significance. Following the collapse of the communist dictatorship in 1991, the people were free to return to their Orthodox Christian roots and celebrate Christmas once more. The Orthodox church continues to use the Julian calendar and so celebrates Christmas on January 7 just like Egypt and Ethiopia. The celebrations themselves last from December 31 to January 10, and Advent is celebrated for 40 days- from November 28 to January 6. Perhaps the most famous Russian Christmas tradition is the story of Babushka, which is Russian for “grandmother.” The story can be found here and recounts a telling of a woman’s encounter with the Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem. Despite its fame, the story itself is actually said to have been penned by American poet Edith Matilda Thomas in 1907.
With the world today becoming ever more connected and the popularity of Christmas on the rise, it is exciting to think about what kind of traditions will be combined or created for future generations to experience. But no matter how Christmas is celebrated, it is a time to relax, enjoy good food and spend time with loved ones.
Christmas is about family and the joy of seeing the smile on someone else’s face as hearts open to each other. Whether it be through gift giving, or simply by spending time with one another, Christmas is a time to show love and compassion and to show the light of the Lord shining brightly in the hearts of every man, woman and child.
BONUS FACT
Have you ever wondered why Christmas is on December 25? You may have noticed that Christmas is not celebrated on December 25 around the world, and in the Middle-East, it was celebrated on January 6 for hundreds of years. So what finally prompted Christians to settle on December 25 as the date for Christ’s birth?
There are two primary theories competing to answer this question. The first is History of Religions Theory (HRT). This theory posits that Emperor Aurelian elevated Sol Invictus, the sun god, to the supreme position within the Roman pantheon. As part of this elevation, Aurelian marked December 25, the date of the winter solstice on the Julian calendar, as the birth date of Sol Invictus (due to days becoming longer after this point in the year). Christians then commandeered the date for Christmas in order to capitalize on the Roman’s already existing feast.
HRT has run into issues in recent years as a critical reevaluation of the theory has found that there is no historical evidence of Sol Invictus having a festival on December 25. The Chronograph of 354, which served as the first historical mention of Christmas or a festival for the “birthday of Invictus,” does not allude to which celebration preceded or influenced the other. Therefore, while HRT is certainly possible, there is not enough evidence to conclude that it is fact.
The competing theory is known as Calculation Theory (CT). CT posits that the December 25 date was decided upon by calculating the date of Christ’s conception. The theory assumes that Christ lived a perfect number of years in the flesh, meaning that the date of his sacrifice (March 25) would be the same date as his conception. Adding nine months to March 25, rounding each month, lands on a birth date of December 25. This theory has little in the way of contemporary evidence, and many believe the assumptions of this theory were postulated after Christmas had been celebrated on December 25 to “back into” the date.
While many more theories have been created to explain the origin of the famous Christmas date, no theory has been able to provide enough evidence to be accepted as the true origin. For a more in-depth analysis of these theories, check out the link here to a small section of Church History - Studies in Christianity & Culture.