35. St Stephen’s Day, Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Lá an Dreoilín, meaning the Wren Day, is named after the first Christian martyr and alludes to several Irish myths or legends that link parts of the life of Jesus to the wren. (Which, like Donner and Blitzen, come from the German words for thunder and lightning.). 8. He was originally too overcome with grief, but eventually found inspiration in his brother’s death and the Christmas memories they had together. Smarten up! Mistletoe -- that special sprig we all swap smooches under -- is actually a parasite, sucking nutrients from its host tree in order to stay festively green all winter long. The first batch of eggnog in America was crafted at Captain John Smith's Jamestown settlement in 1607, and the name eggnog comes from the word "grog," which refers to any drink made with rum. In the music video, Santa is played by Mariah’s then-husband, Tommy Mottola. 1640 – Scotland abolished the observance of Christmas (until 1958 when it became a legal holiday). 27. Read Next. Here are the facts about the guy who is always associated with Christmas. When sainted, he became the protector of children. ® & © 2021 CBS Studios Inc. © 2021 CBS Television Distribution and CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. One night, St. Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down the man's chimney so that his oldest daughter would be able to get married, and the bag fell into a stocking that was drying by the fire. When the Candy Cane was invented in Germany, it was made into a J for Jesus. 5 Facts You Didn't Know About A Christmas Story. Elf on the Shelf: Facts you didn't know about the Christmas tradition CNBC. Royal fever was real even back then. 12 facts you didn't know about Christmas By ROBERT MILLER News Clerk Dec 20, 2020 Dec 20, 2020 Updated Dec 20, 2020; Facebook; Twitter; WhatsApp; SMS; Email; 1 of 3 Sun ‘n Lake ‘Twas the Lights before Christmas 2020 second-place winner, 6413 Granada Blvd. This hybrid Christmas/Halloween movie is one of the most popular movies of all time, to the point that … 22. I hope you have enjoyed these 15 Christmas facts and have a very merry Christmas. There's also Krampus, made infamous by the 2015 horror movie of the same name, a horned, hooved demon who punishes naughty children by beating them or dragging them to Hell, according to Austrian folklore. 18. Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" holds the Guinness World Records title for the highest-charting holiday song. 21. Amid the pandemic that keeps on taking, as many of us are forced to adjust to a not-so-festive-feeling holiday season, it's more important to find new ways to make merry. 2. 29. 5. Christmas, a day celebrated by the Christians all around the world is luckily a Public Holiday, a day when Jesus was born; as declared. The gifts we … Here are 10 facts about Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and Rudolph that you (probably) didn’t know. Christmas is one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays in the Christian world. You Can Share Your Faith With Your Family Without Making It Weird. 0. It’s Illegal To Eat Mince Pies On Christmas Day. Here are 7 other things about Christmas you probably didn’t know. Nearly 70 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe. All Christmas decorations are usually taken down and put away on ‘Little Christmas’ (January 6th.). And the highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dec. 25 was likely chosen because it coincided with the ancient pagan festival Saturnalia, which celebrated the agricultural god Saturn with partying, gambling and gift-giving. 32. In fact, He probably wasn’t born in December at all. I took a look around and found some of the most interesting facts I could about Christmas. 1. Six hours of none stop eating? We all love Christmas, but how much do any of us actually know about why Christmas is the way it is? December 21, 2016. Merry (almost) Christmas! 0. But now the mistletoe hangs proudly in Irish homes as a symbol of peace. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit Email. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" actually has a truly depressing backstory: songwriter James "Haven" Gillespie was broke, jobless and his brother had just died when he was asked to write a Christmas song. Rudolph was almost named Rollo or Reginald. Rudolph was actually conceived by a department store, Montgomery Ward, as a marketing gimmick to get kids to buy holiday coloring books. Children would leave shoes out the night before and, in the morning, would find little gifts that St. Nicholas would leave them. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas in the Stars StarWars.com has collected some little-known facts about the iconic (and only) Christmas album from a galaxy far, far away. To put you in a festive mood (as well as to correct a few historical misunderstandings) here are ten things you probably didn’t know about the first Christmas. A fairy who leaves twigs in the shoes of naughty children? Here are a few interesting facts about Christmas you might not know. 16. subscribe to my weekly dose of Irish newsletter here. The 12 pubs of Christmas pre-2020 was done by many in Ireland. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Jesus probably wasn’t born on December 25. The word Christmas comes from the Old English “Cristes maesse” meaning “Christ’s Mass”. Well, it is the season to be…well informed. 15. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beloved and incomparably unique film, but what do it's fans not know about this Tim Burton stop-motion classic? Because of its roots in pagan festivals, Christmas was not immediately accepted by the religious. The original lyrics to "Hark! Of course with Covid-19 this year things are a little different. It measured 221 ft. tall. People all over the country jump into the freezing Atlantic regardless of the conditions. The law has never been rescinded, meaning it’s technically illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day in the UK. When the holiday season rolls around, the first thing many people do is turn on Christmas music. These evergreen branches became the foundation of our Christmas tree. Mirror in February A Poem By Thomas Kinsella, A Christmas Childhood By Patrick Kavanagh, Irish Dance to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”. Thus, here are 35 (fun) facts about Santa Claus, Rudolph and the undisputed queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, that you (probably) didn’t know. Even to the extent of being banned for paganism in some respects. Long associated with the festive season, chestnuts are a sweet-tasting nut that come from the sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa). While you're busy wrapping gifts and preparing to feast with family and friends, TIME brings you these bizarre Christmas facts to ponder 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas. Christmas trees go back a loooooong time. This the season to be…well informed. By TV GuideNews @TVGuide Dec 16, 2020 6:30 PM EST. How the Welkin rings!" Curl up by the fire with a nice cup of hot cocoa and smarten up! And we leave carrots for Santa Claus' reindeer because, in Norse mythology, people left hay and treats for Odin’s eight-legged horse, Sleipnir, "in hopes the god would stop by their home during his Yule hunting adventures." Christmas supposedly marks the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec. 25. by Kimberly Lin December 21, 2016. by Kimberly Lin. The tallest christmas tree ever displayed was in Seattle, Washington. Christmas supposedly marks the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec. 25. But there is no mention of Dec. 25 in the Bible and most historians actually believe he was born in the spring. The most expensive being “Swans a Swimmin” — about $6,300. 12. Boston church leaders tried to have the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" banned in the 1950s because they thought it "promoted physical intimacy." You were fined if you were caught celebrating. ). One of the reasons we leave milk and cookies for Santa is because Dutch kids would leave food and drink for St. Nicholas on his feast day. Share This Post! Over the years, other reindeer have been name-checked on Santa's sleigh team, such as: Flossie, Glossie, Racer, Pacer, Scratcher, Feckless, Ready, Steady and Fireball (no relation to the whiskey). Starbucks did NOT declare war on Christmas in 2015. Thus, here are 35 (fun) facts about Santa Claus, Rudolph and the undisputed queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, that you (probably) didn’t know. Which is only a hop, skip and a jump to Santa Claus. Christmas … By Matthew Wilkinson Sep 14, 2020. 17. 26. In reality, a priest wrote it while stationed at a pilgrim church in Austria. Now you know. is the well known opening line of Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song. 30. Buying all the gifts from the “12 Days of Christmas” would cost you a ton of money. The look of Santa Claus we have today was created at an 1804 meeting of the New York Historical Society, where member John Pintard handed out wooden cutouts of jolly old St. Nick in front of stockings filled with toys. Posted on Last updated: December 24, 2020 By: Author Irish Around The World, Categories Featured Article / Ireland / Irish Heritage. Often including a choir and a nativity scene. Welkin is an old, English term for Heaven. Curl up by the fire with a nice cup of hot cocoa and smarten up! Midnight mass is typically one of the biggest attendances for mass in Ireland. Here, we are listing 10 such interesting facts you probably didn’t know before. 1. However, you might not know the surprising history behind many popular songs and carols like "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas," and "Silent Night." The largest Christmas cracker – 45.72m long and 3.04m in diameter – was pulled in Australia in 1991. Singer Jimmy Boyd had to fly to Boston and explain to them why it wasn't obscene. Facts about Christmas fact, it said that in ancient Egypt and,! 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