Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays around the world, but even if you’re a pro when it comes to the season there might still be some things you don’t know. Here’s some amazing Christmas facts that you can share with family and friends this holiday season.
How Many People Celebrate Christmas Each Year?
According to Pew Research, 90% of Americans (1 in 10) celebrate Christmas each year. Given the population of the US, that means around 296.5 million Americans celebrate Christmas in some form or another. If you’re wondering about the entire world, though, it’s estimated that about 45% of people celebrate Christmas. Considering how many people live on Earth that’s a pretty big number!
Do Only Christians Celebrate Christmas?
While it might be true that 95% of Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas, only 46% of Americans consider their celebration of Christmas to be a religious holiday. That means most folks who celebrate are doing it for cultural reasons rather than religion.
The Original Date for Christmas Wasn’t December 25th
There’s actually no mention of any date for Christmas (which was originally celebrated by Christians to pay homage to Jesus’ birth) in the bible, and definitely not December 25th specifically. The date was chosen to coincide, or possible overshadow, the pagan gift-giving holiday Yule. That explains why you “troll the ancient Yuletide carol” when you deck the halls. If you didn’t know, Yule is celebrated on December 21st each year.
The History of Santa Claus
St. Nick Was a Real Person
Santa Claus’ jolly was inspired by St. Nicholas, a real-life Christian bishop from the fourth century. He was known for his good deeds and philanthropy, which included giving away his money to the poor and rescuing women who were bound to servitude. The Dutch called him Sinter Klaas… And, well, you know the rest. St. Nicholas might have been the first Santa, but he didn’t look like him.
The Image of Santa You Know Came from Coca-Cola
If it didn’t come from history, where did Santa Claus’ red suit and iconic beard come from, exactly? Well it all started with the company Coca-Cola wanting to run a holiday ad in 1931. The hired an illustrator to come up with a jolly old elf for their magazine ads and what ran was Santa Claus looking very similar to how we picture him today.
The Names of Santa’s Reindeer Come From a Poem
If you’ve read the ‘Twas Night Before Christmas you probably consider to be more of a storybook than a poem, but it actually was written as a poem by Clement Clarke Moore. Furthermore, it went by a different name: A Visit from St. Nicholas. This poem is also the origin of Santa’s sleigh being pulled by reindeer, a theme we carry on today.
Two of Santa’s Reindeer Names May Not be Right
We know the eight reindeer as “Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Conner, and Blitzen. But did you know that two of the reindeer are sometimes called different names? Donner is sometimes called “Dunder” or “Donder”, and Blitzen “Blixen” or “Blixem”. These refer to “thunder and lighting” in Dutch.
Christmas Around the World
They Eat KFC For Christmas Dinner in Japan
In Japan Christmas is more of a couple’s holiday than the full-blown affair we celebrate in most western cultures. Although they do things a bit different, they’ve managed to carve out their own traditions around the holiday. That includes getting KFC for Christmas dinner. KFC Japan puts out special Christmas themed meals and sold 6.9 billion yen worth of the stuff from Dec 20th to 25th in 2018. People line up for hours for it!
We Leave Food for the Reindeer Because of Norse Traditions
The idea probably came from the way Norse children would leave hay and treats out of Odin’s eight-legged horse named Slepnir. Their hope was that the horse (and Odin) would stop by and visit while out hunting. This may also be the inspiration for the eight reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh!
Eggnog Comes From the Word Grog
It was originally made way back in 1607 in the Jamestown, USA. Eggnog… Egg grog. Get it? Anyway, apparently it was a hit, because we still drink alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of the festive drink to this day.
