Christmas
Christmas Traditions and
Their Origins In the UK
A Poster Pack From Coeus Education
Christmas Trees
It was German evangelist Martin
Luther who first decorated a fir tree in
1510. Queen Victoria’s German-born
husband, Albert, brought the tradition
of decorating a tree for Christmas to
Britain in around 1840. Artificial trees
were invented in the 1930s by the
Addis Company, who manufactured
them using spare machines in their
toilet-brush factory.
Presents
Giving presents is said to remind us of
the three gifts that were brought to Jesus
by the wise men when he was born - gold,
frankincense and myrrh. We did not always
exchange gifts on Christmas Day. In Roman
times, they waited until New Year’s Day to
hand out their pressies. But, as
Christianity spread, people started
giving on Christmas Day – despite efforts
by church leaders to outlaw the practice.
And the Victorians brought a renewed
vigour to the tradition of giving gifts on the
actual day itself.
Holly & Ivy
Holly and Ivy have been used to
decorate homes since the 9th
century because they symbolise
everlasting life. The holly represents
Christ’s crown of thorns and the
berries his blood. Ivy was also
thought to protect a house against
drunkenness, while holly was said to
keep witches and tax collectors away.
Santa Claus
The red-suited Santa we all know was
created in 1935, by Haddon Sundblo,
for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign.
In previous lives, he was a thinner and
paler character based on a 4th
century Turkish bishop, St Nicholas,
who became the patron saint of
children. It was in Holland, where he’s
known as Sinterklaas, that he earned
his reputation for giving away
Christmas gifts.
Gingerbread Man
The origin of Gingerbread dates back date
back to ancient times when the spice,
ginger, was known for its medicinal
properties, often used for curing stomach
aches. Small gingerbread cakes adorned
with symbols of the sun were made to
celebrate the Winter Solstice in pre-Christian Europe. The first gingerbread man is
credited to the court of Queen Elizabeth
I, who impressed important visitors with
charming gingerbread portraits.
Stockings
In the 12th Century, French nuns,
inspired by the legend of St Nicholas
– who gave gold to the poor – began
leaving stockings full of fruit,
including tangerines, and nuts at the
houses of poor people. The toe of
the stocking would contain an apple
for good health and the heel a
tangerine because they were very
rare and expensive.
Crackers
Tom Smith, a London sweet shop
owner, invented the Christmas
cracker. After spotting French
bonbons wrapped in paper with a
twist at each end in 1847, he sold
similar sweets with a “love motto”
inside. He then included a trinket and
a bang. His Bangs of Expectation
included gifts such as jewellery and
miniature dolls. By 1900, he was
selling 13 million a year.
Tinsel
The first mass-produced Christmas
decoration, tinsel was made in
Europe in the 1600s from sheets of
silver alloy hammered until they were
paper-thin, then cut into strips. It was
designed to reflect the light from
candles and fireplaces.
Mince Pies
Mince pies date back at least to
medieval times – and possibly long
before. They are descended from a
huge pie, baked on Christmas Eve,
containing chopped beef, suet, nuts,
spices and fruit, of which whole, dried
plums were an important constituent.
Turkey
Before turkey took over, the popular
Christmas dishes were goose and
cockerel or, in the houses of the rich,
peacock and swan. The turkey was
introduced into Europe from the New
World in the 15th and 16th Centuries
and, because it was inexpensive and
quick to fatten, it soon rose in
popularity as a Christmas feast food.
Queen’s Speech
The first Christmas Broadcast was
delivered by George V in 1932 and
since then has evolved into an
important part of the Christmas Day
celebrations for many in Britain and
around the world. The first televised
message was broadcast live in 1957.
The advent of television during The
Queen’s reign has given an added
dimension to her Broadcasts.
Christmas Pudding
Christmas pudding, also called plum
pudding – although it contains no
plums – originated as a 14th
Century ‘porridge’ of beef, mutton,
raisins, currants, prunes, wine and
mixed spices. By the 17th century the
meat had gone. The pudding is
traditionally stirred from east to west
in honour of the Three Wise Men.
A 10p piece can be stirred into it to
bring luck to the finder.
Christmas Cards
The first Christmas cards were sent
in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole, head of
the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London. Too busy to write letters, he
had an artist design 1,000 cards,
illustrated with a festive scene on the
front and printed with the
greeting, “A Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year to You”.
Baubles
The custom of hanging fruit and
baubles from green tree branches
goes back to Roman times.
Then the decorations were used to
symbolise the fruits of the Earth and
the fiery sun.