It is the most wonderful time of the year......Christmas is here! When I have a little extra time off, I love to spend a little time reading. I especially love reading facts. I have been enamored with historical facts about pretty much everything since I was a child. This Christmas, I am sharing some of the more interesting facts about Christmas, some that make you go hmmmm.....
- In the Middle Ages, Christmas was celebrated in a more drunken, carnival-like atmosphere. The poor would knock on the doors of the rich and demand some of their best food. If the rich did not comply, they were met with mischief.
- William the Conqueror was crowned on Christmas Day. When he was crowned, the noble onlookers in Westminster Abbey where so loud that William's guards thought that something dasterdly had befallen him so they stormed inside the Abbey and attacked people. Houses near the Abbey were also burned.
- The Pilgrims in America did not celebrate Christmas and the holiday was actually banned in Boston between 1659-1681. Anyone displaying the "Christmas spirit" was fined.
- Krampusnacht is celebrated in Austria and other countries in Europe before Christmas. Krampus is a devil-type creature that punishes the bad children.
- President Teddy Roosevelt, known for his contributions to conservation, actually banned Christmas trees from the White House.
- In Catalonia, families have a caga tio or "pooping" log. The family places a blanket over the back side of the log to catch the items that are "pooped" out. For the log to release its contents, children walk around it while singing and beating it with a stick.
- The word mistletoe is derived from the Anglo Saxon word misteltan which actually means little dung twig. One way that mistletoe is spread is through bird droppings.
Merry Christmas!
Sources: Medieval Christmas on The Learning Site
Christmas on History.com
Unusual Christmas Traditions Around the World from FoxNews
50 Interesting Facts about Christmas from Random Facts
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