History of the holidays

The Christmas season and winter holidays are filled with family traditions, ancient customs and colorful rituals. Many people celebrate with wreaths, Christmas trees, gifts and colored lights. All are part of a rich tradition that began with the Druids, Romans, Germans and beyond.

A search of the Internet found the origins of some favorite holiday traditions:

Christmas trees and decorations

Decorating a Christmas tree is a fairly new tradition in America, though it has been recorded as far back as the 1500s in Europe. Historians agree that the first decorated tree appeared in the United States around the mid-1800s. The trees were cut from nearby woods and then were decorated. In Europe, Christmas trees were decorated with fruit, cookies and candy that later would be shared as gifts among families. By the 1700s, Europeans were decorating trees with lace, ribbons and burning candles. Hessians brought their traditions to the United States during the Revolutionary War.

Mistletoe and holly

Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They decorated their homes with the plant, believing it had healing powers for everything from infertility to poison ingestion. Scandinavians believe the plant is associated with peace and harmony. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from their belief in the goddess of love, Frigga. Early church leaders banned the use of mistletoe because of its pagan origins, substituting holly instead.

Poinsettias

The plant is native to Mexico and is named after the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Pointsett. He brought the plants to the United States in 1828. Mexicans associated the plant with the star of Bethlehem, giving it a connection to Christmas. The flower is actually small and yellow, and the leaves are red or white.

Christmas wreaths

Dating back to the Persian Empires, wreaths have many religious associations. Originally called diadems, wreaths were made of holly leaves and used to crown victors at the Olympic games. No one is certain about when the wreath made its transition from a head garland to a wall decoration. Many people believe the Advent wreath comes from a Swedish tradition of young girls wearing wreaths of candles on St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia was a Christian martyr who gave her dowry to the poor.

Candy canes

Legend says that an Indiana candy maker wanted to express the meaning of Christmas in candy, and he created candy canes. He began by bending white peppermint sticks into canes and then adding red stripes as representation of Christ's blood on the cross. The candy cane, with its crook, also is said to resemble a shepherd's staff.

Santa Claus

The legend of Santa Claus comes from the tale of St. Nicholas, a monk who lived in Turkey in the 4th century. Nicholas was known for his kindness and generosity. He became the subject of many legends, and his popularity gained. He became known as the patron saint of sailors and children. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death: Dec. 6.

Dutch children keep the legend of St. Nicholas alive by putting wooden shoes by the hearth in hopes they will be filled with treats. The Dutch spelling is "Sint Nikolass," which became corrupted to "Sinterklaas" and in Anglican was spelled as "Santa Claus." Clement C. Moore, author of the poem "The Night Before Christmas," is credited with creating the image of Santa Claus as a jolly elf. Cartoonist Thomas Nast drew the first modern images of Santa Claus.

Candles and lights

Martin Luther is credited with being the first person to put candles on a Christmas tree in the 16th century. The first electrically lighted Christmas tree appeared in 1882, shortly after the invention of the electric bulb in 1879. Today people hang lights from more than just the Christmas tree -- some add lights to their roofs or decorate bushes and trees outdoors. Today there also are pre-lit and fiber optic artificial trees.

Fruitcake

Some food scholars say that the Romans can be credited with the invention of fruitcake, since they added pomegranate seeds, raisins and nuts to barley mash. By the Middle Ages, the addition of spices, preserved fruits and honey bumped up the cake's status. Aged, or pickled, fruitcakes last a long time and reportedly were carried in sacks by Crusaders. Many nations have their own version of the fruitcake, but the modern dessert likely is a descendent of the British plum cakes, made with dried fruit. Though not everyone can agree on what makes a good fruitcake, the most popular ingredients include red and green candied cherries, pineapples, citron, raisins and nuts. More expensive fruitcakes contain brandy, bourbon or rum.

Gift giving

The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas likely dates back to the story of the Magi -- the wise men who brought gifts to the Christ child. But the tradition of elaborate gift-giving didn't really begin until the 1800s. The modern tale of Santa Claus and the retailing phenomenon make gift-giving an integral part of Christmas today.

Stockings

According to legend, St. Nicholas left gold coins in the stockings of three young girls who needed the money for a wedding dowry. The girls had hung their stockings by the fire to dry. In the past, it was traditional to receive fruit, nuts and candy in a stocking, though many people today also include more expensive gifts.

Christmas cards

The tradition of mailing holiday greetings started in London in 1843 and in the United States in 1846. Today about 2 billion Christmas cards are exchanged every year in the United States.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

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