Christmas is a festive season that celebrates the birth of Christ and around the world, different traditions have emerged. We did an Internet search and discovered quite a few fun facts about Christmas, which we present below.
- King William I was crowned in 1066 on Christmas Day – In 1066, King Edward the Confessor died and his successor, Harold Godwinson and his Anglo-Saxon army were defeated in the Battle of Hastings. This was largely due to the fact that Edward the Confessor did not manage to have an heir, which caused internal conflict with Anglo-Saxon Lords.
- Annual gift from Norway to Great Britain – Since the end of WWII, the city of Oslo presents a Christmas tree to the Mayor of London, in appreciation for their help during the war years. The huge tree is located at Trafalgar Square and duly decorated with thousands of Christmas fairy lights and the grand opening typically features a celebrity to have the honour of switching on the lights.
- Germany started the Christmas tree tradition – It is believed that Germany was the first country to put Christmas trees in living rooms that they decorated with glitter and tinsel. This occurred in the early 17th century and we haven’t found anything earlier than this. Most Australian families prefer artificial trees, which you can order from a supplier like Christmas Elves.
- Traditional Christmas dinner can contain up to 7,000 calories – When you add up the calories in Turkey, roast potatoes, mine pies and, of course, Christmas pudding, you could consume as much as 7,000 calories in a single sitting! Just as well it is only once a year, otherwise, we’d all walk around looking like Michelin Man.
- Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer was created by a US marketing team – American department store Montgomery Ward created Rudolph the Reindeer as a way to encourage children to buy colouring books. Originally, Rudolph did not have a red nose, this came along later and Rudolph is known the world over as one of the animals that takes Santa around the world to give the children presents.
- Leaving food for Santa – This custom originated in many places around the world, Norwegian children used to leave food by the fire for Santa, while Dutch children left snacks near the fire at night on Christmas Eve. In the UK, US and Canada, it used to be popular for children to leave out some doughnuts for Santa Claus to fortify him as he visits every home on the planet in a single night.
- Most popular Christmas song – There is no doubt as to the most popular Christmas song, which is ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby, which has sold more than 50 million copies. Other well-known Christmas songs include Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Twelve Days of Christmas.
