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Stories from Christmas PastInteresting Pieces of Trivia for the Christmas Season
A vertiable feast of things you didn't know about Christmas, the origins behind some of our best loved traditions, and a bit of fun thrown in for good measure.
Recounting all the myths, legends, and traditions connected with Christmas would take some time, but doing some research on this subject often brings some unusual things to like, that are well worth the time and effort. Some examples are below. Glassy GamesYou'd be forgiven for hanging your baubles on the tree without giving them a second thought, but the story behind this tradition is both interesting, and amusing. Glass blowers in Bohemia (todays Czechoslovakia) faced long days of hot, and thirsty work, which was more often than not, quenched by mild ale. At the end of the day these merry workers would have glass blowing competitions, the winner being the one with the largest bubble. Whilst they discarded these objects without a second thought, it's said their wives gathered them up and sold them at market. Originally hung in the entrances to peoples homes, technology, and the arrival of gas mean't they were soon hanging in trees all over the world. It became a major industry in the 1870's. Breaking the Law on Christmas DayBelieve it or not many of you will be breaking the law this festive season, if you travel to church in any kind of vehicle! This is all thanks to an age old Puritan law, which although isn't recognised in todays society, still remains in the statute book. Puritans were members of an English religious group in the 16th and 17th centuries. They believed that self-control and hard work were important and that pleasure was wrong or unnecessary. They also believed that everyone should be equal on Holy Day, hence this law which formed part of the Holy Days and Fasting Act of 1551. Xmas Slang, or Maybe Not?How many people write the word Xmas on their cards, messages, and festive greetings, believing it to be nothing more than laziness or modern slang? Well all these people will be wrong on both counts. Xmas is a religous word that has been in use for more than 600 years. The X represents the Greek letter 'Chi', this is the first letter of Christos meaning Christ. The Brussel SproutNo Christmas article would be complete without mentioning that green relation to the cabbage that has, perhaps unfortunately, become as much a part of our Christmas dinner as roast turkey and plum pudding. As with anything the British public have a love-hate relationship with, it has also become the source of some amusement. For those that hate the Sprout, the technical Whizzkids at EyeGas have produced several very amusing games where you can bash, or eat as many sprouts as you can, and of course suffer some side effects. Talking of side effects, it seems that humans aren't the only ones to suffer, the animal world does too. In 2006 Metro told the weird and wonderful story of a Turtle in a marine centre eating some sprouts as a festive treat. Unfortunately this caused an Boxing Day emergency, as the turtle passed wind, causing air bubbles to flow up a tube in the tank, setting of a sensor there to detect overflowing. In the end this story caused much amusement to the staff that had rushed down to the centre, fearing problems, and to everyone reading the story afterwards. There are many books available for further research on the subject of Christmas. See below to unearth stories such as the origin of the Christmas cracker, and why turkey made it on to the dinner table.
The copyright of the article Stories from Christmas Past in Holiday Entertaining is owned by Lauren John. Permission to republish Stories from Christmas Past in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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