December is a wonderful time of the year where people from all over the world come together with their families to celebrate all types of holidays and traditions, Christmas being the most popular. Christmas is a huge holiday with billions of people every year joining in on the festivities, but where did this all come from, why all the gifts, who is the big fat man in red, and what are the origins of Christmas?
Christmas is most known for being the day that Jesus was born, and the holiday built around celebrating his birth. Although this Christian tradition has a huge impact on the holiday as it is now, there are other celebrations from all over the world that have influenced Christmas. In Europe, the Scandinavians held an event called Yule. This festival started during the winter solstice, around December 21, and continued through January. To honor the return of the sun, the Scandinavians would light large logs on fire, and have massive feasts to recognize that the worst of the winter was behind them. There are many similar traditions across all of Europe in which families would come together in late December or early January to cook elaborate meals and jubilate for the coming spring.
Santa, however, is a different story. There is no 100% on who inspired the jolly fat man, but many believe him to be based off of a man named Saint Nicolaus. Saint Nick was a a Christian Saint born 270 AD in Türkiye. The Saint’s parents died when Nick was very young, but he held strong to the Christian ideals his late parents taught him. Nicklaus grew up to be an incredibly generous man, using his inheritance to give gifts to the poor, especially young children, and help others in any way he could. Nick was loved in his community, and was made Bishop of Myra while he was still a young man. Nicklaus, though did eventually die, and in 343 AD he left this planet, but his legend continued to grow. He became the spirit of generosity and selflessness in the eyes of many, and his story was transformed into the one of Santa Claus.
Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, this celebration means a lot to a lot of people. And even though its history isn’t one completely understood, the impact this holiday has on our world and on us as individuals is astounding.
