by Heather Reid

Created on: December 11, 2009

As you put up your Christmas tree this year, you may wonder where in the world this tradition came from.  Why do we put up trees in our houses?  You may be surprised to find out that it has nothing to do with Christianity or the birth of Jesus.  It comes from a pagan tradition by the Romans who would decorate their homes with evergreen branches and trees to celebrate the Winter Solstice.  The tradition carried over to the Puritans in America and has since been a shared tradition by most people during the Christmas season.  The Christmas tree to most, in these times, represents warmth during the cold season and provides a way for families and friend to share memories as they decorate the tree.

So, why do we hang up stockings over the fireplace?  What does that have to do with Christmas?  There are few stories surrounding this tradition.  From the Dutch, it is said that the children there would leave Santa Claus a treat by the fireplace and in return, he would leave them gifts in their stockings.  Other stories include that Saint Nicholas would throw coins down the chimney for the children and so they started hanging up stockings to try and promote their good fortune.

So, who is Santa Claus anyway?  Saint Nicholas was a 4th century Greek Bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey.  He was known for giving gifts to the poor.  He was once represented as an older man in plain robes and has morphed into the jolly, Santa Claus, that we all know wearing a bright red suit.

The Druids introduced the usage of mistletoe to celebrate the winter season and would hang it in their dwellings.  The Scandinavians also did this in celebration of their goddess of love.  This is where the idea of kissing underneath the mistletoe became popular.

So what is a yule log and where did that tradition come from?  The Druids would burn a uil log in their hearths for 12 days for the upcoming winter solstice.  They would bless the log to keep them safe and to bring good fortune to them during the cold, winter months.  After burning the log, part of it was kept so that they could light the yule log for the next year so that the same good fortune would follow them into the next winter solstice.

Most of our traditions that we do not even think about have come from pagan tradition.  We have since morphed a lot of those traditions and have commercialized a lot of our well-known Christmas icons.  A lot of people do recognize the birth of Jesus Christ and celebrate by displaying nativity scenes and representations of the star of Bethlehem.  But a lot of people also include many pagan icons along with Christian ones without even realizing where the icons came from.

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