Millions of Nigerians are set to celebrate Christmas regardless of the bad economic situation in the country at the moment. With just two days to go before its Christmas day, INFORMATION NIGERIA would like you to know exactly what this day everyone calls “favourite day of the year is all about”. Hence, we’ve put together these nine facts you may not have known about Christmas…
– In the 4th century, when the Catholic Church decided to recognize Jesus’ birth as an official holiday, Pope Julius I chose December 25 for the Feast of the Nativity. Nativity known as the birth of Jesus.
– Five months into the first World War, troops along the Western front took a Christmas Eve break from fighting to sing carols to one another across the battlefield. The following morning, German soldiers emerged from the trenches and began to approach Allied troops while calling out “Merry Christmas” in English. Luckily, it wasn’t a trick; dozens of British fighters came out to greet them and shake hands, some even exchanging cigarettes as gifts. Later dubbed the Christmas Truce of 1914, it was one of the last examples of wartime chivalry.
– Some school of thought believe December 25 was probably chosen because it coincided with the ancient pagan festival Saturnalia, which celebrated the agricultural god Saturn with partying, gambling, and gift-giving. They believe that many of the popular Christmas traditions today found their roots in Saturnalia: like the Christmas tree.
– The Christmas tree made its way to America in the 1830s but wasn’t popular until 1846, after Germany’s Prince Albert brought it to England when he married Queen Victoria. The two were sketched in front of a Christmas tree and the tradition instantly became popular. Royal fever was real even back then.
– The well-known reason we give presents at Christmas is to symbolize the gifts given to baby Jesus by the three wise men.
– Because some people believe Christmas isn’t biblical, a lot of puritans did not accept it. In fact, from 1659 to 1681, it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in some parts of the world and people risked fines and even imprisonment if you were caught celebrating.
– Though Santa Claus has worn blue and white and green in the past, his traditional red suit came from a 1930s advert by Coca Cola.
– “Silent Night” is the most recorded Christmas song in history, with over 733 different versions copyrighted since 1978.
– Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is considered to be the most popular Christmas song now. In the music video, Santa is played by Mariah’s then-husband, Tommy Mottola.
If you didn’t know, well now you do… Merry Christmas everyone!!!
