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10 Popular Christmas Traditions And Their Origins

Published

2 years ago

December 22, 2023

Editor

Christmas is celebrated to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Understanding the traditions associated with Christmas is important because, by knowing the origins and meanings behind these traditions, we can appreciate their depth and significance. This article explores the fascinating stories behind popular Christmas traditions.

Here are some of the popular Christmas traditions:

1. Red and green

When we think of Christmas, we often think of red and green decorations or red and green clothing. According to research, the association of the colours red and green with Christmas is traced back to a certain plant: holly. Holly plants are known for their bright green leaves and red berries.

Today, Christians have adopted the holly tree as a symbol for Christmas. The sharp leaves are said to symbolise the crown of thorns worn by Christ, while the berries represent his blood. Holly is a winter-blooming plant and may be one of the few signs of green during the season. Over time, the combination of red and green has become deeply ingrained in Christmas traditions, decorations, and imagery, representing the warmth and joy of the holiday.

2. Santa Claus

A main inspiration for Santa Claus is Saint Nicholas, a third-century Christian who was known for his kindness and charity. He also enjoyed giving kids gifts in secret. He later became a local folk hero, and stories about him expanded into elaborate myths and legends over the centuries. Over time, different customs and stories merged to create the modern image of Santa Claus that we know today.

With each new story, different cultures and peoples would add their unique twists and embellishments to the story of St. Nicholas.

As time went on, these characters barely resembled the original St. Nicholas and became totally new figures separate from him.

Today, many countries in the world tell stories of many different versions of a St. Nicholas-inspired character that gives gifts to children during Christmas.

3. Santa’s elves

According to legends, elves were small dwarf-like creatures with pointy ears who protected good people from evil. They stay at the North Pole with the legendary Christmas figure, Santa Claus, to help him in his workshop. These young magical creatures came in both genders and wore pointy hats and red and green clothes. They had long noses and sharp ears.

These elves worked in Santa’s workshop, assisting him in the creation of toys for good children all over the world. Apart from helping Santa in his workshop, the elves were also in charge of caring for Santa’s reindeer and carriage.

4. Santa’s reindeer

Since the release of Clement Clark Moore’s poem ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ in 1823, reindeer have been known as Santa’s sleigh pullers. From their habitat in the cold, icy Arctic, reindeer have evolved unique features that help them thrive in these harsh environments and make them the perfect Santa’s helpers. Their hooves have the ability to grow and shrink, depending on the season. Santa Claus’ reindeer are said to pull a sleigh through the night sky to help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

5. Christmas stockings

This tradition can be traced back to the original Saint Nicholas, who was said to have put gold coins in the stockings of three poor sisters. One night, the girls left their stockings drying over the fireplace. Saint Nicholas knew the family was very poor, so he threw three bags of gold coins down the chimney. The money landed in the sisters’ stockings. Since then, children have been taught to hang up their Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve, hoping to find them filled with gifts in the morning. This comes with the anticipation and excitement of receiving presents.

6. Christmas trees

The Christmas tree is a cherished tradition. People bring a beautiful evergreen tree into their homes and decorate it with lights, ornaments, and garlands. Families often gather around the tree to exchange gifts. Decorating buildings with trees during the winter is a practice that can be traced back to ancient peoples like the Romans and Egyptians, who often used trees to add to the beauty of shrines or temples.

However, the modern Christmas tree is said to come from German medieval traditions. Germans would decorate a tree in their homes on December 24 in order to celebrate the feast day of Adam and Eve. As time went on, these trees would also be used to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ during Christmas. Whether real or fake, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree can often be found inside a heavily decorated home, just waiting for St. Nick to put wonderful presents (or a pair of socks) underneath it.

7. Presents

St. Nicholas was known to give gifts to children, which is why his ‘descendant’, Santa Claus, does so as well. Gift-giving also has its roots in pagan rituals held during the winter. When Christianity folded these rituals into Christmas, the justification for bearing gifts was redirected to the Three Wise Men, the Magi, who gave gifts to the infant Jesus. As for modern Christmas gift-giving, this tradition seems to have been strengthened and encouraged thanks to the popularity of Santa Claus and the commercialization of Christmas.

8. Christmas Carol

Carols have their roots in pagan rituals appropriated by the nascent Christian Church when, in the 4th century, it officially named Christmas the celebration of Christ Jesus’ birth. Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas carols. They were pre-Christian or pagan songs sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around December 22. Christmas, remembering the birth of Jesus, then started to be celebrated at the same time as the solstice, so the early Christians started singing Christian songs instead of pre-Christian or pagan ones.

9. Christmas bells

You cannot talk about the sounds of Christmas without mentioning Christmas bells. Bells have always been rung for a variety of reasons. The ringing of bells has been an important part of celebrating Christmas since ancient times. Bells have been used in the past to not only provide music and a sense of celebration, but they have also been rung to announce the arrival of the Christmas season. They can symbolize the announcement of the birth of Christ. Bells were also part of the Jewish high priest’s garments. Christmas bells not only symbolize the joy of Christmas; they also remind us that Christ is the High Priest.

Christmas bells can be seen on light posts that light up the streets at night, are hung on many Christmas trees, and can be heard in every house in America that celebrates Christmas.

10. Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on December 26. Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria was on the throne. In Victorian times, the wealthy would box up items they no longer needed to give to the poor. It was a day where servants would be given time off and thanked for their hard work with a ‘special box’ of treats.

Other reports say that many people believe that the tradition of Boxing Day began in churches in the Middle Ages, where parishioners would collect money for the poor. This was done to honour St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose feast day fell on December 26
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Afghanistan’s Taliban Release US Citizen

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2025

Editor

Afghanistan’s Taliban government released an American citizen from detention on Sunday, a week after freeing an elderly British couple.

In a statement, the ministry identified the detainee as Amir Amiri and said he had been handed over to Adam Boehler, Washington’s special envoy on hostages.

Boehler made a rare visit to Kabul earlier this month to discuss the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the Taliban government.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan released an American citizen named Amir Amiri from prison today,” the Foreign Ministry on X, using the official name for the government.

“The Afghan government does not view the issues of citizens from a political angle and makes it clear that ways can be found to resolve issues through diplomacy.”

Little is known about Amiri’s case, as it has not been widely reported.

An official with knowledge of the release said Amiri, who is 36, “had been detained in Afghanistan since December 2024”.

The official added that Amiri would stop briefly in Doha, Qatar for medical checks before continuing back to the United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the release of Amiri, said he had been “wrongfully detained” in Afghanistan, and thanked Qatar for helping to get him freed.

President Donald Trump “has made it clear we will not stop until every American unjustly detained abroad is back home,” Rubio wrote on X.

In January two Americans were freed in exchange for an Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States.

Another American, airline mechanic George Glezmann, was freed after more than two years in detention during a March visit to Kabul by Boehler.

At least one other US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is being held in Afghanistan. The United States is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The Taliban authorities deny any involvement in his 2022 disappearance.

Just a week ago, Britons Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbie, 76, were released from a Kabul prison after almost eight months in detention. The Taliban authorities did not say why they were detained.

The couple was arrested in February and first held in a maximum security facility, “then in underground cells, without daylight, before being transferred” to the intelligence services in Kabul, UN experts have said.

The couple married in Kabul in 1970 and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan, running educational programmes for women and children. They also became Afghan citizens.

All the releases have been mediated by Qatar.

Both the US and the UK, like many other Western nations, warn against all travel to Afghanistan.

Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban government, which has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and been accused of sweeping human rights violations.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been arrested since the group returned to power in August 2021, when most embassies withdrew their diplomatic presence.

The Taliban government says it wants to have good relations with other countries, notably the United States, despite the 20-year war against US-led forces.

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One Dead, Several Injured After US Shooting, Fire At Mormon Church

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2025

Editor

One person was killed and several others injured Sunday after a shooter targeted a Mormon church in the US state of Michigan, where the building was also set on fire, authorities said.

The suspect, a 40-year-old man from a nearby town, was shot dead by law enforcement after the attack, police said, without specifying any possible motive.

President Donald Trump called the shooting “horrendous” and said on his Truth Social platform it “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”

Images from the scene showed emergency services escorting people on stretchers and a large plume of dark smoke at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.

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Head Of Mormon Church Is Dead

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2025

Editor

Russell Nelson, who headed the Mormon church since 2018, died on Saturday night at age 101, the church announced.

“With sorrow we announce that Russell M. Nelson, beloved President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away peacefully… at his home in Salt Lake City,” it said in a statement, using the church’s official name.

The former heart surgeon was “the oldest president in the history of the Church,” the statement added, without specifying a cause of death.

Utah Republican senator Mike Lee lauded Nelson as a “bold, visionary leader prepared by God to testify of Jesus Christ in the very times in which we now live.”

Nelson became the 17th president of the Church in January 2018 at age 93, succeeding Thomas Monson.

Before becoming president, Nelson successfully pushed for the church to label same-sex married couples as “apostates” and bar their children under the age of 18 from religious rites, including baptisms — though that policy was scrapped after he took on the role.

He also broke with his predecessors and cautioned against using shorthands “LDS” or “Mormons” to refer to the church.

Nelson’s successor will be chosen after his funeral by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who like the church’s president are considered prophets by believers.

The religious leader is survived by his wife, eight of his children, 57 grandchildren and more than 167 great-grandchildren, according to the church.

Founded in 1830, the Mormon church considers itself a Christian body, but bases its doctrines on the Book of Mormon, a text purporting to contain a fuller version of the words of Jesus Christ than that recorded in the Bible.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims a total membership of more than 17.5 million people.