CHRISTMAS

Christmas is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, who is the central figure of Christianity. On this day, 2000 years ago, Jesus was born to Mother Mary and Father Joseph in Manger in Bethehelem. On that day, there was born a personality whose values every person must emaculate. 

        Christmas brings us joys of the heavens. It brings us enjoyment, piquantness, and much more. It’s so alluring festival. It is a festival not only for mere enjoyment but for lessons of forgiveness and many golden moral values. Here I would like to share some interesting facts about Christmas- 

1.      1. 'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa’s reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".

2.  2.  In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year. For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. A ring means you will get married; while a button predicts bachelorhood. The idea of hiding something in the pudding comes from the tradition in the Middle Ages of hiding a bean in a cake that was served on Twelfth Night. Whoever found the bean became "king" for the rest of the night.

3.  Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.

4.  In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. In order to get rid of them, salt or an old shoe is burnt. The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantzaroi. Other techniques include hanging a pig’s jawbone by the door and keeping a large fire so they can’t sneak down the chimney. 

5.  The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".

6. Louis Prang, a Bavarian-born lithographer who came to the USA from Germany in the 19th century, popularized the sending of printed Christmas cards. He invented a way of reproducing color oil paintings, the "chromolithograph technique", and created a card with the message "Merry Christmas" as a way of showing it off.

7.  The "Urn of Fate" is part of the Christmas celebrations in many Italian households. The Urn of Fate is brought out on Christmas Eve. It holds a wrapped present for everyone. The mother tries her luck first, then the others in turn. If you get a present with your name on it, you keep it; otherwise, you put it back and try again.

8. In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. It is usually made of straw. Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as the Julbukk.

9. Father Christmas' reindeers are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner/Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph. Eight of these names are taken from Clement C. Moore's "A Visit From St. Nicholas," and the ninth from the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (NB. Donder is also known as Donner.)

10.  Have you heard of "Animal Crackers"? Are these crackers made by animals? Not really! These are cookies that were imported to the United States from England in the late 1800s. Barnum's circus-like boxes were designed with a string handle so that they could be hung on a Christmas tree.

                                                                 Hope you enjoyed them............................ 

Now I would like share a true experience with you all. Today on the eve of Christmas, I went to my school, to meet the sisters over there. For the first time in my life I visited a Convent, really it was magnificient!!! And the cake which sisters offered us along with other dishes were awesome. They were greatly prepared and were so tasty that I wish I would have them have them again!!! After offering gifts to them we went to the Church to meet Father. We saw the beauty of Church and was really mesmerised. Father then offered cake that was truly delicious. Sister Prisca told us lot about their lives. We enjoyed a lot.

                               This was my first year I celebrated Christmas and believe me guys, it’s truly a festival of love, peace harmony, joy and forgiveness.

                                                                                             - VAIBHAV VARUN