4 Facts about Christmas you didn’t know

Christmas is a beloved holiday, but how many of us actually know why Christmas is the way it is today?

It can seem like rather an ironic celebration. For a Christian holiday, it has huge commercial significance and is celebrated by a diverse population of people regardless of race, ethnicity or religion. Its signature icons – Santa Claus, Christmas trees and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer – have little to do with its supposedly Christian origins. Even the messages it sends are mixed. It is the time for giving and receiving, humble reflection and roaring decadence.

Bemused by the stark contrasts? Here are 10 facts about everyone’s favourite holiday that might cause you to question life itself.

It’s not the birthday of Jesus Christ

Let’s get this straight. Jesus was not born on December 25. In fact, most historians agree that he was born in the summer. Even the bible mentions that he was born during the “fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4-5), which doesn’t really describe winter.

Christmas kinda stole another holiday

So why do we think Jesus was born in the winter? December 25 was chosen as the day because it coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which celebrated the agricultural god Saturn. Many of our Christmas traditions today have roots in Saturnalia including partying, gift giving and Christmas trees. The latter was a practice done to guard the life of the tree-spirits during the barren winters.

Santa Claus is a complete commercial fabrication

The Santa we know today was created in 1804, at a meeting of the New York Historical Society, where member John Pintard handed out wooden cutouts of jolly old St. Nick. His trademarked uniform was blue, white and green till Coca Cola changed it to their company colours of red and white in their Christmas ad in the 1930s

Sorry, but Rudolph is fake too

The red-nosed reindeer was conceived by a department store called Montgomery Ward, as a marketing gimmick to promote holiday colouring books. Rudolph almost didn’t have a red nose either as Montgomery Ward thought it promoted alcoholism.

Amanda Lim

Photo: Getty Images