Christmas itself is a pagan tradition, which has been given a Christian makeover. For thousand of years we’ve celebrated the Winter Solstice, which occurs on or around 21 December. It’s... Читать далее
Only two Gospels actually have the Nativity story: Matthew and Luke. John starts right at the beginning of time – "In the beginning was the Word" – and in Mark, Jesus first appears as an... Читать далее
1. Armenians are everywhere
Yes, we are. There are huge Armenian communities all over the globe; Asia, Europe, America and even Africa. That is why we can go to almost every country... Читать далее
No. This is an urban myth. What is true is that Santa Claus, to give him his American name, was depicted in Coca-Cola adverts in the 1930s wearing his regulation red and white outfit... Читать далее
Author of 'Dickens and Popular Entertainment' and the recent ‘Simply Dickens’, General Editor of ‘The Oxford Companion to Dickens’ and editor of the forthcoming Clarendon Edition of ‘Sketches of Boz’. Past President of the Dickens Fellowship.
The quick answer is 'no'. Christmas obviously goes back centuries and what had happened was that during the Puritan revolution in the seventeenth century, the movement went away from... Читать далее
Quite a few Christmas traditions from medieval times have been lost – some of them probably better forgotten.
No one misses the tradition of Hunting the Wren, which involved men and boys... Читать далее
Each November, Sinterklaas, who is the Dutch version of Father Christmas, sails from Spain to the Netherlands. He’s accompanied on his journey by lots of helpers dressed up as Black... Читать далее
Krampus is the counterpart to the kindly St Nicholas, who is a figure of Europe folklore who arrives on the 6 December and rewards good children by leaving presents in their shoes. The... Читать далее
The first Christmas cards were sent in 1843, which was a very important date in the history of Christmas since it was also the year Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was published.
The... Читать далее
The idea that a cow can predict the weather, and lies down when it’s going to rain, is rubbish, just an old wives’ tale. Sheep crowd together because it’s cold, not because it’s going to... Читать далее