Christmas in England

The word Christmas is made up of 2 words 'Christ' and 'mass' and shows us that at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus and hold a church service for him, hence the word 'mass'.

The old heathen people in the British Isles and Scandinavia -and the Vikings, before they had learnt about Christianity also had a special festival in the middle of the dark winter months. They called it 'Yule'. From this word we get the Danish word 'jul', and we shall see how the traditions around Christmas as we know it are a mixture of these two elements.

Christmas begins at the end of October, when Mum, helped by the children, makes the Christmas pudding. It normally takes a whole day and everybody has to stir once and to wish! If it was you, what would you wish?

When the pudding has been put away, people feel it is still a long time to Christmas, and it is forgotten for a month or more. But when the shops begin to decorate the windows with Father Christmas, stars, candles and spruce, and parcels that look like Christmas presents it is difficult to forget it any longer.

Now here is the story of how Father Christmas came to be the Father Christmas we all love:

Once upon a time there lived a very kind and good bishop, called Nicholas, in Turkey. He was so kind and helpful, especially to people who were poor or in difficulties. If he heard that a family or a person was in trouble, he would leave something, often money on the window sill or by the door in the middle of the night so that nobody saw him. But sometimes people caught sight of him nevertheless.

He became famous for his good deeds and where he died, he was made a saint. His saint's day was December 6th. On that day people would leave hay and straw outside their houses for him, and the next morning they would find a small present instead. He was thought to wear a big red coat.

In Holland the tradition of St. Nicholas had lasted, so when the Dutch began to emigrate to America in the 17th century, St.Nicholas went with them. Here the name was shortened to Santa Claus, and here he was also given the reindeer and the sleigh to move around in. Distances are big in America! He also became connected with Scandinavia. especially Greenland. Many children write to Father Christmas, with the address either in Greenland or the North Pole.