Christmas

· Christmas Day falls on December 25 and celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem

· Christmas Day did not officially come into being until 354 when Pope Gregory proclaimed December 25 as the date of the Nativity; Christian church subsequently added, in the Middle Ages, the Nativity crib and Christmas carols to its customs

· in 1552 the Puritans banned Christmas, a move followed in Massachusetts seven years later; although Christmas returned to England in 1660 with Charles II, the rituals all but died out until revived in Victorian times

· most of the Christmass customs are world wide, like decorating Christmas tree (which originated in German centuries ago), singing carols (some were revived and many new ones written, often to traditional melodies) and sending Christmas cards

· some special customs were introduced in England and USA, e.g. Christmas crackers (they were invented in the late 19th century by an enterprising English baker, Tom Smith, who, by 1900, was selling 13 million worldwide each year) or the familiar image of Santa Claus, complete with sledge, reindeers, and sack of toys

· in English-speaking countries, they give presents on Christmas day and the “traditional” meal is turkey or goose, Christmas pudding, and mince pies

· in Czech republic, we give presents to each other on 24th - Christmas Eve and we usually eat fried carp with potatoe salad


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