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Many traditions surrounding the Christian religious holiday of Christmas are newer than we thought. It is surprising that the traditions we tell each other are mixed up. There are many myths about Christmas stories and traditions.

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Christmas may be a day for celebrating the birth of Jesus, but that doesn't mean he was born on the 25th. There is no universally accepted date of birth for the guy, even if he was a historical figure. He wasn't born in the year 0. According to the story, King Herod tried to kill Jesus in the 4th century BC. If the king became a zombie after his death, that detail would have been mentioned.

What about the 25th of December? It was decided to honor Jesus's birth centuries after the fact. shepherds weren't likely to have had their sheep out in the fields in December and censuses were done in the fall.

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It would be pretty cool if it was true. The story goes that the shamans wore red and white in order to match the colors of the mushrooms they sold. They were unable to make their door-to-door sales in the winter because many doors were blocked by snow. The mushrooms were hung to dry on the branches of the tree.

The details don't look right. Houses and yurts of the area weren't built in ways that would block the inhabitants in the winter, there was no documentation of mushrooms being distributed this way, and Santa's red outfit came from a different European.

There is a Swedish tradition of using red and white mushrooms for religious visions and as medicine. The shaman might climb up an indoor tree to the smoke hole to see out. While parts of the story may sound familiar, inviting a shaman to go on a mushroom trip is not a Christmas ritual.

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The Dutch call the person Santa Claus because he is the reincarnation of Saint Nicholas. In early December, the saint will deliver coins and candy to children's shoes or socks.

The tradition is based on a legend in which the saint saved three girls from being slaves or sex workers by dropping off gold coins at their house. He resurrected three boys who had been dead. We don't reenact that one either.

The poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" combined the saint with Christmas celebrations. Some families still have children put their shoes out for treats on December 6 as a way of getting ready for the gifts later in the month.

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Many of the details of artworks and nativity scenes don't come from biblical descriptions, but from guesses at the bare bones of the story in the text. One of the two biblical versions of the story has wise men bearing gifts in one of them. Three people are depicted with one gift. The names of the three kings were given in later depictions.

The biblical story doesn't say that Jesus was born in a barn, or that his family was not allowed to stay at the place he was born in. It is thought that Mary and Joseph had to crash in a common room because relatives didn't have a bedroom for them. The manger is not a name for a barn. There is no indication if the manger in the story was used actively or if they used an unused manger when they needed a cradle.

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It is odd that we decorate a Christmas tree indoors and then throw it out on the street. Instead of being a pagan custom, it seems to be a trend from Europe.

Holly, ivy, mistletoe, and other plants were hung on walls for various winter celebrations in the ancients. There are a few examples of indoor Christmas decorations in Germany before the 1500's. The idea of a decorated Christmas tree with royal displays was popularized by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the late 19th century.

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There was a Christmas card at my grandma's house when I was a child. An old-timey illustration on the cover showed a bearded man carrying a sack of gifts while wearing fur trimmed clothes but the man was skinny. I thought it was a depiction of Santa from a chaotic time before everyone agreed that Santa was plump and wore red.

How did that image become standard? Santa was invented by Coca-Cola either from scratch or by redesigning a traditional character to wear Coke's trademark colors. The Santa character evolved before Coke ever got their hands on him. The rotund, red-garbed version of Santa was the most popular when Coke launched its campaign.

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We use the word Yule as a synonym for Christmas, or to say a fire log or log-shaped cake is appropriate during the season. Yule was an entire season of the year that lasted from mid-November to January. New Year's celebrations in that part of the world are probably better described as pre- Christian celebrations.

The festivities probably included bonfires, animal sacrifice, and drinking. But the log for the Christmas season? It's possible that it was originally a Christmas tradition that was later renamed "Yule"

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You might wonder what the first day of Christmas is supposed to mean as you listen to that song. Isn't Christmas a single day?

We tend to have holiday parties throughout December and cease celebrating by the 26th, but for a long time the schedule was different. Advent was a time of fast and spiritual preparation. You can celebrate on Christmas.

The Christmas and New Year's days are the beginning and end of the 12 days. The 12 days were a time of feast and partying. Twelfth Night was written to be performed at the end of Shakespeare's career.

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