Christmas

The Origin of Christmas Christmas is a holiday shared and celebrated by any religion. To many people, it is a favorite time of the year involving gift giving, parties and feasting. The spirit of Christmas makes people decorate their homes and Churches, cut down trees and bring them into their homes. In the evening of December 24 th families go to Churches to wait the midnight. Christmas in our days is a collection of traditions and practices taken from many cultures and nations. The date of December 25 th comes from the celebration of the Italic God in Rome.

The Man Behind the Story of Santa Claus St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it.

The Man Behind the Story of Santa Claus There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house. The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man not to tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas. Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors!

Christmas in the United Kingdom In the UK ,families often celebrate Christmas together, so they can watch each other open their presents! A lot of families have a Christmas Tree (or maybe even two!) in their house for Christmas. The decorating of the tree is usually a family occasion, with everyone helping. Christmas Trees were first introduced in the UK by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. . Villages, towns and cities are decorated with Christmas lights . Often a famous person switches them on. The most famous Christmas lights in the UK are in Oxford Street in London.

Christmas in the United Kingdom Thousands of people go to watch the big 'switch on' around the beginning of November. Children believe that Father Christmas or Santa Claus leaves presents in stockings or pillow-cases. These are normally hung up by the fire or by the children's beds on Christmas Eve. Children sometimes leave out mince pies and brandy for Father Christmas to eat and drink when he visits them. Now, some people say that a non-alcoholic drink should be left for Santa as he has to drive! Children write letters to Father Christmas/Santa listing their requests, but sometimes instead of putting them in the post, the letters are tossed into the fireplace. The draught carries the letters up the chimney and Father Christmas/Santa reads the smoke.

Christmas Meal Lunch is usually consumed late on Xmas day, so they call it Christmas dinner. At the beginning of their dinner, they eattheir Xmas crackers. These usually have a paper hat, a joke and a present. Xmas dinner is very big. They usually have roast turkey with stuffing, sausages, potatoes and brussels sprouts. Finally they have Xmas pudding and mince pies. Xmas pudding has its origins in Medieval England. It is composed of many dried fruits held together by eggs and salt.

Christmas Meal The pudding is aged for a months of even a year. The high alchol ic content of the puddings preventes it from spoiling during this time. Mince pies is a sweet pie of British origin, filled with a mixture of dried fruit and spices called «Mincemeat». On Xmas day you can’t miss the traditional English tea accompainied by mince pies or by Xmas pudding or by traditional butter cookies.

Realized by: Bozzacco Erika Del Sordo Liliana Pizza Alessia Schiavone Luana