Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
History of Epiphany and Twelfth Night: Ending the 12 Days of Christmas?
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF TWELFTH NIGHT AND EPIPHANY Podcast version Twelfth Night is on January 5, the eve of Epiphany, which falls on January 6 in the Christian calendar. piphany signifies the event of the Magi, or Wise Men, visiting the baby Jesus. In some Latin cultures, it is known as Three Kings Day.
Read MoreHistory of the 12 Days of Christmas: They’re after Christmas?
Reading Time: 3 minutesTHE HISTORY OF THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: THEY’RE AFTER CHRISTMAS? Podcast version he 12 Days of Christmas are the dozen days in the liturgical (ecclesiastical) calendar of the Western Church between the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child (December 25) and the eve of the coming of the Wise Men, or…
Read MoreHistory of Childermas: Feast of the Holy Innocents
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF CHILDERMAS: FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS Podcast version hildermas, from an Old English word meaning the Mass of the Infants, is a festival in the church calendar that began in the fifth century. It is celebrated in the Western Church on December 28 and in the Eastern Church on December 29. It…
Read MoreHistory of the First American Christmas: 1776
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF THE FIRST AMERICAN CHRISTMAS: 1776 Part of the series on America 250, the US Semiquincentennial Podcast version t is called the first “American” Christmas because the Declaration of Independence was created the previous summer, essentially “divorcing” America from England and declaring our country an independent nation. Perhaps it would be more accurate…
Read More5 Christmas Myths, Not Found in the Nativity Story
Reading Time: 6 minutes5 CHRISTMAS MYTHS: NOT FOUND IN THE NATIVITY STORY Podcast version am often asked to explain the history behind a holiday: is it based on history, tradition, or legend? The best historical sources on the birth of Jesus are found in two Gospel accounts in the New Testament: St. Matthew and St. Luke. …
Read MoreHistory of Christmas Magi: Who were the Wise Men?
Reading Time: 3 minutesHistory of the Magi: The Wise Men. Who were they, where were they from, why did they come?
Read MoreHistory of Caesar Augustus: What Did He Have To Do With Christmas?
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF CHRISTMAS: CAESAR AUGUSTUS Podcast version he Nativity story in the Gospel of St. Matthew was written by a Jew from the tribe of Levi. It features the Jewish King Herod and the Wise Men from the East. St. Luke was likely not Jewish but a gentile, who was introduced to us in…
Read MoreIs Die Hard Really A Christmas Movie?
Reading Time: 4 minutesIS DIE HARD REALLY A CHRISTMAS MOVIE? cholars and historians have debated for centuries this question: “Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?” Or at least they have during the last three and a half decades since the movie was released. This is why readers have turned to me, your friendly neighborhood historian, to…
Read MoreHistory of the Christmas Star: Natural or supernatural?
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS STAR: NATURAL OR SUPERNATURAL? he Star of Bethlehem has long intrigued scholars, sparking debates and diverse interpretations of the phenomenon. While some skeptics dismiss it as a myth or a literary tool designed to emphasize the significance of the Nativity, others view it as a miraculous event beyond natural explanation, placed…
Read MoreHistory of the Poinsettia: Why is it the Christmas Flower?
Reading Time: 2 minutesHistory of the Poinsettia: the history of the “Christmas flower” from its origin in Mexico to its popularity in the US. #HistoryOfTheHolidays
Read MoreHistory of Mistletoe: Why is it the Kissing plant?
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF MISTLETOE Podcast istletoe was prominent in the traditions of the Druids and the lore of Northern Europe, as I’ve mentioned previously in my article on Christmas Traditions. The Druids used the mistletoe of their sacred oak as part of their ritual five days after the new moon following the Winter Solstice. In…
Read MoreHistory of A Charlie Brown Christmas: The holiday favorite that almost didn’t get made
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS n December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on CBS TV as a 30-minute animated Christmas special written by Charles M. Schulz, creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip. The comic was hugely popular when the TV special debuted. Though this was not Schulz’s first TV special – that…
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