Posts Tagged ‘holiday’
History of the Santa Tracker: How a Typo began Christmas tracking at NORAD
History of the NORAD Santa Tracker: How a typo began Christmas tracking at NORAD
Read MoreScience of the Winter Solstice
Science of the Winter Solstice: what does it mean, how it ushers in Winter
Read More5 Christmas Myths, Not Found in the Nativity Story
5 CHRISTMAS MYTHS: NOT FOUND IN THE NATIVITY STORY I’m often asked to explain the history behind a holiday or the origin of a popular tradition. Is it based on history, tradition, or legend? The best historical sources we have on the birth of Jesus are found in two of the Gospel accounts in the…
Read MoreHistory of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas
History of A Christmas Carol and the impact of Charles Dickens’ classic
Read MoreHistory of Christmas: Caesar Augustus
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS: CAESAR AUGUSTUS Perhaps it is fitting that our last historical Nativity character in the History of Christmas series should be the first person mentioned in St. Luke‘s story of the first Christmas. But he was not Jewish, nor a shepherd, nor a Magi. Instead, he was 1500 miles away, the Roman emperor, Caesar…
Read MoreHistory of the Magi: Who were the Wise Men?
History of the Magi: The Wise Men. Who were they, where were they from, why did they come?
Read MoreHistory of Mistletoe: Why is it the Kissing plant?
HISTORY OF MISTLETOE We’ve mentioned previously that mistletoe was prominent in the traditions of the Druids and the lore of northern Europe. 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 the Middle Ages, it was hung from ceilings…
Read MoreHistory of the Christmas Star: Natural or supernatural?
HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS STAR The Star of Bethlehem has puzzled scholars for centuries. Some have skeptically dismissed the phenomenon as a myth, a mere literary device to call attention to the importance of the Nativity. Others have argued that the star was miraculously placed there to guide the Magi and is, therefore, beyond all…
Read MoreHistory of Santa Lucia: Luciadagen — St. Lucy’s Day
History of Santa Lucia. Who is St Lucy and how does Sweden’s Luciadagen relate to Sicily? #HistoryOfTheHolidays
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