Mexico’s main Christmas celebration is known as La Posada, which is a faith based procession that reenacts the search for shelter by Joseph and Mary before the birth of Jesus. Throughout the actual procession, the celebrants proceed from home to house with the photos of Mary and Joseph searching for shelter in Bethlehem. Despite the [...]
Archive for the ‘Christmas Traditions’ category
La Posada and the Christmas Poinsettia
July 9th, 2011History of the Christmas Candy Cane
September 18th, 2010The history of Christmas candy canes starts in Germany in the 17th century with some restless children and an imaginative choir master. In 1670, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral decided he’d give the kids in his choir some candy sticks to keep them happy during the long Christmas services. He bent straight white candy [...]
Does Xmas Take the Christ Out of Christmas?
September 9th, 2010Recently, there has been an increasing number of people who object to the idea of “taking Christ out of Christmas.” Use of the generic “Happy holidays” greeting rather than “Merry Christmas” is on the short list of objectionable behavior, while others bemoan the use of Xmas in place of the word Christmas. I’ve always assumed [...]
Holiday Traditions: Egg Nog
September 2nd, 2010Egg nog, that tasty concoction of milk, sugar, cinnamon and eggs, is quite popular during the holidays. All of the ingredients to make the drink are available year-round, but typically we only indulge ourselves during winter festivities. One reason we traditionally drink egg nog during the Christmas season could be because historians think the drink [...]
The Tradition of the Advent Wreath
August 30th, 2010Centuries ago, long before the birth of Christ, the wreath was always a part of festive processions. The evergreen wreath has always been a Christian emblem of eternal life and God’s faithfulness to all humanity because of its hardiness and ability to withstand the cold winter temperatures. An advent wreath is a ring or set [...]
All About Mrs. Claus
June 18th, 2010Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus. Unlike Santa Claus, however, she does not have a counterpart in folklore or mythology, but was the creation of American authors. She was popularized by poet Katharine Lee Bates in Bates’ poem, “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride” (1889). The character has since appeared in story, [...]
