Amazing Facts About Christmas
Would you like to know some fun facts about Christmas? Or some facts about Christmas to impress your family and friends? Maybe just some interesting or trivia facts to fill your homemade Christmas cracker with.
There are many traditional facts about Christmas. However, there are also some fun, bizarre and interesting facts from all around the world. So, we’ve collected a range of 24 facts about Christmas – so read and enjoy!
24 Interesting Christmas Facts
History & Tradition Christmas Facts
1. Christmas was not always on the 25th of December. No one actually knows the exact date that Jesus was born. There is no mention of this in the Bible. Many historians believe that Jesus was born in the Spring. It was the 3rd century that 25th December became the official holiday.
2. In the UK, it is actually illegal to eat a mince pie on Christmas Day. Oliver Cromwell, in the 1650s, banned gluttony and the law has never officially been withdrawn.
3. Santa didn’t come from Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola played a huge part in the look of Santa that we all know and love today. However, even before Coca-Cola was invented, St Nicholas had worn his Bishop’s red robes.
4. Rudolf is not even 100 years old. He was created in 1938 in the USA by a marketing company.
5. Mince pies were originally savoury and filled with minced meat, suet, dried fruits, spiced cloves and nutmeg. They were shaped like an oval to represent the manger that Jesus slept in as a baby. The top of the mince pie represented swaddling his clothes.
6. The first-ever Christmas stamp was issued in the USA in 1962.
7. Robins on cards actually began as a joke 150 years ago. Postmen wore red tunics and these cards were named after them.
8. Tinsel was invented in 1610 in a place called Nuremberg in Germany. Tinsel was originally made of strands of real silver.
9. The first-ever artificial Christmas tree was made in Germany in the 19th century. Surprisingly, it was made out of Goose feathers which were dyed green due to major deforestation in the country.
General Festive Facts
10. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby is the best selling Christmas song of all time, selling an estimated 50 million copies worldwide.
11. For an artificial Christmas tree to be environmentally friendly, you have to use it for at least 10 years before it can equal a responsibly disposed of real Christmas tree.
12. If Santa was to deliver presents to every house in the world, he would have to visit 822 houses every second and travel at 650 miles per second.
13. Christmas cards are not dying out. Over 3 billion Christmas cards were bought in the USA and the UK each year.
14. Your Christmas tree can actually be a very nutritious source of food. If you fancy tucking into your tree, dry the needles out beforehand and, grind them to use as a garnish on soups and other meals.
15. The record number of Christmas cards sent by a single person is 62,824.
16. In order to bring Good Luck, you should eat a mince pie on each of the 12 days running up to Christmas.
17. Christmas pudding was initially a Christmas soup made from wine and raisins.
Around the World Christmas Facts
18. In many European countries, gifts are exchanged on the evening of the 24th December as Jesus is believed to have been born during the night of the 24th. In the UK and North America, it is more common for gifts to be exchanged during the early morning of the 25th.
19. Every year Trafalgar Square in London, UK, is gifted a Christmas tree from Oslo in Norway to thank them for their help in World War II.
20. In Armenia, Christmas eve is celebrated with a dinner of fried fish and salad. The week running up to Christmas involves fasting for many Armenians and therefore a light meal is required.
21. In Sweden, Christmas is not Christmas without Donald Duck. Around 40% of the country gather round to watch Donald Duck on Christmas Eve.
22. In Japan, they eat KFC for their Christmas dinner. There are not many Christians in Japan, however thanks to a successful KFC advert, much Japanese head to their nearest KFC to enjoy fried chicken! There’s no turkey in sight here.
23. In Iceland, there is not just 1 Santa. There are actually 13!
24. Across the whole of Europe, 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year.
There we are! 24 amazing facts about Christmas. Did any surprise you? Discover more about Christmas and why it is important here.
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