There are some very interesting and strange facts about Christmas that many people believe in. These facts will certainly arouse your interest:
- In Ukraine, finding a spider web on Christmas morning, is supposed to be very lucky and auspicious. According to a Ukraine folk tale there once lived a woman so poor, that she could not afford Christmas decorations for her family. One Christmas morning, she awoke to find that spiders had trimmed her children’s tree with their webs. When the morning sun shone on them, the webs turned to silver and gold. An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees.
- On the day of Christmas it is considered sacred to exchange kisses beneath mistletoe tree. Mistletoe was once considered the symbol of peace and friendship. That is why kissing one’s loved one on the day of Christmas is considered merry for the relationship.
- “Klaxon”, the name of one of Santa’s reindeer is actually the name of an electric horn. It has been derived from German origin.
- In many households there is a tradition of hiding some ornament or article in the pudding. What one finds in the pudding signifies upcoming fortune. For example, finding a ring signifies marriage, finding a coin means wealth is on the way and many such articles are associated with different meanings.
- The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".
- The "Urn of Fate" is part of the Christmas celebrations in many Italian households. The Urn of Fate is brought out on Christmas Eve. It holds a wrapped present for everyone. The mother tries her luck first, then the others in turn. If you get a present with your name on it, you keep it; otherwise, you put it back and try again.
- One of the popular decoration ideas used especially in Sweden is Julbukk. It refers to a goat. These models are made of straw and signify stars, angels.