We wish you a merry Christmas

Most of our traditional Christmas carols hold deeply religious meaning, but some like "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," have a more humorous twist. The song itself has quite a history, which reflects the wit of the Victorian Era carolers and their love for a traditional Christmas dessert.

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is a popular secular sixteenth-century English carol from the West Country of England. The origin of this Christmas carol lies in the English tradition where wealthy people of the community gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve such as 'figgy puddings' that were very much like modern day Christmas puddings. It is one of the few English traditional carols that makes mention of the New Year celebration. It is often the last song carolers sing to people.

The author of the beloved Christmas carol is unknown as is the composer but that hasn't stopped carolers and others from singing it over the decades.

The lyrics themselves are funny and the meaning's behind them. Like "We wish you a Merry Christmas" was simply put a line to greet the household the carolers were singing at. And "Oh, bring us some figgy pudding, we won't go until we get some" was saying that basically the carolers were there to sing and would keep singing until they got paid.

From 1647-1660 Christmas carols were banned by the church, specifically Protestant Oliver Cromwell who thought that the songs made a mockery of the holiday and made it less somber than it should be. Churchgoers then started going door-to-door singing so that the traditional songs could be kept alive. It wasn't until the 19th century that Christmas carols became popular once again.

The fun and humorous song has been recreated quite a few times over the decades. The most notable singers are John Denver and the Muppets, James Belushi in the movie Jingle all the Way, William Studwell, Carol Mueller and country legend Johnny Cash.

Regardless, of the origins or the singer We Wish you a Merry Christmas has been and will continue to be one of the favorite carols to sing during the holiday season for us all.

 Lyrics:

We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin;
Glad tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year!

Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Now bring us some figgy pudding
Please bring it right here!
Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin;
Glad tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year!

We won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some
We won't go until we get some
So bring it out here!
Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin;
Glad tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year!

We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Glad tidings we bring
To you and your kin;
Glad tidings for Christmas
And a happy New Year!

Cristmass in general

Christmas is the year's most celebrated holiday. It is celebrated on December 25th by Catholic Church and on January 7th by Orthodox Church. The meaning of Christmas is to recognize Christ's birth, of which the exact date is not known. During the fourth century the Bishop of Rome set December 25th as Christ's birth date. Some authorities claim that the choice of December 25th was made because it coincided with Chanukah, Mithraic's feast of the sun god, and the people of northern Europe's winter solstice feast. The winter solstice is the time of year in the Northern Hemisphere when the noon sun appears to be farthest south.

The Saturnalia was celebrated for seven days, during the period of time when the winter solstice occurred. During this time, slaves were given freedom, gifts were exchanged, and banquets prevailed.

Holiday evergreens, the symbol of eternal life, have long been used for Christmas time decorations. The Christmas wreath represents everlasting life and God's endless love for us. Kissing under mistletoe supposedly started out when enemies stopped fighting when they met under mistletoe. Holly is the most known Christmas greenery, and there are several legends about it, one is that Jesus* crown was made of holly, and the holly berries* represented his blood.

Santa Claus' Traditions

The tradition of Santa Claus entering dwellings through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers. In pre-Christian Norse tradition, Odin would often enter through chimneys and fireholes on the solstice. In the Italian Befana tradition, the gift-giving witch is perpetually covered with soot from her trips down the chimneys of children's homes. In the tale of Saint Nicholas, the saint tossed coins through a window, and, in a later version of the tale, down a chimney when he finds the window locked. In Dutch artist Jan Steen's painting, The Feast of Saint Nicholas, adults and toddlers are glancing up a chimney with amazement on their faces while other children play with their toys. The hearth was held sacred in primitive belief as a source of beneficence, and popular belief had elves and fairies bringing gifts to the house through this portal. Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through Moore's A Visit from Saint Nicholas where the author described him as an elf.

Interesting Facts About Christmas

1. Most of Santa’s reindeer have male-sounding names, such as Blitzer, Comet, and Cupid. However, male reindeers shed their antlers around Christmas, so the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh are likely not male, but female or castrati.

2. Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph’s red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system.

3. The “true love” mentioned in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas” does not refer to a romantic couple, but the Catholic Church’s code for God. The person who receives the gifts represents someone who has accepted that code. For example, the “partridge in a pear tree” represents Christ. The “two turtledoves” represent the Old and New Testaments.

4. In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.

5. According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.

6. The world’s largest Christmas stocking measured 106 feet and 9 inches (32.56 m) long and 49 feet and 1 inch (14.97 m) wide. It weighed as much as five reindeer and held almost 1,000 presents. It was made by the Children’s Society in London on December 14, 2007.

7. Many European countries believed that spirits, both good and evil, were active during the Twelve Days of Christmas. These spirits eventually evolved into Santa’s elves, especially under the influence of Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas(1779-1863) illustrated by Thomas Nast (1840-1902).

8. Christmas wasn’t declared an official holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870.

9. Ancient peoples, such as the Druids, considered mistletoe sacred because it remains green and bears fruit during the winter when all other plants appear to die. Druids would cut the plant with golden sickles and never let it touch the ground. They thought it had the power to cure infertility and nervous diseases and to ward off evil.

10. Christmas stockings allegedly evolved from three sisters who were too poor to afford a marriage dowry and were, therefore, doomed to a life of prostitution. They were saved, however, when the wealthy Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna (the precursor to Santa Claus) crept down their chimney and generously filled their stockings with gold coins.

Ded Moroz & Snegurochka

Ded Moroz is a fictional character who in some Slavic cultures plays a role similar to that of Santa Claus. The literal translation of the name would be "Old Man Frost", although the name is often translated as "Father Frost" in light of the modern usage of "ded" to refer to a grandfather. Ded Moroz is said to bring presents to children, however, unlike the secretive Santa Claus, the gifts are often delivered "in person", at New Year's Eve parties and other New Year celebrations. The "in-person" gifts usually occur at organized celebrations at kindergartens or schools and at circus performances around New Year time where the gifts can be standardized. Various agencies provide Ded Moroz visits to families and offices. In such cases specific gifts can be chosen for particular members at the parties. The clandestine placing of gifts under a New Year tree occurs when a Ded Moroz visit is not arranged for some reason.

The traditional appearance of Ded Moroz resembles that of Santa Claus, with his coat, boots and long white beard. Specifically, Ded Moroz is often shown wearing a heel-length fur coat, a semi-round fur hat, and valenki or jackboots on his feet. Unlike Santa Claus, he is often depicted as walking with a long magical staff.
The official residence of Ded Moroz in Russia is considered to be the town of Veliky Ustyug.
Depictions of Ded Moroz commonly show him accompanied by Snegurochka.  His granddaughter and helper, who is often depicted in long silver-blue robes and a furry cap or a snowflake-like crown. She is a unique attribute of Ded Moroz; no traditional gift-givers from other cultures are portrayed with a similar companion. Just as Ded Moroz appears in various interpretations during the holiday season impersonated by men in costume, so does Snegurochka assume new guises around Russia to help distribute gifts. Snegurochka's name is derived from the Russian word for snow, sneg. 

Christmas Recipes

This site will tell you about different Christmas recipes!

SITE

Loke at it and get into the Christmas spirit with delicious meals!

The Christmas Tree

Many legends exist about the origin of the Christmas tree. The organizer of Christian church in France and Germany, Saint Boniface, the English monk was the protagonist in one of these stories. Once upon a time when he was traveling, he came across a group of pagans who had congregated around an oak tree. He saw that these pagans were about to offer a sacrifice of human child to the God Thor. He eagerly wanted to stop them from taking the little fellow’s life. He decided to hit and break the tree with one mighty blow of his fist. A small fir tree was grown in place of the oak tree. According to Boniface the tree stood the eternal life of Christ. He told the pagan worshippers that the little fir tree symbolizes life.
There is another story of Martin Luther. Martin Luther was the founder of the protestant faith. While he was walking through a forest on a Christmas Eve, he was impressed by the beauty of millions of stars showing their lights through the evergreen tree branches. He was mesmerized with this fabulous vista and had decided to cut down a small tree. He took the tree for his family. To watch the same marvelous sight of the forest, he had decorated the wooden branches of the tree with a number of candles.

Another legend tells the story of an unfortunate woodsman who met a mislaid and starving child on one Christmas Eve. Even thought the woodsman was really poor but he arranged food and offered shelter to the child. The woodsman woke up in the very next morning to find a beaming tree outside his home and surprisingly he found one as well. The child was really the Christ child who camouflaged. The child rewarded the poor woodsman the glittering tree for his charity.
“Paradise Play” is the origin of Christmas tree, at least some feel it. Previously not many people could read. So, the plays were organized to teach the tales of the Bible all over Europe. The Paradise Play was performed on 24th December each year. It showed the creation of man. To perform it, apple trees were needed. But, in winter apple trees don’t bare fruits. So evergreens were hung with apples.
The story of spiders and Christmas trees were popular in Germany. In earlier days, people wanted their animals to be a part of the Christmas celebration because it was believed that the Christ child was born in a stable. So, they allowed their animals to come inside their homes to see the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Homemakers didn’t allow spider to come inside their homes because they didn’t want to spoil things inside. Spiders were unhappy for this and they complained to the Christ child. The Christ child was sad for the spiders and helped them get into the home at late night to watch the Christmas tree. Spiders enjoyed the whole night, they moved slowly and happily from one branch to another. The trees were covered with webs. The housewives were really contented on the next day seeing what spiders had done. All the cobwebs were turned into the sparkling tinsel with the help of the Christ child. The tradition of decorating the Christmas tree with the tinsel is still followed.

I love dancing at all

I want to tell you about my hobby – dancing

I started dancing in the first class. I did gymnastics at school. According to the circumstances I had to give up. In the first class we had a lesson of aerobics. I enjoyed these classes. Aerobics classes ended in the third of class.  I started to dance more professionally in the fourth class and are still. I used to dance on concerts. I love dancing. It is not surprising because dancing is a way of expression. This body language is peculiar form of art. There are many dance contests nowadays  where children and adults reveal their dancing abilities.  I like watching such contests no matter what style of dance they present. The history of dances is rather long and interesting. People started to dance at prehistoric times. They danced during certain ceremonies, rituals and celebrations to praise their gods. A lot of people are still fond of dancing. Dance is like a non – verbal form of communication. My favorite dance style is leg show. 

Christmas

Christmas is one of the most important holidays in Christianity. A lot of people consider that Jesus Christ was born on this day many years ago. It’s a sacred festival that’s why orthodox believers gather in the churches to attend the feast rite on Christmas. My whole family celebrates this feast: mother, father, my younger sister and I. My grandmother and grandfather very seldom visit us. We sit down to the festive table and light the candles at midnight. Everybody is always in a good mood. After the feast a week comes when we can tell fortunes. Every year my friends and I look in the mirror for our intended at night but we understand that it’s impossible to see our fate in a mirror. But anyway we believe that enchantment will happen.

But in other countries Christmas is celebrated in a different way. For example in the USA Christmas day is celebrated on December 25. On this day they decorate a Christmas tree and give presents to each other. All children wait for Santa Claus who will come in sleigh and give presents.

I like this feast very much because it inspires people with belief in the reality of miracles. Birth of Jesus Christ is the most important miracle for believers. This feast goes back to the earliest of times and it will never be forgotten.

Greeting!

I am happy to see you all in our blog! Here wewill work hard,but nevertheless I hope it is going to be a great time. Good Luck!