We all celebrate different holidays and carry out traditions each year. But where do these traditions originate?

 We live in a world that has many different traditional customs. Many believe the origination of Christmas comes from the day Jesus Christ was born. But what believers do not know is that Jesus was born in the fall, not in the winter. Christmas began after the second century of Jesus’ birth. Truth be told, Christmas does not originate from Christian roots and has roots in Roman customs and religion. It has been considered that the first Christmas celebrations were in response to the Roman Saturnalia. This was a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice, which is the return of the sun, and honored the god of sowing.

 From the first celebration of the federal holiday in 1870  to today, this national holiday is well known by many and carried out in their own ways. We have adapted the Saturnalia tradition of merrymaking and exchanging gifts through the years. Another major part of Christmas is Santa Claus. The idea of Santa Claus comes from a monk named St. Nicholas born in 280 AD. He was admired by the people on the countryside for his kindness and devotion. Nicholas gave away gifts, as well as all his money he had inherited, to the poor and sick people he found while traveling across the country side. The name Santa Claus, however, comes from his dutch name ‘Sinter Klass’. The tradition of Santa evolved from Salvation Army who dressed men in Santa suits to pay for free Christmas meals for those in need. This prompted department stores to use Santa as an advertisement to lure children and parents in to buy gifts.

 Mistletoe has a celtic legend behind it in which this plant can bring good luck, heal wounds, increase fertility and cast off evil spirits. It is hard to identify whether or not the legend is true, but at least it gives an excuse to kiss someone you like. This tradition began during the Victorian era and was believed to lead two people into marriage. Eggnog is also a popular Christmas tradition where there are two different types of the same drink, one with alcohol and another without alcohol in it. This drink was first made in 1607 by captain John Smith in Jamestown. It was known as egg and grog and transitioned through the years to “egg n’ grog” and finally to eggnog.  Since there is both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic version, eggnog can make it a very merry Christmas to both adults and children.

 Christmas has evolved through the years into a special holiday where families come together and create their own traditions. Some may not know the real origin and dig deep into why we celebrate and carry out these traditions, but either way it is all about families coming together to enjoy one another’s company. “I like the fact that Christmas brings family together, and everyone gives what they can to each other,” said sophomore Isaac Maxwell.