We wait for it all year long: the magic, the spirit, the tradition. Christmas is like love: irrational and bittersweet. But above all, it makes you do crazy things. Things that no one questions. Think about it from an alien perspective: we rush around for months, stringing lights, buying items, concealing them in colorful paper only to be torn apart on a certain day. If I didn’t know any better, I’d be scared of Christmas.
Here are 5 Christmas traditions that are so bizarre, they’re normal:
Pickle Ornament- This tradition is said to have roots in Germany, but the thing is- most Germans don’t practice it, or even worse- haven’t heard of it! One origin claims that in the 1890’s, a German man named John Lower fled the country and wound up in the U.S. In true American fashion, we locked his ass up in Georgia and while he was dying of poor health/starvation in his cell, he begged the guards for one last pickle. Apparently this pickle was his own personal savior and he gained strength, got out of prison and was reunited with his fam. Present day, parents hide a glass pickle ornament somewhere deep inside the tree and on Christmas morning, the child who finds it first gets a special treat. Thanks, John.
Red & Green- What’s up with this crap? No one even asks- well, I will: why not blue? yellow? magenta? History claims that during the 1300’s, churches would perform “Paradise Plays” on December 24th (then Adam & Eve Day) for the illiterate commoners. Since it was winter, they couldn’t very well provide a real apple tree for the Garden of Eden. So they used a pine tree and decorated it with red apples. And what do you know, the tradition and the colors stuck.
Mistletoe- Legend has it, Frigga, a pagan goddess, had a son named Balder, god of the sun. Well, Balder had a dream one night that he was going to kick the bucket, and to ensure it didn’t happen, he called on the four elements to protect him. But Loki, the god of evil, knew what to do: he used a mistletoe-tipped arrow (Frigga’s sacred plant) to kill Balder. But they’re gods- they don’t need the 1, 2, 3, CLEAR! -All they need is each other. Frigga brought her son back, and it is said her tears created the berries on the mistletoe and was so happy she started smoochin everyone underneath it so that no harm would come upon them.
December 25th- Big JC’s birth has been speculated over since time was time. The reason being is scripture tells us that at the time of the birth, shepherds were still tending to their flocks at night- an activity that simply wasn’t done in the cold winter months. Nevertheless, we accept the 25th. It was made popular in Rome in 354 A.D. by Pope Liberius. But JC wasn’t the only god- people held pagan beliefs which were often polytheistic. It just so happens that the 25th is also the birth of the pagan sun god.
Candy Canes- These peppermint treats were created to honor the Big Guy and keep the kiddies quiet. I mean c’mon, I can barely sit, stand, sing and kneel through an hour of service- these people endured services that lasted nearly ALL DAY. So the restless children were offered sugar sticks bent like shepherd’s canes to help them through the procession. To get biblical on ya: the white stripe symbolizes purity. The three small red stripes symbolize well, the whipping, and also the holy trinity. The thick red stripe is blood sacrifice. Annnd i’m never eating a candy cane again!
Feel free to leave other strange traditions below.
Happy Holidays!
photo thanks to: www.wonderchristmas.com
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