Fun Facts about Christmas

• Christmas was first observed in Trinidad in 1569. The festival was celebrated by six priests of the order of observantines headed by fr. Miguel Diosdado (Reyes). They visited several villages and were treated to local cuisine.
  
• Roast turkey did not appear consistently on Royal Christmas Day menus until 1851 when it replaced roast swan. The medieval dish of Boar’s head remained popular with Royals for much longer.
  
• Electric Christmas lights were first used in 1854.
• Norwegian scientists have hypothesized that Rudolph’s red nose is probably the result of a parasitic infection of his respiratory system.
• Parang is not as popular in Tobago as it is in Trinidad.
• The holiday Boxing Day was originally celebrated in England, for the servants to the rich people. After Christmas, the servants “boxed up” all the left-overs from the rich people and brought them home.
• Japanese people traditionally eat at KFC for Christmas dinner, thanks to a successful marketing campaign 40 years ago. KFC is so popular that customers must place their Christmas orders 2 months in advance.
• The Germans made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.
• The traditional three colours of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty.
• Bolivians celebrate Misa Del Gallo or “Mass of the Rooster” on Christmas Eve. Some people bring roosters to the midnight mass, a gesture that symbolizes the belief that a rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus.
• In the “Ole Time Days” in Trinidad, boiled ham was prepared using the pitch oil tin method. Salted overnight, the ham was drained and boiled on a pitch oil (kerosene) stove. After the ham was cooked the skin was used to cook the callaloo and pigeon peas.
• In Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas trees decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.
• The poinsettia is native to Mexico and was cultivated by the Aztecs, who called the plant Cuetlaxochitl (“flower which wilts”). For the Aztecs, the plant’s brilliant red colour symbolized purity, and they often used it medicinally to reduce fever. Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia is not poisonous, but holly berries are.
• Pastelle was brought to us by the Panyol (Hispanic) people from Venezuela.
• The Viking god Odin is one precursor to the modern Santa Claus. According to myth, Odin rode his flying horse, Sleipnir (a precursor to Santa’s reindeer), who had eight legs. In the winter, Odin gave out both gifts and punishments, and children would fill their boots or stockings with treats for Sleipnir.
• Nearly all of the most popular Christmas songs including ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘Chestnuts roasting…’, and ‘I’m Dreaming of a white Christmas’ were written by Jews.
• The first person to decorate a Christmas tree was reportedly the Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). According to legend, he was so moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree, he brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children.
• The first people who sang Parang in Trinidad were known as Paranderos. They will go from house to house singing Spanish carols and would normally be rewarded with scrumptious treats for their efforts.