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There are many seasonal customs and traditions associated with this time of year although their connection with Christmas is often harder to discover. It can make a useful exercise to test the link between the tradition or custom and the event or its meaning. Sometimes there is a meaning which has been lost in the passage of time - in other instances the link appears always to have been tenuous at best! The sites listed here will help in the search to find the origins of a number of Christmas customs; we leave you to find the connections between tradition and meaning, what is true or not and its place in representing 'truth'. Christmas Traditions The Feast of Christmas (the origins of Christmas) Christmas Prayers and Customs (evergreens; mistletoe; poinsettia; Christmas tree; some traditions from around the world) Christmas Trees Legends of the First Christmas Trees Christmas Eternal (legend of the poinsettia; holly; Christmas rose; ivy; Christmas tree; misletoe) Holly Mistletoe The Poinsettia The Glastonbury Thorn Star of Bethlehem The history of Christmas Presents History of the Cracker Saint Nicholas and The Story of Saint Nicholas (for younger children) The Legend of Sankt Nikolaus Christmas - The Story, Customs and Traditions (including customs around the world) Christmas Around the World KIDLINK's KIDPROJ Multi-Cultural Calendar (use the index to find out about Christmas traditions around the world) St Margaret's Church, Colchester: Christmas Christmas Traditions in France and in Canada St. Francis and the Crib Boxing Day The Feast of the Epiphany (the origins of the feast: why it is celebrated) Stories The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore Christmas Hardships When Magi Camped In Bethlehem (a story for Epiphany) |