For this Flikli Content Lab project, our illustrator Rocky tapped into his love of history to create an infographic for the holidays. The result is this infographic, which describes the historical roots of Christmas traditions that are often taken for granted.

1. 3. Christmas caroling
4. Smooching under the mistletoe
9. Gift-delivering beings
1. Bringing trees indoors
5. Decorating trees
2. Fruitcake
8. Giving and receiving gifts
6. Holly in the winter
7. The Yule log
Christmas caroling comes from the centuries-old tradition of wassailing,
which involved going door to door, singing, and drinking to the health of
neighbors. The concept comes from pre-Christian fertility rites. People
walked through their fields in the middle of winter, singing and shouting
to drive away any spirits that might inhibit the growth of future crops.
Caroling wasn’t actually done in churches until around the 13th century.
Mistletoe was a magical plant for the both Druids and the Vikings, among others. The Romans held
fertility rituals under the mistletoe to honor the god Saturn and to keep him happy. The Norse Eddas
tell of warriors from opposing tribes laying down their arms under mistletoe as it was considered a
plant of peace. In Norse mythology, mistletoe is associated with a goddess of love, Frigga.
While Santa Claus has his roots in the Dutch Sinterklaas mythology, a
couple of elements of Odin and Saint Nicholas have also been added
to the “brew”. La Befana, the kindly Italian witch who drops off treats
for well-behaved children, and Frau Holle, who gives gifts to women at
the time of the winter solstice are both gift-delivering beings. In Cen-
tral Europe the baby Jesus brings the Christmas gifts with the help of
the angels, while in Greece Saint Basil does, but on the 1st of January.
The ancient Egyptians didn't have conifer trees, but they had palms -
symbols of resurrection and rebirth. They often brought the fronds into
their homes during the time of the winter solstice. Saturnalia was a
Roman festival which was held every year on December 17. It was a
time to honor the god Saturn, so homes and hearths were decorated
with all kinds of greenery, such as vines and ivy.
The practice of Christmas gift giving is often connected to the Biblical tale of the three wise men who
gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn baby Jesus. However, the tradition also used
to be present in other cultures – the Romans exchanged gifts between Saturnalia and the Kalends, and
in medieval times, French nuns gave food and clothing to the poor on St. Nicholas’ Eve as gifts. Until
around the early 19th century, most people exchanged gifts on New Years’ Day – and it was typically just
one present, not a hoard of gifts.
When celebrating Saturnalia the Romans would often decorate trees with metal ornaments out-
doors. Typically, these represented either Saturn or the family's patron god. Laurel wreath was a
popular decoration as well. Early Germanic tribes honored Odin by decorating trees with fruit and
candles at the solstice.
Legend has it that once a fruitcake is baked, it will outlive everyone
who encounters it. Fruitcake actually has its origins in ancient Egypt.
There’s a story claiming that the Egyptians placed cakes made of fer-
mented fruit and honey on the tombs of their deceased relatives – and
these cakes lasted as long as the tombs themselves. Later Roman
soldiers carried such cakes into battle, made of mashed pomegran-
ates and barley. There are even records of warriors on Crusades car-
rying honey-laden fruitcakes into the Holy Land with them.
There is much symbolism surrounding the Christmas holly -- the red ber-
ries represent the blood of Jesus Christ as he died upon the cross, and the
sharp-edged green leaves stand for his crown of thorns. In Pagan cultures
the holly was associated with the Holly King, their god of winter. He would
battle endlessly with the Oak King, the deity of summer. Holly was be-
lieved to drive off evil spirits and came in very handy during the colder
part of the year, when most of the other trees were leafless.
Today, the Yule log often refers to a delicious chocolate dessert, but
the tradition of the Yule log reaches back to the cold winters of old
Norway. On the night of the winter solstice, hoisting a giant log onto
the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun was common each year.
The Norse believed that the sun was a gigantic wheel of fire which
rolled away from the earth, and then began rolling back again on the
winter solstice.
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Old Britain
Ancient Egypt
Germania
Medieval Italy
Ancient Egypt
Old Scandinavia
Old Scandinavia
Old Scandinavia
Medieval France
SOURCES:
Based on "Ten Christmas Customs with Pagan Roots" by Patti Wigington
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yuletraditions/tp/Ten-Christmas-Customs-with-Pagan-Roots.htm
Christmas Customs and Traditions, Their History and Significance by Clement A. Miles
http://books.google.com/books?isbn=0486233545
CHRISTMAS: A HYBRID HOLIDAY
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The Historical Roots of Your Yearly Traditions