Christmas Facts

    Random Christmas Facts

    There are 44 Christmas Facts!

    The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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    Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
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    At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath the mistletoe tree. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".
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    In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. In order to get rid of them, salt or an old shoe is burnt. The pungent burning stench drives off, or at least helps discourage, the Kallikantza
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    The twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany (6th of January) and represent the length of time it took for the wise men from the East to visit the manger of Jesus after his birth.
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    'Klaxon' is a name that does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".
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    The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
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