Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.
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There are 13 Santas in Iceland, each leaving a gift for children. They come down from the mountain one by one, starting on December 12 and have names like Spoon Licker, Door Sniffer and Meat Hook.
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Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
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In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. It is usually made of straw. Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as t
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The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
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Coca Cola was the first beverage company to use Santa for a winter promotion.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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