Return to
Polar Blair's Den Menu PageBack to "Christmas" Main Page
Fun Facts
- Yule was originally its own holiday and did NOT have its origins in Christmas or Christianity. Nowadays, Yule is often thought as being the same thing as Christmas, just a different word.
- Ancient Germanic people celebrated the winter
holiday of Yule, which had its origins in Norse mythology. Odin,
the chief god in Norse mythology, was the central figure for Yule, much
like Santa Claus became for Christmas.
- Many parallels have been drawn between Santa
Claus and Odin. It's believed the myth of Santa Claus took a lot
of its shape from Odin (i.e. the long white beard, etc.)
- On the native Germanic holiday of Yule, Odin was said to lead a great hunting party in the sky. Odin had an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir that could leap great distances. Some believe this is where the idea of Santa's reindeer was seeded.
- Children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw, or sugar, by the chimney for Sleipner to eat. In return, Odin would reward those children by replacing Sleipnir's food with candy and/or gifts. This practice was still continued in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands after they adopted Christianity. It became associated with Saint Nicholas as a result of the process of Christianization, and can still be seen in the modern practice of hanging stockings on the chimney at some homes.
- The stocking practice came to the United States through the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, prior to British seizure in the 17th century. It evolved into the hanging of socks or stockings at the fireplace.
- Many other pre-Christian Germanic winter traditions have continued into modern Christmas celebrations such as: Christmas ham, Christmas tree, Yule goat, and Yule logs.