Christmas is the most expected holiday of the year. Family celebrations, stacks of presents, crazy parties and (at last) the long vacation from studies are waiting ahead.
But before Unicheck team will also have a glass of festive freshly squeezed beet juice, we want to share amazing Christmas facts, which we were gathering and waiting to share this whole year. Be attentive, though: there are true statements as well as fake. Only the most perceptive learners will sort them out.
Christmas Cards
Greatest holiday tradition of giving each other Christmas cards has the other side of a coin. The first winter greeting card wasn’t too festal. In the year of 1843 in the UK, a poor woman named Lindsey Heart struggling to save her children from starving. She was an artist by her true calling but had to work at a warehouse to make her living.
Once she designed a card picturing a family celebrating Christmas, hoping her holiday concept would be appreciated and granted. Later the idea was sold to Sir Henry Cole, who is considered to be Christmas card inventor till nowadays.
The Yule Cat
Christmas isn’t just about having fun and easy-going celebrations. According to Icelandic folklore, there is a “thing” to worry about for lazybones.
If hosts haven’t prepared a rich festive table and haven’t knit new woolen sweaters, the huge black Yule Cat would break into a house and eat all food from the cellar; or even would dine with the hosts themselves.
It was a great motivation for workers of woolen manufactures to prepare leftover material before Christmas comes, as they got new clothes from factory owners if a plan was completed.
Chinese Santa Clause
Though a percentage of Christians in China is very low, Christmas is nevertheless celebrated in big cities. It seems peculiar that the greater part of decorations for winter holidays and artificial fir trees are produced there, but it is crazy that almost no one knows their real destination. Besides, Santa Claus in China is called “Shen Dan Lao Ren”.
Rudolph’s disease
According to a recent scientific research on Christmas history (in particular, its main characters), Rudolph the Reindeer was caught on a serious truth concealment.
It occurred that he got his red nose after catching the meanest cold, which, unfortunately, became the incurable disease, close to fatal. But due to Santa’s efforts, he was partially healed, through his nose remained red forever. (Rudolph definitely neglected mama-deer’s admonitions to wear knit socks and a cap).
Girl’s stocking
There is a tradition of receiving small presents in stockings, hanging above a chimney. But only a few of us know that it has started with three girls, who were going to get married and had no money for their dowries.
The lore goes that St. Nicolas left some gold coins as a present for poor girls and a part of them landed in a drying stocking (of course that’s not an excuse to squander your socks all over the room).
Santa’s grandchildren
They say Santa Claus has Elves, Rudolph the Reindeer and Mrs. Claus by his side, but is that true?
In Eastern Europe, people believe that real Santa is Ded Moroz (that is Grandfather Frost) and he always visits kids with his granddaughter Snegurochka (the closest translation would be “made of snow”). She is in her late teens (and her outfit is kinda hot, actually).
“Festive” break-ups
Cordial holiday for families, romantic time for couples: this is an ideal Christmas appearance. But according to statistics, this exact time of the year is the second “favorite” period for couples to break-up. So it is better to make sure that your present for your beloved one is not a pen or a keychain (unless they are quirkily fond of these items).
Speaking about gifts, Unicheck is worried about your celebration. That’s why it composed a list of the best Christmas presents for students, suitable for any type of a learner.
And as the saying goes, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
P.S. We know you have totally figured it out, but just in case there are two fake facts: Christmas cards do not have such a sad story behind them, and Rudolph is perfectly healthy. The rest is unequivocally true.
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