In this series of lessons you will learn: the real history of Christmas the customs and traditions of Christmas how the story of Father Christmas developed how this religious holiday is celebrated in other countries

In order to learn this you will: find information from a Close Reading passage research information on the internet be able to record and organise information you have researched be able to demonstrate what you have learned by delivering a short presentation

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G H A

The Real History of Christmas

TASK: Read the following passage and answer the Close Reading questions.Christmas has had a long and varied history. It has been celebrated for centuries by different people, at different times, in different places, and in many different ways.

An Ancient HolidaySome of our modern Christmas traditions have much older roots, going back to pagan European traditions. The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice (this is a winter time festival to do with the sun), when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and more hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse (the name of the people who lived in Scandinavia) celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through to January. To celebrate the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast and have a party until the log burned out, which could take as long as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. The pagans followed a religion that had lots of gods-not just one. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he flew around the sky at night to watch his people, and then decide who he would reward or punish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

Saturnalia

In Rome, where winters were not as cold and hard as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a time of wild parties and celebrations, when there was plenty of food and drink and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.

Christianity

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention a date for his birth. Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and blend together the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century (that means sometime in the year 500). By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would become popular.

Now, we celebrate Christmas as the day when Jesus Christ (the son of God) was born in Bethlehem. But in fact, Christmas is a BLEND of a few different traditions.

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CLOSE READING QUESTIONS

1. Complete this sentence. The middle of winter has long been a ___________ _____ ___ ______

2. Describe why early Europeans celebrated the winter solstice.

_________________________________ ________________________

3. When did the Norse people celebrate Yule?

________________ __________________________________ _____

4. What did the Norse people think the sparks from the fire represented?

________ _____________

5. Using your own words, give TWO reasons why the end of December was a perfect time for celebration. Reason 1:______ _____________________________________________

Reason 2:_______________ ____________________________________

6. Why did the Germans choose to stay inside their houses at this time of year?

________________________________ __

7. Explain how Rome was different from the north.___ __ _____________

8. Who was honoured during Saturnalia?_______ __________________

9. Explain how the ‘normal Roman social order was turned upside down’ during Saturnalia.

_________________ _______ ____________________

10a. Who decided to make the birth of Jesus an official holiday?

__________________________________________________ _________

b. When did this happen?__________________ ____________________

11. Name one reason which suggests Jesus may have been born in the spring time.

_______ _________ ______________________________________

12. Explain, using your own words, why Christmas Day was chosen as December 25th.

_____________________ ______________________________________

13. Why do you think church officials thought it would be a good idea to have Christmas at the same time

as traditional winter solstice festivals (i.e. why did they think it would help to make it popular)?

____________________________________________________

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Christmas TraditionsTASK: Make a list of all the Christmas traditions that you can think of.For example: Putting a star on top of the tree

CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS

Certain things we do at Christmas are TRADITIONS. We do things, like putting up a Christmas tree, because it’s a long-established custom that has been handed down from generation to generation. When people first started these traditions they had important meanings and associations. That means, they did them because they symbolised – they reminded them of things to do with the real meaning of Christmas.

TASK: Go to 4

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/meaning.htm and match the Christmas symbol with its true meaning.

Christmas Symbol True Meaning

TASK: Go tohttp://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/santa.html to find out about the story of Santa.

1. What colour was Santa’s coat up until about 1880?_________________2. When and how did the red coat become popular?_____________________________________________________________________3. What is the name of the poem that gave us our popular image of what Santa looks like?_______________________________________________4. Read the section called ‘History of Father Christmas in England’ and fill in the missing words.

Father Christmas was originally part of an old English__________ __________, normally 5

FATHER CHRISTMAS

dressed in green, a sign of the returning ______. He was known as 'Sir Christmas', 'Old Father Christmas' or ‘_____ _________'.

In this earliest form, Father Christmas was not the bringer of _____ for small children, nor did he come down the _______. He simply wandered around from home to home, knocking on doors and ___________ with families before moving on to the next house.

5. Who is the real person that Santa is based on? _____________________6. Where did the idea that he comes down people’s chimneys come from? _______________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________7. Santa is known as Father Christmas in Britain. Find out what he’s called in other countries.

AustriaFranceItaly

GermanyRussia

Hungary Spain

HOW IS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATED IN OTHER COUNTRIES?

We are going to find out what how other countries celebrate at this time of year. You will find all the information you need at:

http://www.zuzu.org/daze.html http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/

Traditions

Date of ChristmasFood

Decorations

Weather

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MEXICO

Traditions

Date of ChristmasFood

Decorations

Weather

Traditions

Date of Christmas

Food

Decorations

Weather

Traditions

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ITALY

HUNGARY

AUSTRALIA

Date of ChristmasFood

Decorations

Weather CHRISTMAS SOLO TALK

TASK: You will deliver a short talk about one of the following: the true history of Christmas the winter festivals that people used to celebrate before Christianity the true meaning of some of our Christmas traditions the story of Santa you can research the Christmas customs and traditions of ONE country (it

doesn’t need to be one of the countries we’ve already researched)

How will I get my information?You will already have lots of the information you need. You can find more information by researching on the laptops.

How long do I have to do this?Organising all the information you need should take no more than ONE PERIOD.

How can I make my talk as good as possible?You are already very good at delivering the solo talk. Remember what your weakest area was from your last talk and try to make improvements. More importantly, remember your strongest area from your last talk and keep up the high standard!In your solo talk you should:

talk for no less than 2 minutes and no more than 4 show that you have researched your topic (content) have good eye-contact vary the tone of your voice – this makes it sound interesting for the audience avoid speaking too slowly or quickly. Try to sound natural make sure you’re loud enough so that everyone can hear you – no mumbling! You’ve all worked very hard on improving your tone of voice. But remember

that your facial expression is also important. You can smile and look natural!

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