Merry Christmas is spoken in many
languages around the world

Belgium - Zalige Kertfeest
Brazil - Feliz Natal
China - Sheng Tan Kuai Loh
Denmark - Glaedelig Jul
England - Happy Christmas
Finland - Hauskaa Joulua
France - Joyeux Noel
Germany - Frohliche Weihnachten
Greece - Eftihismena Christougenna
Ireland - Nodlig mhaith chugnat
Italy - Buon Natale
Mexico - Feliz Navidad
Belgium - Zalige Kertfeest
Brazil - Feliz Natal
China - Sheng Tan Kuai Loh
Denmark - Glaedelig Jul
England - Happy Christmas
Finland - Hauskaa Joulua
France - Joyeux Noel
Germany - Frohliche Weihnachten
Greece - Eftihismena Christougenna
Ireland - Nodlig mhaith chugnat
Italy - Buon Natale
Mexico - Feliz Navidad

Symbols of Christmas Around the World

The Star
Christmas Tree
Legends
Christmas Tree
Mistletoe
Holly
Ivy Laurel
Rosemary
Poinsettia
Christmas Rose
Glastonbury
Thorn

The Christmas Star

To most Christians the Christmas star is symbolic of Jesus, who is often called "the bright and morning star." Ancient people looked upon stars as gods and created myths about them. Before there was Christmas, stars held importance in ancient religions. The Babylonians used three stars to represent a god. The Egyptians believed that certain gods controlled different stars and constellations. The six-pointed star of David became the symbol of the Hebrew nation. The North American Blackfoot Indian believed that every star was at one time a human being. The Great Bear and the Little Bear are still worshiped by the Berber tribes of Africa today. But the five-pointed star of Christmas holds center stage. Its appearance is recorded in the Bible in the New Testament which says it appeared over Bethlehem and served as a guiding light to lead the wise men to the Christ child.

The Christmas Tree

For families in North America, Germany and other parts of Europe, the Christmas tree is the symbol of the Christmas season.

Evergreens

Evergreens have been a part of mid-winter festivals long before Christ.  They played a symbolic part because they stayed green and alive when other plants appeared dead and bare. They represented everlasting life and hope for the return of spring. Primitive European tribes hung evergreens above their doors to offer the wandering winter spirits shelter within their homes in hopes of receiving good fortune and good health in return. The Romans decorated their homes with the greens
at the Festival of Saturnalia and at the Kalends of January, their New Year. They exchanged evergreen branches with friends as a sign of good luck. The Druids viewed evergreens as sacred, a symbol of life itself. When Christmas came about, we incorporated, rather than dismissed, many of these practices as Christmas customs. Of course, this was done only if these activities and items were consider harmless and availed themselves to a Christian interpretation.

The use of evergreens was and is most widespread in England and Germany. We can trace it back at least 500 years ago when religious meaning began to be associated with these plants.

Mistletoe

The eighteenth-century English credited mistletoe
with a certain magical appealcalled a kissing ball.
At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of
mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens,  ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a  kiss could mean deep romance of lasting friendship and   goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect not  to marry the following year. Whether we believe it or not, it always makes for fun and frolic at Christmas celebrations.

Holly

The plant has come to stand for peace and joy,
people often settle arguments under a holly tree.
Holly is believed to frighten off witches
and protect the home from thunder and lightning.
In West England it is said sprigs of holly around a
young girl's bed on Christmas Eve are suppose to
keep away mischievous little goblins. In Germany,
a piece that has been used in church decorations
is regarded as a charm against lightning. In England,
British farmers put sprigs of holly on their beehives.
On the first Christmas, they believed, the bees hummed
in honor of the Christ Child. The English also mention
the "he holly and the she holly" as being the determining
factor in who will rule the household in the following
year, the "she holly" having smooth leaves and the "he holly" having prickly ones. Other beliefs included putting a
sprig of holly on the bedpost to bring sweet dreams and
making a tonic from holly to cure a cough. All of these
references give light to "decking the halls with boughs of holly."

Ivy

Ivy, too, has been a symbol of eternal life in the pagan
world and then came to represent new promise and
eternal life in the Christian world. Ivy is more of an English
Christmas green than an American one. It is
considered a feeble clinging plant, rather feminine in
nature, not at all like the masculine sturdy holly leaf.
It was the ancient symbol of Bacchus, the god of
wine and revelry.

Laurel

Among the Romans who remained pagan, the laurel leaf
was sacred to the sun god Apollo. In the Christian sect it
came to symbolize the triumph of Humanity as represented by the Son Man. Bay is also a name used for laurel.  As the bay tree, the true laurel of the Ancients, is scarce in England. substitutions such the common cherry  laurel, the Portugal laurel, the Aucuba and others are often  used. A British Christmas carol about the three kings leans  heavily on the word "laurel".   "We come walking with our staves, Wreathed with laurel: We seek the King Jesus, Him that saves, To Bring Him laurel..."



Rosemary

Rosemary is yet another Christmas green. Though now it
is used to mainly season foods, during the Middle Ages it
was spread on the floor at Christmas. As people walked
on it, the fragrant smell arose filling the house. The story
associated with the shrub is that Mary laid the garments
of the Christ Child on its branches and cause it to have
such a wonderful aroma. It is also said that rosemary is
extremely offensive to evil spirits, thus, being well suited
to the advent of their Conqueror. The name rosemary is
given, too, an association to the Virgin Mary's
name, making it all the more fitting for the Christmas season.

The Christmas Rose

A well known English plant, the Christmas rose, is a
true Christmas flower. It is sometimes called the Snow
or Winter Rose. It blooms in the depths of winter in the
mountains of Central Europe. Legend links it with the birth of Christ and a little shepherdess named Madelon.

As Madelon tented her sheep one cold and wintry night,
wise men and other shepherds passed by the snow
covered field where she was with their gifts for the Christ
Child. The wise men carried the rich gifts of gold, myrrh
and frankincense and the shepherds, fruits, honey and
doves. Poor Madelon began to weep at the thought of
having nothing, not even a simple flower for the Newborn
King. An angel, seeing her tears, brushed away the snow
revealing a most beautiful white flower tipped with pink -
the Christmas rose.

Also in central and northern Europe it is the custom to break off branch of a cherry tree at the beginning of the Advent and keep it in water in a warm room; the flowers should burst into bloom at Christmas time.

The Glastonbury Thorn

The Glastonbury thorn legend ties in Christ's death as
well as the celebration of his birth. The legend goes that
soon after the death of Christ, Joseph of Arimathea came
to Britain to spread the message of Christianity. When he
traveled there from the Holy Land he brought with him his
staff. Being tired from his journey, he lay down to rest. In doing so, he pushed his staff into the ground beside him.
When he awoke, he found that the staff had taken root and
begun to grow and blossom. It is said he left it there and it has flowered every Christmas and every spring . It is also said that a puritan trying to cut down the tree was blinded by a splinter of the wood before he could do so. The original thorn did eventually  die but not before many cuttings had been taken. It is one of  these very cuttings which is in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey today.

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