Christmas Traditions in USA

Christmas traditions in USA are full of fun and interesting lines. The country is dipped in the old flavor of tradition and culture, despite being a modern country. Christmas midnight mass, turkey dinners, pudding, and Christmas tree decorations are some among the many traditions of this festival

Christmas Traditions at a glance:

USA practices its various Christmas traditions with care. It is during this

time that the Americans put behind their worries and spend a quality time with their family and friends. Some of the major customs of the festival include:

The Gift exchange tradition: Exchanging gifts during Christmas has been a common custom in America. This custom was initially famous among the Romans. The Romans would exchange gifts on the occasion of Saturnalia and the Roman New Year. But the actual tradition of giving gifts to each other on Christmas comes from the story of the three wise men visiting baby Jesus with gifts.

Eggnog: Having Eggnog on Christmas is an old colonial tradition. As the story goes, on Christmas Eve in 1826, Jefferson Davis and his other cadets celebrated this festival with Eggnog. Eggnog is a unique preparation which contains, fruit base, eggs, milk and cream. The 18th century eggnog contained beer, wine, and ale. Some would also add spices like nutmeg.

Candy Cane and its history: There is a very interesting story behind the famous tradition of giving sweet candy canes to children during Christmas in USA. Two hundred and thirty years ago, the children visited the Cologne Cathedral and made a lot of noise. It was difficult for the choirmaster to concentrate on the Nativity ceremony. To solve this problem, he made sweet cane candies and gave them to the children. The color of the sweet cane candies has biblical significance. The white color signifies purity while the red lines signify Christ’s wounds.

Christmas Candles: Burning candles on Christmas is a well-known tradition followed by all. The candles too have a major significance as these are burnt with a purpose. The candle’s light guide baby Christ to each home, when he comes to visit everyone on the festival. The candles are kept on the windowsill, which is considered as the “star of wonder”. Candles also symbolize the removal of darkness from the world.

Christmas tree decoration: Decoration of the pine tree for this festival is also a common tradition. The tradition was initially followed by the Romans who passed it on to America. The custom actually came from a belief, of few trees flowering immensely during the Christmas month. It is said that the trees paid homage to Christ on the occasion of his birth anniversary. The custom first appeared in the year 1605. Later, the tree decorations gained its popularity when Prince Albert and Queen Victoria backed this custom. They displayed their decorated Christmas tree in the year 1840.

Interesting Christmas traditions in America:

Some of the other amazing customs practiced during this festival are:

• Gingerbread Tradition
• Christmas Bells
• Mistletoe
• Art of Wassail
• Christmas Greeting cards
• Crackers
• Nutcraker
• Reindeer’s Legendry custom story
• Stockings on Christmas
• Christmas Pickles

The Christmas traditions in USA are a major part of their celebration. People enjoy following these customs.

Last Updated on : 21/9/2010