Transcript Christmas is coming

Christmas is coming...
Svetlana Olonen
English
Inglise keelt kõnelevad maad
Christmas Customs and Traditions
Form 6
Supervisior: Igor Jallai
What do you know about Christmas?
– People everywhere have
different traditions that
they observe when
celebrating the Christmas
season. Some put a
candle in the window;
others hang mistletoe
and holly around the
house. Many people sing
carols, put up nativity
scenes, and decorate
Christmas trees.
Christmas tree

The Christmas tree is thought to have
developed from the "Paradise Tree,"
an evergreen tree decorated with
apples and used in a popular play
about Adam and Eve held on
December 24th in medieval Germany.
Martin Luther is credited with being
the first to decorate a tree with lights.
As he walked through the woods near
his home, he looked up into the night
sky and thought about the star that
led the wise men to the Holy Child. He
then took home a small tree and
decorated it with candles to represent
the stars he saw that night and told
hes family about his walk through the
woods and recounted to them the
story of the Christ Child.
Christmas Carols
A carol is defined as a song of
rejoicing, usually associated with
festive occasions and religious
celebrations. The first Christmas carol
was sung by the angels who announced
the birth of Christ to the shepherds in
the fields near Bethlehem. Since that
time many carols have been sung to
honor the birth of Jesus. In fact, more
that 500 English carols from the 15th
century still survive, with the earliest
printed copy of a carol that still exists
being the "Boar's Head" carol.

Jingle Bells

Dashing through the snow,
In a one horse open sleigh,
O're the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob-tail ring
Making spirits bright,
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
CHORUS
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh!
A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride;
And soon Miss Fannie Bright
Was seated by my side.
The horse was lean and lank,
Misfortune seemed his lot,
He got into a drifted bank
And we, we got upset!
Gift Giving
– The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas
is attributed to the wise men who gave
gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the
Christ Child. However, the true origin of
gift giving at Christmas is this. "For God
so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son. That whosoever believeth
in Him shall not perish but have
everlasting life."
Santa Claus
The legend of St. Nicholas came to
America with the Dutch settlers in New
York. As America grew, so did the giftgiver's traits with each ethnic group
adding more details. St. Nicholas's
northern residence, fur-lined suit, and
reindeer-pulled sleigh probably came
from the Slavic regions; while his red
suit, his secret arrival, and his giving to
good boys and girls came from Europe.
He was given physical attributes first
by Clement C. Moore in his poem "The
Night Before Christmas." Later,
engravings by Thomas Nast in the late
1800's and paintings by Haddon
Sundbloom, as advertisements for
Coca-cola in the mid-1900's, allowed
the world to see Santa as we know him
today. Thus grew the modern day Santa
Claus.

St. Nicholas was born in 280
AD, in Patara, a city of Lycia, in
Asia Minor. He was the Bishop
of Myra and was known for hes
great generosity and his love for
children. He would often give
gifts to people at night or while
he was disguised so that his
identity would remain secret.
He died on December 6, 343.
Many European countries
celebrate this date as St.
Nicholas's Day, and gifts are
given on that day rather than
December 25th.
Christmas Greeting Cards
– Christmas cards are tokens of friendship and good will and
have become the means by which people and families keep
in touch with those far away. The first Christmas card was
made in 1843 by an English illustrator named John Calcott
Horsely. Sending cards at Christmas became quite popular
in Europe and America during the next few years.
Christmas cards have truly become a tradition of
Christmas. Nearly 3 billion Christmas cards will be sent
through the U. S. Post Office alone, not counting the ones
sent via the internet. So get out your pens, flex your tired
fingers, and think,
–
"Who have I forgotten this year?"
For a Special Friend
This special Christmas greeting,
Choosen just for you,
Is filled with happy thoughts
And loving wishes too And thoughts these loving wishes
Have a special Christmas touch,
They`re hor the year-round happiness
That you deserve so much.
Have a very
Merry Christmas