Christmas Traditions
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
Ask anyone to describe Santa and you`ll probably hear what we did.
"Of course the beard.. big long white beard, big plump belly."
"He`s a big fat guy, big fat guy with a long beard."
But the legend of St. Nicholas was brought to America by the Dutch. Only their santa was depicted as a tall, dignified religious figure riding on a white horse.
Santa`s transformation began in 1823, when a New York newspaper published the poem "A visit from Saint Nicholas".
From santa to Jesus, there are also many misconceptions about the December 25th holiday.
Scholars now believe Jesus was actually born in September. Christians didn`t begin celebrating Christmas until the 4th century. The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25th because that`s when the pagans celebrated winter solstice.
