This holiday season, many of us will be swigging eggnog and decorating our Christmas tree (possibly drunk). But where do these annual festivities come from? Here are the origins of traditions that have become pop culture staples.
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree has become so popular that 8 in 10 Americans say they plan to put one up this year, according to Pew Research Center. (One South Carolina woman has 26 trees in her home this year!)
We can thank the Germans for the tradition. It dates back to the Middle Ages.
Roman Catholic countries, including Germany, celebrated the Feast Day of Adam and Eve on Dec. 24. The Germans would do a procession carrying “paradise trees” with apples on them representing the forbidden fruit, said Bob Doares, a training specialist in the historical research department at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
The tradition was introduced to England during the Victorian era. When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, a German, he brought Christmas trees into their palaces.
Although it’s difficult to trace back to the very first Christmas tree in the United States, it’s assumed Germans settlers brought the tradition with them, Doares said.
In Williamsburg, Va., the first Christmas tree came in 1842. German professor Charles
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