The history of our favourite Christmas customs

CHRISTMAS is one of the best-known and oldest religious events around the world, celebrated in 160 countries, but what is the history of some of our favourite Christmas customs?

From putting up decorations to Christmas carols and the Christmas feast, our favourite customs have been around for years.

While Christmas songs have been around almost as long as the day itself, carols only first appeared in the 15th Century before becoming widely sung among the public in the Victorian era when new songs were also written to join the classics.  

Carol services themselves were also first invented in the late 1800s, before gaining popularity to become on of the most common Christmas traditions in the UK. 

Meanwhile, most of the Christmas decorations we now consider traditional originate from Germany, with trees first used by the Germans before becoming widely used throughout the UK from the 1840s after Queen Victoria´s husband, Prince Albert began decorating theirs. 

Now, Christmas trees are popular around much of the world, while other decorations, including garlands have also become a customary festive sight. 

Christmas music and trees may be some of the more modern traditions, but one of the biggest has always been to sit down with loved ones to enjoy a Christmas meal. 

Including the largescale Christmas feasts of Medieval Britain, a festive meal has been traditional in the UK for centuries, with turkey thought to have first become popular under King Henry VIII. 

Now in the leadup to Christmas too, food features heavily with cocktails, buffets and canapes all making an appearance at modern parties over the festive period. 

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