By Gabriella DeLuca, ’27

Staff Writer

Christmas—the holiday of evergreen trees, gift giving, Santa Claus, and carols—is a celebration that captures both the beauty of winter and the joy of being with the ones you love. Celebrated around the world, from countries ranging from the United States to Germany, Christmas traditions are truly a hallmark of the winter season. But where did these beloved holiday traditions come from? And why do we still celebrate them today?

The origins of Christmas are intertwined with various religious and cultural traditions from around the world. In the Christian faith, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus and his bringing of salvation, hope, and love to earth. Christmas also coincides with the winter solstice and incorporates pre-Christian traditions, some that date back as far as two millennia.

December 25th aligns closely with earlier pagan holidays, particularly the Roman celebration of Saturnalia, which likely influenced the development of many Christmas traditions that are still celebrated today. Saturnalia, observed between December 17th and 24th, was a celebration of the winter solstice practiced by the pagans (polytheistic Romans) to honor the sun god, Saturn. Romans believed that the cold season was a sign that the sun had grown ill and weak, and that the lengthening of daylight that began after the winter solstice symbolized its gradual recovery and eventual return of springtime. During this Roman festival, all social hierarchies were overturned and the pagans throughout Ancient Rome came together to celebrate the winter solstice. This celebration was characterized by feasting and gift-giving, customs that strongly resemble modern Christmas traditions. The gifts exchanged and the foods shared symbolized hope for a prosperous spring harvest in the coming year.

Another festival that inspired the modern Christmas traditions was Yule. Yule was a celebration of the winter solstice and renewal of light, similar to the pagan festival of Saturnalia. This 12-day celebration is believed to be one of the oldest winter solstice festivals in history with origins tracing back to the Norse and German people of northern Europe. One of the hallmarks of this festival was the burning of the Yule log, a celebration that is still popular in Europe today, although in a different form. The original Yule log was an entire tree trunk that was burned for 12 days to welcome the return of the sun and the rebirth of light. The burning of the log was believed to symbolize the cleansing of the old year’s hardships and good fortune for the spring ahead. Today, in France and other countries in Europe, it is a common practice to bake a roulade-style cake decorated with berries and holly to look like an ancient Yule log.

Christmas Traditions

Today we celebrate Christmas by decorating Christmas trees, writing letters to Santa, singing carols, and decorating our homes with mistletoe and holly, traditions reminesent of those practiced by people many centuries ago.

Christmas Trees

Pagans were the first to use evergreen trees and plants to decorate their homes and brighten spirits during the winter solstice. Evergreen was believed to represent fertility and a new life amidst the darkness of winter. Decorating their doors and windows with evergreen boughs reminded the Romans of the green plants that would grow again when summer returned and the sun regained its strength. The Ancient Egyptians also filled their homes with green palms and papyrus reeds during their mild winter season to symbolize the triumph of life over death.

The modern decorated Christmas tree began as a German tradition and was first brought into the home during the 16th century. The Germans, Romans, and Celts brought greenery indoors during the winter to encourage the return of the sun during the dark winter months. This practice was spread across the Atlantic Ocean and brought to the Americas during the 18th century by German soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

It is widely believed that the 16th-century Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, was the first to add lighted candles to a tree. Stories suggest that while walking home one winter evening, Luther was amazed by the sight of the stars twinkling among the evergreen trees. To replicate the scene for his family, Luther brought a tree into his house and decorated its branches with lighted candles.

The modern decorated Christmas tree and the popularity of this tradition has been linked to a 19th century illustration of Queen Victoria and the British royal family standing with their Christmas tree during the winter season. This image, sketched in the Illustrated London, significantly boosted the popularity of the Christmas tree and led to the further spread of the tradition.

The Legend of Santa Claus

It would be hard to imagine Christmas without Santa Claus. During the winter season, the image of Santa Claus can be seen almost anywhere, from Coca-Cola bottles, to real-life experiences where children can meet Santa and tell him their Christmas wishes.

Today, Santa Claus is thought of as the jolly old man in a red suit with a white beard who brings toys to all the good children on Christmas Eve. However, the story of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas, known for his generosity and gift-giving. During the 4th Century in modern-day Turkey, St. Nicholas dedicated his life to helping the poor and the sick, giving away all his inherited wealth to those in need. Over the course of many years, St. Nicholas became recognized as the most popular saint in Europe and known worldwide as the protector of children. Today, St. Nicholas is celebrated with a feast on December 6th, the anniversary of his death.

Mistletoe & Holly

Decorating with mistletoe and holly is a well-known holiday tradition, but did you know that these plants’ history dates back hundreds of years?

Holly was a sacred plant for the pagans as they associated it with Saturn, the god of the sun and agriculture. During Saturnalia, the pagans would exchange wreaths made from holly for good luck. Over time, the practice of decorating with holly became a tradition, and even today homes around the world are often seen decked out with greenery during the Christmas season.

Have you ever wondered where the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe stemmed from?

There are many theories to the origin of this holiday tradition. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed mistletoe to have healing powers, curing everything from ailments such as epilepsy to poisoning. The Greeks and Romans also used mistletoe as a symbol of peace, reconciling with their enemies under it to symbolize to the end of warfare.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is also commonly traced back to Norse mythology. According to an ancient myth, the god Baldur was prophesied to die an untimely death, prompting his mother Frigg, the goddess of love, to seek protection for him. She traveled throughout the natural world, and secured promises with all the plants and animals to not harm her son. However, Frigg forgot to secure an oath from mistletoe, causing Baldur to be invulnerable to all living things with the exception of mistletoe. With knowledge of this vulnerability, Loki, the god of mischief, was able to kill Baldur using an arrow made from mistletoe. In some versions of this legend, the gods later restored Baldur to life, and in her great delight, Frigg declared mistletoe a symbol of love and vowed to bestow a kiss upon all those who passed beneath it.

Adding to the mythology, this one-of-a-kind Christmas tradition is often credited to Washington Irving, a notable American author who wrote about the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe in his acclaimed novel, The Sketch Book. Eventually this tradition became a romantic custom of the Christmas holiday.

Exploring the history behind Christmas reveals a rich tapestry of culture and stories that have evolved over time. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday, the traditions we practice today are woven together from centuries of history, offering diverse ways to celebrate life, light, and being with the ones you love.

By Gabriella DeLuca, ’27

Staff Writer

Have you ever walked into a room and had the strange sensation that you had already been there before? Or turned the corner while visiting a new city and gotten the overwhelming feeling that you had been in that exact same spot before, only you know there is no possible way you could have? This sensation is known as Déjà Vu, the French word for “already seen.” Nearly 97 percent of people will experience this phenomenon at least once in their lifetime. But what causes it? And what does it mean?

Déjà Vu is the fleeting sensation that you have already lived in a totally identical situation at some point in your life, only you haven’t. This conflict between false familiarity and rational knowledge feels as if your memory is telling you one thing, while your brain is saying something different. In fact, this conclusion is not as far off as you may think.

The concept of Déjà Vu has fascinated scientists for many years, and even now the true cause of this “glitch in the matrix,” as the popular movie franchise calls it, is still yet unknown. Some people have proposed that Déjà Vu could be a sign that you are recalling an experience from a past life or experiencing a paranormal event; however, after increased research and experimentation, scientists have developed scientifically proven theories to explain the reasons behind this uncanny sensation. Through the use of insights into neuroscience, scientists have proposed that Déjà Vu is likely the result of dysfunctional connections between the parts of the brain that have a crucial role in memory and familiarity.

According to Dr. O’Connor, a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St. Andrews, this miscommunication arises between two parts of the brain, namely the medial temporal lobe that is associated with recollecting memories and the frontal cortex that is responsible for higher order cognition and fact-checking. Déjà Vu may occur when the temporal lobe sends signals to the frontal cortex to indicate a familiarity with the experience at hand. The frontal cortex region then evaluates whether this signal is consistent with a prior experience. If a prior experience is not identified, the sensation of Déjà Vu occurs and you are left with the conscious feeling of familiarity without evidence to back it up; in other words, false memories.

In 2006, a group of medical researchers led by Leeds Memory Group conducted an experiment in an attempt to recreate Déjà Vu in a lab setting. First, the patients were presented with a simple memory while under hypnosis, such as playing a game or seeing a certain color. The test subjects were then given the suggestion to either forget or hold on to the memory. The experiment showed that this later triggered the sense of Déjà Vu when the patients were presented with a situation that reminded them of the memory they were introduced to while under hypnosis. The results of this confirmed to scientists the belief that Déjà Vu is a memory phenomenon, a feeling of familiarity that cannot be placed.

What does it mean if you experience Déjà Vu?

Although this memory quirk may seem as a sign your brain is working improperly, it actually indicates the opposite. The sensation of Déjà Vu demonstrates that the fact-checking brain regions are functioning correctly to prevent you from incorrectly remembering events. Having this feeling of false familiarity is a sign that your brain is functioning properly to accurately remember situations and events, and is overall a sign of a healthy brain and mind.

Through recent studies and experimentation, scientists have discovered specific situations that can increase the probability of experiencing Déjà Vu. For example, age can have an effect on whether you are more likely to experience Déjà Vu. Young people between the ages of 5 to mid-20s tend to experience more frequent instances of Déjà Vu due to the fact of healthier fact-checking frontal regions in younger brains. As you age, the brain’s ability to detect memory errors declines, and the instances of Déjà Vu become less common.

So, if you experience Déjà Vu in the future, do not worry – instead, view it as proof of a well-functioning brain and a healthy mind.

Works Cited:

“Can Science Explain Déjà Vu?” BBC Bitesize, Apr. 2024, http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zdpbwsg.

Cleveland Clinic. “Why Does Déjà vu Happen?” Cleveland Clinic, 23 Oct. 2022, health.clevelandclinic.org/deja-vu-what-it-is-and-when-it-may-be-cause-for-concern.

Kennedy, Justin. “The Fascinating Science of Déjà vu | Psychology Today.” 20 Dec. 2023, http://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain reboot/202312/the-fascinating-science-of-deja-vu.

Stierwalt, Sabrina. “Can Science Explain Deja Vu?” Scientific American, 23 Mar. 2020, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-science-explain-deja-vu/.