Many holiday traditions have evolved over time to what they are now. Santa Claus, Christmas trees, hanging wreaths, and singing “Auld Lang Syne” are just a few of these.
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Christmas Trees
Evergreen trees were used by pagans for centuries to celebrate the winter solstice. It was not until the spread of Christianity that these evolved to symbolize the Christmas holiday. Germans began to decorate them, and when Price Albert and Queen Victoria decided to have a Christmas tree at Buckingham Palace, the tradition caught on.
Santa Claus 
Our modern image of a fat man in a red and white suit evolved from the tradition of Saint Nicholas. The story tells of a kind bishop who desired to help the poor by sneaking into their houses at night and leaving them money. The modern image of Santa Claus was popularized by the artist Thomas Nast. Nast created a wood engraving (left) for the magazine Harper’s Weekly in 1862. This illustration depicted Saint Nicholas as the jolly old fat man we know today.
Hanging Wreaths
This tradition goes all the way back to ancient Roman times. The citizens of Rome believed that exchanging evergreen branches at the new year was good luck. The recipients started to display these branches as circular wreaths on their doorways.
Singing “Auld Lang Syne”
The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, wrote down the lyrics of this folk tune in 1788. The title translates from the gaelic “Auld Lang Syne” to “For old times’ sake.” The lyrics to the full version of the tune can be found here. It wasn’t until the Royal Canadians played “Auld Lang Syne” over the radio on December 31, 1929 that it became a traditional New Year’s song in North America.
Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
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