One of the things I love so much about Christmas is all the decorating. The lights, the colors, the symbolism... it just brings to our homes and our selves, such a wonderful energy!
* In Christian tradition, these colors take on special meanings:
* Red - Christ's blood shed for our sin on the cross. (John 19:34)
* Green - Eternal life in Christ. (John 3:16-17)
* White - The purity of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
* Gold - Christ the Divine (Rev. 3:18)
* Silver - Redemption in Christ (Matt. 27:3-9)
(above taken from http://www.athomeschool.com/unitstudy/christmas_symbols_12.htm)
Symbolism of colors vary from culture to culture. But here are a few basics I use:
Gold symbolizes: Wealth, prosperity, wisdom. It is a warm color that can be both bright and cheerful
Green symbolizes: Life, nature, fertility, well-being. The color is soothing, relaxing mentally as well as physically.
White symbolizes: Purity, innocence. Too much white can cause headaches and make a room feel too sterile and barren but makes for a wonderful accent color.
Red symbolizes: Action, confidence, courage, vitality. The color is stimulating, energizing.
Candles are an excellent way this time of year, or any time of year for that matter, to create just the right atmosphere using color. Plus, candles can "lift" an area of stagnant energy and get the flow of energy to start moving again throughout the home.
glitter-graphics.com
Here's a little info you might find interesting about candles:
The history of candle making does not belong to any one country as it was developed independently in many countries. The Egyptians formed candles that were made out of beeswax as early as 3000 BC. The Chinese created candles from whale fat during the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC). In early China and Japan, tapers were made with wax from insects and seeds, wrapped in paper. In India, wax from boiling cinnamon was used for temple candles. During the first century AD, indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest fused oil from the eulachon, or "candlefish", for illumination. Excavations at Pompeii, Italy, revealed several candelabra.
Candle making was known to calm not only the maker, but user and The oldest candle manufacturers still in existence are Rathbornes Candles, founded in Dublin in 1488.
During the Middle Ages in Europe, the popularity of candles is shown by their use in Candlemas and on Saint Lucy festivities. Tallow, fat from cows or sheep, became the standard material used in candles in Europe.
For churches and royal events, candles from beeswax were used, as the smell was usually less unpleasant.
The first American colonists discovered that bayberries could be used to make candles, but the yield was very poor. Fifteen pounds of boiled bayberries would provide only one pound of wax.
Christmas lights (also sometimes called fairy lights, twinkle lights or holiday lights in the United States)
glitter-graphics.com
The first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
In the U.S. from the 1960s, beginning in tract housing, it became increasingly the custom to completely outline the house (but particularly the eaves) with weatherproof Christmas lights. The Holiday Trail of Lights is a joint effort by cities in east Texas and northwest Louisiana that had its origins in the Festival of Lights and Christmas Festival in Natchitoches, started in 1927, making it one of the oldest light festivals in the United States.
A Christmas tree, Yule tree or Tannenbaum (German: fir tree) is one of the most popular traditions associated with the celebration of Christmas.
glitter-graphics.com
With likely origins in European pre-Christian cultures,[1] the Christmas tree has gained an extensive history and become a common sight during the winter season in various countries.
Patron trees (for example, the Irminsul, Thor's Oak and the figurative Yggdrasil) held special significance for the ancient Germanic tribes, appearing throughout historic accounts as sacred symbols and objects. According to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the Germanic pagan kings sacrificed nine males (the number nine is a significant number in Norse mythology) of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year.[2]
According to Church records, Saint Boniface (who, also according to Church records, had felled the Thor's Oak) attempted to Christianise the indigenous Germanic tribes by introducing the notion of trinity by using the cone-shaped evergreen trees because of their triangular appearance.[3]
Other notable traditions in relation to Christmas have also been derived from Germanic paganism, including the Yule log, Christmas ham, stuffing stockings[4], elements of Santa Claus and his nightly ride through the sky, and surviving elements of Pre-Christian Alpine traditions in the Alps.
Medieval legends tended to concentrate more on the miraculous "flowering" of trees at Christmas time. A branch of flowering Glastonbury thorn is still sent annually for the Queen's Christmas table in the United Kingdom.
Traditionally, Christmas trees were not brought in and decorated until Christmas Eve (24 December), and then removed the day after twelfth night (i.e., 6 January); to have a tree up before or after these dates was even considered bad luck. Modern commercialisation of Christmas has resulted in trees being put up much earlier; in shops often as early as late October (in the UK, Selfridge's Christmas department is up by early September, complete with Christmas trees). A common tradition in U.S. homes is to put the tree up right after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and to take it down right after the New Year.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
I hope you found this interesting. I'll be adding more posts like this over the holiday season.
Have a great weekend everyone. Stay warm, stay well.
