Some Christmas Myths Linger, Despite Reality

Observer and Wire Reports

It’s that time of the year when words like festive, yuletide and merry begin circulating again. Tinsel and fairy lights have awoken from their slumber and Christmas hams are piling up in supermarkets once more.

The Western world’s most popular holiday, is steeped with religion, myths, tradition and folklore, and sorting the fact from fiction can prove a challenge.

Here are a few of the myths that have endured, despite evidence that suggests otherwise.:

Myth: Dec. 25 is the birthday of Jesus

The exact date is not stated anywhere in the Gospels, but it almost certainly didn’t take place during the colder months of the year, since shepherds wouldn’t have been tending their flocks in deep winter. Some historians believe Dec. 25 was chosen because that date fell during the Winter Solstice, an already established pagan tradition that was eventually Christianized. Another theory suggests 3rd century Roman scholar Hippolytus chose the date. He assumed Jesus was conceived on the March 25 during the Spring Equinox, due to the presence of shepherds and sheep. He then worked forward nine months to find a birth date and landed on Dec. 25.

Myth: There were Three Kings

Three kings did not visit Jesus when he was a child. They were never referred to as kings in the Bible but ‘magi’ (wise men). The scriptures never actually give a number, only that there was more than one, so for all we know there could have been 500. The assumption of three came from the list of gifts they were said to have brought – gold, frankincense and myrrh. However many there were, the wise men did not visit baby Jesus in a stable but in a house where only his mother was present. The Bible gives no indication how long after the birth they arrived, so it could well have been months later that the wise men brought their gifts.

Myth: Mary rode on a donkey to Bethlehem

A lot of what we believe about Jesus' birth is not in the Bible. There is no indication of a donkey carrying the pregnant Mary to Bethlehem. The Bible only mentions that Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem together. The most likely form of transport at the time would probably have been horse, camel or animal-drawn cart. If there were a donkey it would probably have been used for carrying their things.

Myth: An innkeeper turned Joseph and Mary away

Nowhere in the Bible is the innkeeper who turned Joseph and Mary away mentioned. His addition to the Nativity story is complete fiction. Some scholars also believe that the Greek word kataluma has incorrectly been translated as ‘inn’ when in fact it means ‘guestroom.’ This suggests that Joseph and Mary were travelling to see family in Bethlehem. When they arrived, they discovered the guestroom in the home of a family member was full. So perhaps the inn itself is also complete fiction.

Myth: Jesus was born in a stable

Again, there is no mention of Jesus being born in a stable in the Bible, just that he was wrapped in cloth and laid in a manger after his birth. Mangers are troughs used for feeding animals, so it’s likely, given the previous point, Mary gave birth in the lower levels of a family house due to overcrowding in the guestroom.

Myth: Jingle Bells is a Christmas song

Believe it or not, the Christmas classic 'Jingle Bells' is not a song about the festive season. Written in 1857 by American James Pierpont, the song was originally called 'One-Horse Open Sleigh' and was meant to be about Thanksgiving. If you listen carefully not once does the song mention Christmas. It was decades after its creation the song gradually became associated with Christmas.

Myth: ‘Xmas’ is a invention

It’s the shorthand version of Christmas that people love to hate. Some will use it; others declare it a festive crime to write Christmas in such an irreligious modern fashion. The truth of the matter is Xmas has been a perfectly respectful way of writing Christmas for centuries. While scholars disagree exactly when the word first appeared, the overall consensus places it somewhere between the 1200s-1500s. The first letter of ‘Christ’ in Greek translates to ‘X’, which has been an acceptable representation of the word Christ for hundreds of years.

Myth: Santa wears red because of Coca-Cola

At some point or another, you’ll likely have come across this urban legend. Santa does wear red, the color of a Coca-Cola ads is red, and Santa has been featured in Coca-Cola adverts for years but no, Coca-Cola cannot take credit for the color of Santa’s outfit. Though in the early 1930s Coca-Cola began using Santa in advertising campaigns wearing a red coat, this depiction of him had been around since the 19th century. In the 1870s, American cartoonist Thomas Nast, who was a German immigrant, began drawing Santa in the outfit we imagine him in today - red coat, red hat with white fur lining and a buckled black belt around his waist. By the time Coca-Cola came to their 1930s ad campaign, the image of jolly old Santa was already well established in the public consciousness thanks to the original drawings of Nash.