Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, is usually credited with having introduced the Christmas tree into England in 1840. However it was actually 'good Queen Charlotte', the German wife of George III, who set up the first known tree at Queen's Lodge, Windsor, in December 1800.
In 325AD, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, introduced Christmas as an immovable feast on 25 December. He also introduced Sunday as a holy day in a new 7-day week, and introduced movable feasts (Easter).
King's speech 2023: Charles III addresses public on Christmas Day
Why were kings crowned on Christmas Day?
Those who celebrated their coronations on 25 December would also be celebrating the birth of Christ, the saviour and King of Kings. This would have added a sense of Divine favour to their rule, and secured their claim to that particular title.
According to the Biblical story, the Three Kings (also called wise men or magi) – named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar – followed the Star of Bethlehem to find the birth place of Baby Jesus. They presented the baby with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Saint Nicholas is one of the most popular saints commemorated in the Eastern and Western churches, and he is now traditionally associated with the festival of Christmas. Nothing certain is known of his life, but he was probably bishop of Myra in the 4th century. He is also known as Nicholas of Myra or Nicholas of Bari.
St Augustine of Canterbury was the person who probably started the widespread celebration of Christmas in large parts of England. The first recorded date of Christmas in England in when Augustine baptised 10,000 Saxons in Kent on Christmas day 597.
The first Christmas Broadcast was delivered by George V in 1932 and since then has evolved into an important part of the Christmas Day celebrations for many in Britain and around the world.
Many of today's favourite Christmas traditions were popularised by Queen Victoria and the royal family in the 19th century. From presents to puddings, discover the Victorian origins of some of the traditions practiced across the country today.
The Christmas tree became popular in England in 1841 when Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, brought a Christmas tree over from Germany and put it in Windsor Castle.
He and other members of the royal family gathered at their estate in Sandringham for their traditional holiday celebration. It was Charles' second Christmas message since he became king following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022, and the first since his coronation ceremony in May.
On Edward's death, the King's Council (the Witenagemot) confirmed Edward's brother-in-law Harold, Earl of Wessex, as King. With no royal blood, and fearing rival claims from William Duke of Normandy and the King of Norway, Harold had himself crowned in Westminster Abbey on 6 January 1066, the day after Edward's death.
England. England is the country that celebrates Christmas the earliest. The decoration for this holiday starts usually in mid-november and many families decorate their houses with lights, leaves and Christmas Trees. Christmas itself is celebrated on December 25th and 26th, as both are national holidays.
The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.
In most of England the archaic word 'Yule' had been replaced by 'Christmas' by the 11th century, but in some places 'Yule' survived as the normal dialect term.
It is commonly used to refer to Santa Claus specifically, or Christmas and the Christmas holiday season. As you'd expect, the usage of the Santa Claus emoji 🎅 increases significantly leading up to Christmas on December 25.
The English Father Christmas was now Santa Claus in all but name. Despite being invented by New Yorkers hankering after old Dutch traditions, Santa was exactly the kind of hero the Victorians needed for their new, family-friendly Christmas.
Claus was first recorded just over 150 years ago. She was the creation of James Rees in his book 1849 book “Mysteries of City Life,” which explored a variety of traditions. Rees is the first to name Mrs. Claus as well, giving her the moniker Gertrude in his stories, although pop culture has given her the name Jessica.
Biblical Magi. The Gospel of Matthew (2:1–12) speaks of Magi, or wise men, who followed a star from the East to Bethlehem in search of a newborn king. There they found Mary and the baby Jesus and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Melchior was often referred to as the oldest member of the Magi. He was traditionally called the King of Persia and brought the gift of gold to Jesus. In the Western Christian church, he is regarded as a saint (as are the other two Magi).
Gaspar represents the Frankincense brought to Jesus. Melchior, who has long white hair and a white beard and wears a gold cloak. He is the King of Arabia. Melchior represents the Gold brought to Jesus.
