How St Nicholas Became Santa Claus
Santa Claus dominates the public image of Christmas, but he was based on a great Christian. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks at the history of St Nicholas of Myra,...
Category: Christmas Facts
A Priest Put the Hook in Candy Canes
A sweet that has become symbolic of Christmas treats owes its mass-produced existence to a Catholic priest who once kicked Elvis Presley out of his church hall,...
Christmas Fun Facts You Didn’t Know
Father Christmas’s traditional red suit was first invented by Coca Cola and was seen in their advertisements in 1931. The name Santa Claus made its first...
Where Do Our Christmas Traditions Come From?
We celebrate it, eat through it, give gifts on it, and carry out the traditions our parents, and probably our grandparents, carried out. FR DESMOND NAIR finds...
6 Christmas Myths You May Have Fallen For
There were three wise men Mathew 2:1 tells us that when Jesus was born, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem. And that’s all. It makes...
Christmas Goes Pop
GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER presented the Rhythm & Truths music show on Radio Veritas a while back. Here he discusses some of the songs he played on the Christmas...
How Do They Celebrate Christmas around the World?
The Western view of Christmas is becoming increasingly uniquitous, partly thanks to American TV and movies. However, most countries have their own peculiar traditions. GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks...
The Christmas Truce in World War I
This year the last surviving soldier of World War I died in Australia. GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER looks at the first Christmas of World War I, when soldiers on...
A Brief History of Christmas
The feast of the Nativity wasn’t always Christmas trees and jingle bells, and Jesus probably was not born on December 25. GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER charts a brief history...
Jesus, born in a cave in about 4 BC
Debate continues about when Jesus was born and whether Bethlehem was the actual birthplace. Still, some sense can be made of the Gospel accounts of Matthew and...
Christmas Trivia Quiz!
Test your Christmas knowledge! Answers below 1. Who predicted the birth of the messiah? a) Ezekiel b) Isaiah c) Joshua 2. In which century was the Nativity...
Cribs: A Brief History of the Nativity Scene
The Nativity scene that forms such an important part of our celebration of the Christmas season was invented by St Francis of Assisi. GUNTHER SIMMERMACHER takes a...
