The History of Some of Our Favourite Holiday Traditions

We look forward to the holidays for many reasons. They’re the perfect excuse to bring family near and far together, and for many people an exchange of gifts is common – a prettily wrapped way of demonstrating affection. Then of course there’s the food, the decorations, the music. All the traditions that make the holidays feel special.

But where does a tradition start? For most of us, the holiday traditions we share have been passed down from generation to generation, without a clear origin. And while many of us have games or celebrations unique to our own families, there are probably some traditions you have that you share with many others.

Here’s a few of our favourite holiday traditions, and how they started.

The Tradition of Holiday Food

While there’s no global consensus about what constitutes a “traditional” holiday meal (in Japan, KFC is the norm!) in Canada it’s hard to get more traditional than the classic turkey dinner. An oven roasted bird, served with roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy – this is the iconic holiday dinner seen across media.

And while it’s enormously popular in Canada and the United States, this classic spread is distinctly British in origin. While goose was also commonly consumed up until the Victorian era, Turkey was a favourite holiday meat since the 16th century. And when Charles Dickens famously wrote about scrooge sending Bob Cratchett a large turkey in a Christmas Carol, it was cemented as a tradition.

But not all of Canada is British in origin, of course. The Quebecois have their own holiday favourites, some of which end up on the spreads of many Canadian families across the country. The most famous is Tourtière, a savoury meat pie stuffed with veal, pork and potatoes. In some ways, this famous pie is also influenced by the British – it was developed in the 1700s as a relatively inexpensive Christmastime indulgence by the occupied French Canadians.

The Tradition of Holiday Decorations

While we have the British to thank for much of the food we associate with the holidays, it’s the Germans we owe credit to for the modern interpretation of perhaps the most famous holiday symbol – the Christmas tree. 

An evergreen set up and decorated to commemorate the holidays has an incredibly long history. The first recorded instance of it came in 1539, when it’s noted once was placed in the Cathedral of Strassburg in Germany. Lutheran German immigrants who came to the United States brought this tradition with them, and in a blending of cultures, it was the Moravians (another Protestant group) who popularized adding lit candles to decorate the tree.

Christmas trees are far from the only traditional decoration, of course. Mistletoe – famous as the green-and-red-berry garland of the holidays under which lovers kiss – has roots that date back even farther than the Christmas tree. Going back thousands of years to Pagan tradition in Northern Europe, hanging mistletoe was seen as good for male fertility. Later, Romans adopted the plant to hang over entrance ways for good luck. Finally, it was adopted by Chritians and given the tradition of kissing under it – possibly a nod to its roots as a fertility aid.

And what would Christmas decorations be without the legendary man in red himself? Compared to other traditions on this list, Santa is a pretty recent inclusion, popularized in the 1823 poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas”. His image was further refined in the late 19th and early 20th century with popular holiday ad campaigns that featured his likeness, most famously with Coca-Cola.

The Tradition of Holiday Music

The traditions of having specific songs to be sung around the holiday date back to the 4th century in Rome. These were sung as hymns, with religious celebration being the main reason they were sung. Still keeping the religious theme, in western Europe caroling became a popular Christmas Time activity during the 16th century, with many recognizable tunes such as “The 12 Days of Christmas” being traced back to this time.

It wasn’t until the 1930s that holiday music grew to encompass non-religious themes, probably brought about to bring cheer to children during the Great Depression. This period saw many of the children-friendly Christmas songs take off, like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

By the 50s, the crooner era was in full swing with the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole releasing full Christmas LPs, elevating certain songs to the status of holiday standards. Christmas songs continued to grow in popularity with singers like Elvis adding their own flare to the holiday soundscape.

While undoubtedly Christmas music hit its peak production and popularity mid last century, a few more modern cuts remain extremely popular, notably Mariah Carrie’s “All I Want for Christmas.” And of course, how could we forget the Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, who brings a modern flare to the popular old holiday standards.

Happy Holidays from Heart to Home Meals

Whether you're having a great big family gathering this year or cozying up to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, we hope the traditions that surround this season make your holiday a special time. 
 

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