Why you must eat roast turkey on Christmas Eve

The origin of Christmas, the origin of Christmas, Christmas greeting cards, Christmas songs, the origin of Chinese Christmas, Christmas activities, Christmas decorations, Christmas gifts

Christmas The origin of Christmas

The origin of Christmas There is actually no evidence as to when Jesus’ birthday is.

Why should December 25 be designated as Christmas? This was prescribed by the church in the mid-5th century. In 354 AD, for the first time in the "Philoklian" calendar, it was written that December 25 was the birthday of Jesus. By the 5th century, the West generally accepted this The date is Christmas Day.

Christmas tree

It is said that the Christmas tree first appeared on the Saturnalia in mid-December in ancient Rome. The German missionary Nicholas used it in the 8th century AD.

A vertical tree is dedicated to the Holy Child. Later, the Germans regarded December 24 as the festival of Adam and Eve. They placed a "paradise tree" symbolizing the Garden of Eden in their homes, and hung cookies representing holy bread to symbolize atonement; they also lit... Candles, symbolizing Christ.

In the 16th century, the religious reformer Martin Luther, in order to have a starry Christmas night, designed a Christmas tree with candles in his home.

. However, there is another popular theory about the origin of the Christmas tree in the West: There was a kind-hearted farmer who warmly entertained a wandering child on Christmas Day. When parting, the child broke off a branch. When inserted into the ground, the branches immediately grew into a big tree. The child pointed to the tree and said to the farmer, "Every year on this day, the tree will be full of gifts to repay your kindness." Therefore, the Christmas trees that people see today are always full of small gifts.

.Designed by Horsley. The card depicts an aristocratic family, with three generations toasting together to express their congratulations to an absent relative or friend.

At that time, he printed 1,000 sheets, and the printer sold the unused sheets at a price of 1 shilling each. This is how the Christmas card was born.

Christmas Songs

There are three main Christmas songs that have been popular for a long time, one is "Silent Night"; the other is "Hear, Angel News"

Good News "; the third one is "Jingle Bells."

Santa Claus

Santa Claus originally referred to Nicholas, the bishop of Asia Minor in the 4th century AD. He was famous for his amiable

generousness in helping the poor. By the 6th century, the East revered him as Saint Nicholas. Since folk legends about Nicholas are associated with children and gifts, Santa Claus has become a kind person who specializes in delivering gifts to children on Christmas Day. Image of an old man. By the 18th century, through literature and painting, Santa Claus gradually became the image of an old man with a white beard and white eyebrows wearing a red coat.

Christmas Card

The world's first Christmas card was proposed by the British Sir Henry Gaulle in 1843 and was proposed by John Cargo

Christmas Gift

According to the Bible, saints from the East gave gifts when Jesus was born. This is the origin of the custom of Santa Claus giving gifts to children.

British children place stockings by the fireplace on Christmas Eve, believing that Santa Claus will come down from the chimney at night and bring them socks full of gifts. French children put their shoes at the door so that "

When the Holy Child comes, he will put gifts inside the shoes."

Christmas dinner

Just like Just like the Chinese people eat New Year's dinner during the Spring Festival, European and American people also pay attention to the whole family sitting under the Christmas tree and having a festive meal during Christmas.

The custom of eating turkey for Christmas dinner began in 1620. This custom is prevalent in the United States. The British Christmas dinner is roast goose, not turkey. Austrians love to spend Christmas Eve, when the whole family gathers with relatives and friends to go to restaurants in groups to have a Christmas meal, including turkey, bacon, roasted beef and pork legs. Indispensable, accompanied by famous wine, everyone enjoyed the meal.

What is Christmas like in China?

1. “The west wind prevails over the east wind”, why is Christmas becoming more and more fierce?

In recent years, Christmas has become the main dish The offensive of foreign festivals is becoming more and more fierce, while Chinese traditional festivals are becoming more and more deserted compared to foreign festivals. Especially in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, young people get excited when Christmas is mentioned, but the traditional Lunar New Year increasingly feels "same old, monotonous, calm, and increasingly boring...". There are specific reasons for the aggressive situation of Christmas:

1. The development of China’s economy and the improvement of people’s living standards

More and more Chinese people celebrate Christmas Festival is a symbol of the country's economic development and the improvement of residents' living standards. The more developed the economy is, the higher the income of residents, the stronger the material foundation of residents, the stronger the pursuit of leisure, and the more holidays and festivals there are.

2. The deepening of cultural exchanges between China and the West and the role of the strong Western economy

China is opening up more and more to the outside world. A large number of European and American multinational companies have entered China, and a large number of Westerners have When working and traveling in China, many traditional Western habits are also introduced more widely and have a profound impact.

Christmas is becoming increasingly popular in China, and the economy is also an important factor. In a country like China with no Christian tradition at all, Christmas is so popular because the relative strength of the West's economy and culture has played a subtle role. The history of celebrating Christmas in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other regions is longer than that in China, mainly because of the spread and spread of culture in more economically developed countries and regions.

3. Urban residents, especially young people, have formed a special positioning for Christmas

The Spring Festival is a time for Chinese people to revisit family ties and is about reunion; the 11th Five-Year Plan First, it is a luxurious rest time. Residents only want to go on a family trip, or simply recuperate and sleep in to recuperate. As for the foreign festival represented by Christmas, Chinese urban residents, especially young people, have blurred its original meaning and have regarded it as a holiday. It turned into a feast of crazy parties and fun. From a folklore perspective, Chinese traditional festivals place more emphasis on reunion, so they seem to be a burden to many young people. However, most Western festivals are carnival-like, and Christmas is more like celebrating oneself. of. For young people who advocate individuality and pursue fashion, foreign festivals can promote a free mood.

4. Propaganda fueled by businesses and media

Businesses and media fueled the publicity from all aspects to lead the general public’s fantasy and desire for the holiday, thus creating a magnificent Christmas Army. Just like the current National Day Golden Week, people do not necessarily have to travel, but when the general environment provides such a feasible condition, and when the media and businesses set up such a "beautiful" trap, people have to Jumped inside. Of course, there is no harm in letting more people jump into this trap, which is also a kind of holiday economy.

2. Characteristics of Christmas consumption in China

As an imported product, Christmas has its specific applicable subjects and time and space conditions in China. From the current perspective, China’s Christmas consumption has the following characteristics:

1. The main body of Christmas consumption is young people

The survey found that 70% of those who celebrate Christmas are 38 years old The following young people, 45% of them have considerable financial strength.

Students and employees in some more open and directly related industries are the main buyers of Christmas. Students can quickly accept new things, and some industries that are more open and directly related to brain power, such as the Internet, business, education, etc., are easy to be exposed to new things from outside. People working in these industries are naturally brought into the profession. On Christmas Eve, the most prominent among them were the white-collar workers of foreign companies.

2. Developed open cities are concentrated areas for Christmas consumption

Whether and how a city celebrates Christmas depends on the city’s cultural composition, economic development, and openness closely related. In developed and open cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Christmas has become a foreign holiday known to ordinary people. However, the lively atmosphere on Christmas Eve in some inland cities in the northwest is very thin, especially in some small and medium-sized cities with underdeveloped economies. Christmas is in name only. When it comes to towns and rural areas, there is no trace of Christmas.

3. Christmas entertainment consumption time is concentrated on Christmas Eve

Because there is no holiday, 100% of the celebrations are held at night. Students and white-collar workers who have been busy for a day, these active People who are at the forefront of fashion take this opportunity to relax. Because Christmas is also the "second Valentine's Day", students in colleges and universities are most enthusiastic about it, especially those couples who are passionately in love, who will choose to gather together on Christmas Eve to have a carnival. Also because there is no holiday, Christmas has no meaning of family reunion, and Christmas only ends on Christmas Eve.

4. Christmas entertainment consumption emphasizes its unique sentiment

A recent survey shows that the reasons why young people in my country like Christmas are "because of romance" and "it is a happy time". "Excuses" and so on. In fact, what they like is a unique mood of Christmas.

Consumers have special preferences for Western restaurants, bars, cafes and discos. According to Xinhua News Agency, on Christmas Eve in 2002, almost all Western restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in Guangzhou were overcrowded. . According to other statistics, 70% of young people aged 14-30 in Shanghai choose to go out of their homes on Christmas Eve to eat and revel. 90% of them will choose large discotheques that can accommodate thousands of people, such as JJ and The New Yorker. Go to an all-night costume party to let off some steam. Among couples, 88.3% went to a modest Western restaurant to enjoy a romantic Western meal. What young people yearn for is to feel another lifestyle and another cultural atmosphere that they yearn for in the festive atmosphere.

5. Christmas gifts are indispensable

Giving each other gifts at Christmas is very humane and a good promotion of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, Christmas gifts are popular among young people. People think it is indispensable. For Christmas greeting cards, electronic greeting cards are launching a strong impact on traditional greeting cards.

3. Merchants’ Christmas Countermeasures

In view of the characteristics of China’s Christmas consumption, relevant merchants should carefully study this market and make accurate positioning for their products and services. In order to get a share of China's Christmas consumer market:

1. It varies from person to person, providing personalized products and services for different consumer entities

Students have no income because Individuals have limited spending power, but due to the large number of students and relatively high recognition of Christmas, the student market is huge. Taking into account the group nature of students, catering and entertainment service businesses should prepare larger-scale venues, and at the same time do not set high entry prices. Internal services can increase the level, but must be based on mass prices. Small profits but quick turnover are most suitable for the student group. Christmas gifts for students should fully consider the needs of classmates, couples, teachers and students, etc., and the price should not be too high.

The white-collar class has a higher income level, so they can obtain more individual services with more expenditures. They are the main service targets of high-end Western restaurants, bars and coffee shops, and are also high-priced and high-quality Christmas gifts. For buyers, it doesn’t matter if products and services are expensive, but high quality must be ensured.

The elderly and children are potential groups. If businesses are sure of their market demand, they can conduct trial development. The same is true for household consumption. For these specific groups, it may be a real status quo that there is a market but no price, and merchants may gain unexpected gains through development.

2. Adapt measures to local conditions and grasp the market size

Due to the differences in development and openness between regions in China, there are differences in the scale of Christmas consumption between regions and cities. Merchants must reasonably estimate the market size of their location and must not blindly seek to expand.

3. Move with the times, focusing on Christmas Eve

Because China’s Christmas entertainment consumption time is concentrated on Christmas Eve, merchants must purposefully expand the scale of Christmas Eve services , increase the types of services on Christmas Eve to meet the needs of consumers. Gift dealers should pay attention to inventory issues, because after Christmas Day, it is difficult to find buyers for Christmas gifts in China.

4. Carefully study Western Christmas customs and cook authentic "Christmas dinner"

Christmas tree, Christmas dinner, Christmas Party, Christmas hats, Christmas stockings, Christmas cards, good news, Carols, Santa Claus and Christmas gifts all constitute the complete scenery of Western Christmas. It is this comprehensive effect that consumers need. Merchants should fully consider this demand and provide authentic "Christmas dinner" satisfy consumers.

The origin of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the beginning of American history. In 1620, the famous "Mayflower" ship arrived in America, carrying 102 Puritans who could not endure the religious persecution in Britain. In the winter between 1620 and 1621, they encountered unimaginable difficulties and were suffering from hunger and cold. When the winter passed, there were only about 50 immigrants who survived. At this time, the kind-hearted Indians brought daily necessities to the immigrants, and specially sent people to teach them how to hunt, fish, and grow corn and pumpkins. With the help of the Indians, the immigrants finally got a good harvest. On the day of celebrating the harvest, according to religious traditions and customs, the immigrants set a day to thank God, and decided to thank the Indians for their sincere help and invite them to celebrate the festival together.

On the day of the first Thanksgiving, Indians and immigrants gathered together. They fired salutes at dawn, lined up into a house used as a church, and expressed their gratitude to God devoutly. Then a bonfire was lit and a grand banquet was held. On the second and third days, wrestling, racing, singing, dancing and other activities were held. The first Thanksgiving was a huge success. Many of these celebration methods have been passed down for more than 300 years and have been preserved to this day.

On Thanksgiving Day, the whole country in the United States is very lively. People go to churches to pray thanksgiving according to custom. Costume parades, theatrical performances and sports competitions are held everywhere in urban and rural towns. Schools and shops are also held in accordance with the custom. It is stipulated to take holidays and rest. The children also imitated the Indians in those days and put on weird costumes, painted faces or put on masks and went out to the streets to sing and play trumpets. Families living in other places will also go home for the holidays, and the family will sit together and eat delicious turkey.

At the same time, hospitable Americans will never forget this day to invite friends, bachelors or people far away from home to celebrate the festival. Since the 18th century, the United States has had a custom of giving baskets of food to poor families. At that time, a group of young women wanted to choose one day of the year to do good deeds, and thought that Thanksgiving was the most appropriate day. So when Thanksgiving came, they packed a basket full of food and delivered it to the poor's homes in person. This incident spread far and wide, and soon many people imitated their example.

The most important meal of the year for Americans is the Thanksgiving dinner. In the United States, a country with a fast pace of life and fierce competition, the daily diet is extremely simple. But on Thanksgiving night, every household holds a feast, and the abundance of items is staggering. On the holiday table, from the president to the common people, turkey and pumpkin pie are must-haves. Therefore, Thanksgiving is also called "Turkey Day".