Hidden Christian meanings

MANY symbols of Christmas are obvious – like the star on top of your tree representing the star over Bethlehem at the birth of Christ. But others are not so clear.

Take the tradition of candy canes, often hung from the tree. Have you ever asked yourself – why is the sweet shaped like a cane? Well, it is to commemorate the shepherds who were first told of the nativity. The cane represents a shepherd’s crook.

The giving of gifts at Christmas is often linked to the Three Wise Men who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh for Christ – but what about the bows we put on presents? The bow is meant to represent that all of humanity should be “tied” together.

There’s a lot of red and green at Christmas as well, isn’t there? The red symbolises the blood of Jesus spilt on the cross, and the green stands for the idea of everlasting life.

What about holly - why do we bring the spiky plant inside over the holidays. Well, the holly and its jagged leaves represents the thorns worn by Christ on the cross.

Bells tend to make an appearance at Christmas also – because bells represent the announcement of the birth of Christ by the angels.