Page 46 - All About History - Issue 59-17

Mythbusting Christmas

’Tis
the season

The melody of the beloved carol
‘Deck the Halls’ dates back to the
18th century and is actually derived
from ‘Nos Galan’, a traditional Welsh
New Year’s Eve song. Originally created
for dancing rather than singing, the
The real story musician Thomas Oliphant wrote
the lyrics in English and they
The CoCa-Cola lie behind Santa’s suit were published
in 1862.
The classic story that Coca-Cola was responsible for Santa’s red outfit is a During the 19th century in England, he was pictured in white, brown
complete myth. In actual fact, Santa has been depicted in red for centuries, and green on Christmas cards and illustrations. The Ghost of Christmas
with the popular red and white combination influenced by the real-life Present, who resembles Santa, was illustrated in green for Dickens’
Saint Nicholas. Coca-Cola’s Santa took inspiration from the cartoons of A Christmas Carol. In Russia, Stalin ordered that the Russian equivalent
Thomas Nast and helped to bring the look to mainstream attention during to Santa, Ded Moroz, should wear a blue coat so he could not be confused
the 1930s. However, Santa has also worn other colours. with the Western counterpart.

The Changing Colours of faTher ChrisTmas

Blue green Brown white red
russia, england, england, luton, england, myra, modern-day Turkey,
20th century mid-19th century 19th century 19th century 4th century