Did you know that many traditional year-end and New Year events hide fascinating origins and meanings? From the significance behind the number of times the New Year’s Eve temple bell is struck, to the purpose of the big year-end house cleaning, and even the meaning of Christmas colors—December is full of intriguing trivia.
By learning the background of the year-end customs we usually perform without much thought, you can discover deeper meaning and charm in them.
In this article, we share fun, general-interest trivia and tidbits about December that will enrich your holiday season.
Feel free to use them as conversation starters with family and friends!
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You’ll Want to Tell Someone! December Trivia & Fun Facts Special (1–10)
All of Santa’s reindeer have names.
Santa Claus comes riding in a sleigh, which is pulled by reindeer.
In fact, each of Santa’s reindeer has a name.
It’s said there are eight reindeer, with names like Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer.
These names are thought to originate from the 1823 poem “A Visit from St.
Nicholas,” first published in an American newspaper.
The famous red-nosed Rudolph was created in 1938, so he does not appear in that poem.
The tree used for Christmas trees is the fir tree.
When it comes to Christmas trees, you probably picture a fir tree with sharp, needle-like leaves.
Do you know why fir trees are used for Christmas trees? There are several theories, but a leading one is that trees symbolize vitality, and among them, conifers remain green even in winter, conveying a sense of strength.
Come to think of it, green is the standard color for Christmas trees.
Considering that winter is a season when plants wither, it does feel a bit curious, doesn’t it?
Each Christmas color—red, white, and green—has its own meaning.
Christmas is an event when towns overflow with decorations, starting with Christmas trees, and the classic colors are the Christmas trio of red, white, and green.
Each of these colors carries its own meaning, and knowing them may deepen your feelings toward the holiday.
Red represents God’s love and generosity, white stands for purity and peace, and green symbolizes vibrant life; combined, they express powerful wishes.
Gold, which conveys meanings of light and kingship, is also sometimes treated as a Christmas color, so as you decorate festively, consider which wish you’d like to emphasize.
December 23 is no longer a national holiday because there was an imperial succession.
December is when preparations for the coming year really ramp up, and the fact that it’s a month without any public holidays seems to make it feel even busier.
In the past, December 23 used to be a holiday, but it disappeared at some point.
The reason is that when the era name changed from Heisei to Reiwa, the Emperor’s Birthday—which had been on December 23 during the Heisei era—was moved to February 23 with the imperial succession.
Since it had been a holiday for a long time, there may still be quite a few people who assume that day is a holiday.
Fujiya was the first to sell Christmas cakes in Japan.
At Fujiya, Christmas cakes have been sold since 1910 (Meiji 43).
The shop was located in Motomachi at the time, and it’s said they learned how to make them from foreign chefs visiting Yokohama.
When we think of Christmas cakes, we often picture ones with fresh cream, but back then they didn’t use it; instead, they were sweet fruitcakes made with dried fruits and liqueur.
At first, Western-style sweets weren’t part of people’s habits, so they didn’t sell very well.
However, after the war—helped by the spread of refrigerators—buying a cake for Christmas gradually became the norm.