Official Examination Centre No.

ES815

FIRST – READING - X-MAS TRAITIONS

Read the text on X-Mas traditions and place the missing sentences A-H where they go in the text.

Santa Claus
The original Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in Turkey in the 4th century. He was very pious from an early
age, devoting his life to Christianity. He became widely known for his generosity for the poor. But the Romans
held him in contempt. He was imprisoned and tortured. But when Constantine became emperor of Rome, he
allowed Nicholas to go free. Constantine became a Christian and convened the Council of Nicaea in 325.
Nicholas was a delegate to the council. He is especially noted for his love of children and for his generosity. He is
the patron saint of sailors, Sicily, Greece, and Russia. He is also, of course, the patron saint of children. The
Dutch kept the legend of St. Nicholas alive. In 16th century Holland, Dutch children would place their wooden
shoes by the hearth in hopes that they would be filled with a treat. The Dutch spelled St. Nicholas as Sint
Nikolaas. 1._____ In 1822, Clement C. Moore composed his famous poem, "A Visit from St. Nick," which was
later published as "The Night Before Christmas." Moore is credited with creating the modern image of Santa
Claus as a jolly fat man in a red suit.

The Christmas tree

Ancient people revered evergreens for their ability to stay alive during the cold winter months. Often considered
magical, they came to symbolize good luck and prosperity. Greenery often adorned the inside and outside of
homes during the Winter Solstice Festivals.
A legend tells of Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant religion, walking through the woods late one
night. As it was clear, many stars were shining through the branches of the trees giving the impression of
twinkling lights. 2._____He recreated the stars by putting candles on the tree's branches.
The use of a Christmas tree indoors appears to have begun in Germany. German Christians would bring trees
into their homes to decorate. From there the tradition spread all over the world.

Mistletoe and Holly

Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They
would gather this evergreen plant that is parasitic upon other trees and used it to decorate their homes. They
believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. 3. _____
They associated mistletoe with their goddess of love, Frigga. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe probably
derived from this belief. The early church banned the use of mistletoe in Christmas celebrations because of its
pagan origins. Instead, church fathers suggested the use of holly as an appropriate substitute for Christmas
greenery.

Poinsettias
Poinsettias are native to Mexico. They were named after America's first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett. He
brought the plants to America in 1828. 4. _____ Thus the Poinsettia became associated with the Christmas
season. The actual flower of the poinsettia is small and yellow. But surrounding flowers are large, bright red
leaves, often mistaken for petals.

CL GRANADA, S. L. C/ Puentezuelas, nº 32, 1ª Planta - 18002 Granada. Teléf.: 958 53 52 53 Fax: 958 25 15 46
E-mail: info@clgranada.com Web: www.clgranada.com
Rev: 10/01-01-17
 Official Examination Centre No. ES815

The Candy Cane

In the late 1800's a candy maker in Indiana wanted to express the meaning of Christmas through a symbol made
of candy. He came up with the idea of bending one of his white candy sticks into the shape of a Candy Cane. He
incorporated several symbols of Christ's love and sacrifice through the Candy Cane. First, he used a plain white
peppermint stick. The color white symbolizes the purity and sinless nature of Jesus. Next, he added three small
stripes to symbolize the pain inflicted upon Jesus before His death on the cross. There are three of them to
represent the Holy Trinity. He added a bold stripe to represent the blood Jesus shed for mankind. When looked
at with the crook on top, it looks like a shepherd's staff because Jesus is the shepherd of man. 5. _____The
candy maker made these candy canes for Christmas, so everyone would remember what Christmas is all about.

Christmas stockings

The tradition of hanging stockings from the fireplace originated from one of the most famous Christmas stories
of St. Nicholas. 6._____ . The father of three young maidens could not afford a dowry for his daughters to be
married. From his castle, St. Nicholas heard of the poor misfortune of the maidens, and secretly threw three
bags of gold coins down their chimney. It is said that the gold coins landed in the girls' stockings, which were
hanging in the fireplace to dry.

Candles

In the time of darkness surrounding the winter solstice, in the long cold month of December, candles were an
important source of light and heat. 7. _____. In Victorian times, candles came to represent good will for those
less fortunate during the holiday season. Candles were often placed in windows during the Christmas season as
a sign to passersby that shelter and warmth could be found within.

Christmas ornaments

When German immigrants came to America, they brought with them the tradition of hanging small toys, candies
and other goodies on the Christmas tree. Between 1800 and 1920, 8._____ , where they were eventually
popularized by dime store chains.

A. If you turn it upside down, it becomes the letter J symbolizing the first letter in Jesus' name.
B. Luther was so inspired by the beauty of the sight that he cut down a small evergreen and brought it
home.
C. Ancient Romans used them to ward off evil, and to convince the sun to shine again.
D. Blown-glass ornaments called kugles were sent to the United States
E. Scandinavians also thought of mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony.
F. It comes from the 1800's.
G. Later becoming corrupted to Sinterklaas, and finally, in Anglican, to Santa Claus.
H. The people at that time thought the plants were symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem.

CL GRANADA, S. L. C/ Puentezuelas, nº 32, 1ª Planta - 18002 Granada. Teléf.: 958 53 52 53 Fax: 958 25 15 46
E-mail: info@clgranada.com Web: www.clgranada.com
Rev: 10/01-01-17
 Official Examination Centre No. ES815

ANSWERS
1. G
2. B
3. E
4. H
5. A
6. F
7. D
8. C

CL GRANADA, S. L. C/ Puentezuelas, nº 32, 1ª Planta - 18002 Granada. Teléf.: 958 53 52 53 Fax: 958 25 15 46
E-mail: info@clgranada.com Web: www.clgranada.com
Rev: 10/01-01-17