Adults, as well as kids, believe in miracles, they want magic to happen to them on New Year's Eve, and in most cases gifts contribute to this. To buy a gift for the new year means to take a step closer to the expected fairy tale, to make someone happy or to please yourself. Giving a gift is no less pleasant than receiving it.
There is no single version about the tradition of giving gifts, and this custom is attributed to several historical periods and peoples at once. There are also known facts about the offering of gifts from the time of ancient civilizations.
For example, in Babylon, in the winter, the god Tammuz was revered and the ceremony of laying gifts on tall trees was performed.
In ancient Rome, there was a festival of Saturnalia, which, according to its descriptions, was similar to the celebration of the New Year. It was celebrated in honor of the end of the harvest - in December, on the eve of the winter solstice.
The holiday lasted for several days, and citizens did not study, did not work, state affairs and even executions were canceled. In addition, there was a tradition of giving gifts - the rich gave each other jewelry and distributed small gifts to the poor.
The ancient Romans gave each other gifts made with their own hands, fruits, tree branches. The most generous gifts were given to philosophers and scientists - they were especially revered at that time.
On the day of the winter solstice, the Vikings also exchanged gifts.
Since ancient times, the main gifts were sweets, apples, pastries, as well as small gifts - a ribbon, a box, a belt, a hairpin, a toy. For a long time, it was customary to leave gifts in a shoe by the window or near the fireplace. And then they began to hang stockings on the fireplace.
Over time, gifts became more voluminous and more expensive, so they no longer fit in stockings and shoes. They were simply left just under the tree.🎄🎆
In Great Britain, Scotland, for a long time there was a custom to hang gifts on a Christmas tree - this is what Queen Victoria did. But the branches of the Christmas trees broke from gifts, so they also began to be left on the floor over time.😘✨