Christmas is one of the best known holidays around the world, and one of the most unusual: it is celebrated as a secular and religious festival.
At its simplest level, Christmas is a time to relax, eat lots, and splurge on presents.
However, as this holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ - believed to be the incarnation of God by many Christians, and one of the Prophets by Muslims - it is also a very important religious celebration.
What makes Christmas really interesting is the rituals. Many of the ones we practise today have their roots in ancient European customs.
The reason for this lies in the date the holiday is celebrated: in the northern hemisphere, late December is marked by the winter solstice on December 21, the day with the shortest number of daylight hours in the year.
In the frozen lands of Scandinavia, this time of year was called Yule. It was a holiday associated with the Norse god Freyr, the god of sunshine and fertility.
