The Strange Origins of the , Christmas Tradition.<br />BuzzFeed has offered readers a list <br />of fascinating facts about Christmas <br />that many people may not know.<br />1. Pagan Christmas Ornaments, The Pagan tradition of "yule balls" or "witch balls" dates <br />back to 17th century England. The ornaments were believed to <br />capture evil spirits, protecting people from sickness and curses.<br />2. Wassailing, Similar to modern-day carolers, wassailers would <br />knock on the doors of feudal lords, refusing <br />to leave unless they were given a treat.<br />If the lord denied the wassailers a treat, <br />they would often start throwing rocks or <br />potentially even break into the lord's home.<br />3. Saturnalia, Ornaments are not the only Pagan influence <br />on Christmas. The date itself originated with <br />the Pagan holiday Saturnalia, a widely <br />popular celebration day in ancient Rome.<br />3. Saturnalia, Ornaments are not the only Pagan influence <br />on Christmas. The date itself originated with <br />the Pagan holiday Saturnalia, a widely <br />popular celebration day in ancient Rome.<br />The celebration honored the Roman god Saturn <br />and lasted from December 17 to the winter solstice.<br />Other shared Pagan and Christmas traditions include <br />hanging wreaths, gift-giving, feasting and singing. .<br />4. Outlaw Christmas, The celebration of Christmas was briefly illegal. In 1659, the Massachusetts Bay Colony's "Penalty for Keeping Christmas" law called it "great dishonor of God and offense of others.".<br />5. The Christmas Spider, People in Ukraine still decorate their trees <br />with jeweled spiders or spider webs <br />in honor of a centuries-old legend.<br />5. The Christmas Spider, People in Ukraine still decorate their trees <br />with jeweled spiders or spider webs <br />in honor of a centuries-old legend.<br />In the tale, an impoverished family cannot afford <br />to decorate their tree, but a kind spider spins <br />intricate webs of silver and gold all around it.<br />Some say this is the origin of <br />the tradition of hanging tinsel
