BBC History Magazine

BBC History Magazine aims to shed new light on the past to help you make more sense of the world today. Fascinating stories from contributors are the leading experts in their fields, so whether they're exploring Ancient Egypt, Tudor England or the Second World War, you'll be reading the latest, most thought-provoking historical research. BBC History Magazine brings history to life with informative, lively and entertaining features written by the world's leading historians and journalists and is a captivating read for anyone who's interested in the past.

“If one thing defines the history of Christmas, it's a constant state of evolution”

HISTORY AT CHRISTMAS • From the story of the nativity through to the First World War, discover how Christmas has been celebrated over the centuries

The Christmas nativity is born • St Francis of Assisi recreates the birth of Christ, in Italy

The Conqueror is crowned • William of Normandy's Westminster Abbey coronation goes up in smoke – in more ways than one

An Austrian priest unveils his new carol: ‘Silent Night’ • Musical phenomenon gets its first airing, in a divided town

Apollo 8 crew give the first Christmas broadcast from space • Hundreds of millions listen in to the astronauts' historic address

The history of the nativity: How much do we know about the birth of Jesus? • The story of Jesus's birth may be among the most celebrated in all of literature, but to what extent is it possible to root it in history?

No Christmas under Cromwell? • During the Civil War, there was popular resistance to the Puritan assault on Christmas. So what would the festive period have looked like in the mid-17th century? And how did people react to its abolition?

What was Christmas like before the Civil War? • During the early 1600s, Christmas was celebrated in many different ways – just as it is today. These were some of the most widely observed customs…

What sort of people supported the abolition of Christmas?

What are some of the strangest Christmas traditions that have now gone out of fashion? • A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

Why did NORAD begin tracking Santa Claus in the Cold War?

DID YOU KNOW…?

10 WAYS CHRISTMAS WAS CELEBRATED DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR • Tis the season of “peace on Earth and goodwill to all men”. But how did the festive period fare during the First World War? This is the story of how the British Christmas adapted from 1914-1918

CHRISTMAS QUIZ PART 1 • 'Tis the season to test your knowledge of all things historical with our fiendish festive quiz

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS • Carols, pantomimes and feasting: join us on a journey through the history of some of our favourite festive pastimes

An unexpected history of Christmas • The season of peace and goodwill? Not quite. Historically, Christmas has actually been a time of evil spirits, subversive snowmen and killer frogs

Tales from a Tudor Christmas • How did Henry VIII and Elizabeth I celebrate Yuletide? From a green-clad Father Christmas to Lords of Misrule and mince pies with real meat, here we provide a snapshot of Tudor festivities

Carols at Christmas • Along with trees, crackers and cards, Christmas carols were mostly a Victorian tradition, but why did they become so popular?

Santa Claus v Father Christmas • The true identity of the white-bearded, red-robed figure who fills children's stockings at Christmas has long been debated. We size up the rubicund contenders

GOLDEN BOY • Over the past 200 years, Dick Whittington has become one of Britain's best-loved pantomime heroes. Yet, as Michael McCarthy tells Jon Bauckham, the real-life story that inspired Dick's rags to riches tale is even more remarkable than the...