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6) It arrived via Proto-Germanic from an older root word wreit (to turn or bend). The idea sprang from crafting a wreath - twisting it to a circle. It wasn’t until the 1500s that a ring-shaped garland was called a wreath.

5) Wreath in English wasn’t originally anything to do with Christmas decorations. In Old English you would call it a wrida and it was a bandage or band, literally something which is wrapped around - an injury dressing or an armband.

4) The evergreen foliage already had symbolism from earlier religions because they thrived during the winter when other plants died back. Combining the unending ring of the wreath with a resilient plant made the wreath an emblem of hope in the depths of winter.

3) With the arrival of Christmas trees, often branches had to be removed to shape the tree. Thrifty Europeans re-used the discarded branches by creating wreaths. The originals were small and often hung on the branches of the tree itself.

2) When a nymph called Daphne rejected Apollo’s advances and escaped by turning into a laurel tree, he said he'd wear a crown of her leaves. Champion athletes were crowned with olive, laurel, or pine wreaths, priests wore them at ceremonies, heroes returning from battles, and brides at weddings.

It was always marram for me (East coast Ireland).

Loving the coastal words btw, thank you.

6) In many European countries gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve but the morning of the 25th is more common in Britain, Ireland, and North America.

Love Christmas history and words? Check out "Words Christmas Gave Us" by Grace Tierney amzn.to/3XPdS4h

5) They weren’t wrong, the Roman feast of Saturnalia featured the exchange of gifts such as fruit, nuts, candles, and pottery figurines.

4) It began in the 1400s but it wasn’t until the late 1700s that gift giving between family members became established. The Puritans reckoned it was a pagan observance and banned it in England and North America.

3) Shortly after gift arrived in English it gained a second meaning, that of a natural talent or inspiration (perhaps given by God) which leads to the word gifted.
Gift giving wasn’t always associated with Christmas.

2) Generally the meanings of related words in Proto-Germanic languages are similar to that in Old Norse but gift is an exception. It means married in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. That’s possibly due to the association of gifts with marriage.

Typo correction - history author. Sharon writes nonfiction, not fiction. My mistake.

Here's the podcast link - I'm around the halfway mark - shows.acast.com/lmfm-late-lu...

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