History of Christmas Reindeer is associated with Santa Claus riding on it from the far off north to present gifts to children on the Christmas day. Santa has eight reindeers that magically pull his sleigh through the sky. They are named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (thunder in Dutch) and Blitzen (lightning in German).
Reindeers were ancient domestic animals that came into being several thousands years ago. Rock paintings as well as carpentries were made from parts of this animal. Reindeer is the beloved symbol of Christmas.
History of Christmas Reindeer carries with it numerous legendary interpretations. The mythical stories of the Norse narrate the tale of Thor, the god of Thunder who flew through the stormy sky in chariots drawn by magical goats termed Gnasher and Cracker. Goat was also a popular Christmas symbol in Sweden during the 18th c. It was the bearer of Santa Claus. In Finland the traditional gift bringer during Christmas was Joulupukki or the Yule buck.
The names of the reindeers appeared from a Christmas rhyme ‘Twas the night before Christmas written by Major Henry Livingstone Junior in 1807. It was entitled as Account of a visit from St. Nicholas. The renowned educationist Clement Clark Moore made many alterations to it.
Robert L May wrote the story of Rudolf the red- nosed Reindeer May in 1939 in a booklet for the Montgomery Ward department stores. The Rudolph story reached its heights later when May's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, developed the lyrics and melody for the song. The song was recorded by Gene Autry in 1949, and sold two million copies in the first year, going on to become one of the best-selling songs of all time.
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