The History behind Gift Giving

Since antiquity, people have been giving gifts to one another. Giving the gifts is a form of expressing one’s love, respect, affection and care for one another. It was present even in early civilization. The first record of gift giving was recorded in the early 1900s. In olden times, the gifts were given to the tribal leaders and therefore gifts were exchanged. Each of these gifts was usually man made from the bountiful nature. Gift giving has always been reciprocal in nature other than when given to the leaders of the state of various cultures. This practice is followed even today where different people present choicest gifts to others even if they are located in different parts of the world.

Today, we ring in birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and a whole lot of memorable occasions by exchanging gifts. Gifts are exchanged among families, friends, colleagues at work and others during celebrations and holidays. It is customary to give gifts during Christmas and people all over the world celebrating Christmas follow this practice. It can almost be stated that gift giving is synonymous with Christmas. Occasions like Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day etc., are also celebrated by giving gifts. Gifting is indeed one of the easiest of ways to spread happiness and delight. Here is an insight on how it all started. If nothing was found, people would also Send Flowers to Japan through the online portals.

The tradition of the gift giving was told to have its roots in Christianity. The origin of exchanging gifts during Christmas is attributed to the Three Wise Men who are said to have followed a bright star from the East to Bethlehem where Jesus Christ was born. The three men are said to have brought along three gifts for baby Jesus. This gift-giving act was believed to be the perfect way to bless the child with a wonderful life. Mary Magdalene washed the feet of Jesus with precious oil as a gift.

The origin of gift giving with roots in Christianity seems to be just one school of thought. Other studies show that the tradition of gifting traces back to non-Christian religious observances in the Yule of Northern Europe and from pagan holidays observed in Rome. In the North during the season of Yule (the season around the 25th December, traditionally extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6) giving gifts was a part of celebrating the return of the sun and the Winter Solstice. People made gift baskets from wheat stalks that were considered to represent fertility and possess life-giving qualities. The harvest was thus a time of celebration itself.

The Romans practiced the tradition of gift giving during the early festival of Saturn. The festival was called the Saturnalias that were celebrated around the 25th December. Slaves, in a mocking manner, exchanged places with their master. Toward the end of the celebration, they exchanged simple pottery figures and wax candles termed ‘sigilla’, as gifts. These traditions are said to be adapted into Christianity later and thus gradually became of part of Christmas celebrations. It is interesting to note that the Catholic Church at one point around the year 1000 banned the act of exchanging gifts as the Church believed the process to be too pagan.

There are various gifting traditions worldwide. In pre-Christian Rome, the emperors insisted their most despised citizens to bring gifts and offerings during the Kalends (in January) and the Saturnalia (in December) seasons. This ritual gradually expanded to include gift-giving among the general populace.

In Egypt, pyramids and idols were constructed to honor the pharaohs. Gifts were also presented to beloved ones and used as dowries during betrothal ceremonies. These gifts included precious jeweler or metal, a herd of animals etc. During the medieval times, gifts were given to kings in order to receive allegiance in a war or personal favor. These gifts were mainly made of gold or silver and included statues, medallions, chalices and other such precious articles.

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