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Father Christmas will be 400 next year

And other surprising anniversaries of 2016

12 December 2015

9:00 AM

12 December 2015

9:00 AM

Christmas birthday

Next year has a claim to be the 400th birthday of Father Christmas. Ben Jonson wrote a short play for James I, called Christmas: his masque, performed at court in December 1616. The central character, named as ‘Old Christmas’ and ‘Captaine Christmas’, encouraged everyone to merriment. He had ten children, with names ranging from Misrule to Plum Pudding.

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And other surprising anniversaries of 2016

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