How Christmas shaped maps: The legacy of festive place names
Christmas has inspired the names of many places worldwide that European sailors discovered. No other holiday has influenced the map to such an extent.
During the age of great geographical discoveries, European sailors often named newly discovered places based on the day of their discovery. Christmas is one such holiday that frequently appears on world maps. As reported by "Conde Nast Traveler," no other holiday has lent its name to as many places.
One such place is Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. English captain William Mynors discovered it on December 25, 1643. It is an Australian territory known for its lush nature, tropical forests, caves, and coral reefs. Tourists often visit the island in October and November to witness the migration of over 50 million red crabs.
Another island with the same name, discovered by James Cook on Christmas Eve 1777, is now known as Kiritimati. It's the world's largest coral island and part of the nation of Kiribati. Kiritimati is a paradise for bird lovers and is located west of the International Date Line, allowing its inhabitants to celebrate the New Year among the first in the world.
The Portuguese word "Natal," meaning Christmas, also appears on maps. An example is the Brazilian city of Natal, founded on December 25, 1599, on the Atlantic Ocean. The city is famous for its dunes, which can be toured on camelback. The name Natal was also used for one of South Africa's provinces, now known as KwaZulu-Natal, mainly inhabited by the Zulus.
Bethlehem on the world map
There are many places named Bethlehem worldwide, not just in Judea. In the USA, there are over twenty cities with this name. One of them, founded on Christmas Eve 1741 in Pennsylvania by Moravian Protestants, is surrounded by other cities with biblical names, such as Emmaus and Nazareth. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once an important steel producer, providing materials for constructing the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building.
Events like these provide contexts and histories that influence the recognizability of places on maps and in travel guides. These places, symbols of time or cultural exchange, encourage tourists, researchers, and locals to explore and delve into their histories, enriching their knowledge and understanding of global culture.
