Saturday 27 October 2012

The History Of Giving Gifts

By Kate Freeman


Most of our customs and traditions that we practice nowadays could be traced back to hundred years ago in mankind's history. Among these traditions is the custom of gift giving. For those who do not know, gift giving is an ancient practice ever since the dawn of humanity. If truth be told, in the ancient times, it is customary that people offer the high people of their society including their tribal leaders some gifts in the form of unique objects and natural substances like barks and reeds. This ancient custom, which remains to be a modern practice, is done to signify respect, expression of allegiance and to acquire favours.

All over the globe, you will find multitudes of gift giving customs and traditions throughout history. Some ancient individuals, as part of their traditions, give gifts to their Gods also. Jewellery, precious metals and even animal human lives were offered as presents. Among the gifts in the Egyptian culture that can be considered the most flamboyant are the great pyramids and also the monuments of Pharaohs whom they honoured as Gods.

In the Roman culture, they provide gifts to each other on special occasions and during the first day of the year. It is customary to offer sweet cakes because of the belief of creating the upcoming year sweet, coins for affluence and lamps to light the journey through life. It's also a practice to give small gifts to birthday celebrators.

In the modern society of today, various presents are given for an equally wide array of reasons. We give presents for celebrations like Christmas and Easter which are cultural and religious in nature. We of course offer gifts to show that we care for our loved-ones, on occasions like birthdays, welcoming, holidays, farewells, to celebrate birth or simply because we want to.

In conclusion, we could say that gift giving is such a wonderful ancient tradition that we continue to practice despite the fast-paced world where we live these days. The thing is, a gift does not have to become a tangible item or an expensive material thing - it can needless to say be something unseen, something simple. It can be in form of a warm smile or a few kind words. What is important is that it comes from your heart.




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