- Jesus vs Santa Claus vs The Winter Solstice
- Manger Scene
- Christmas Plants - Tree, Holly, Mistletoe, Pointsetta and The Wreath
- Yule Log
- 12 Days Of Christmas
- Gift Exchange
- Hanging Stockings
- Fruit Cake
- Wassailling And Carolling
Jesus vs Santa Claus vs The Winter Solstice
It is a common utterance quoted by a lot of Christians who are disgusted at the notion that anyone would celebrate Christmas without the Christian meaning - "Jesus is the reason for the season."
A little research into the history of the season would point to anything else but Jesus being the reason for the season, thus the debate. What is the meaning of this particular season once known as the "winter soclstice" or "Saturnalia" now commonly called "Christmas"?
This winter holiday season did not originate with the Christians - at all! In fact, if it weren't for the Christians who were trying to convert the pagans who observed the holidays, this holiday or Christianity could have been a thing of the past.
Many activities of the pagans that were not adopted by the Christians have become extinct customs. However, if Christians didn't appease the pagans, the popularity of the religion would have doomed it early.
Pagan cultures, that is anything not Christian, would observe the season with many things attributed to their gods. Christians wanted nothing to do with the pagan celebrations, but realized if they did not adopt some of the traditions could stand to lose their foothold in converting the people and could go back to being persecuted by the pagans.
While some Christians want to distance themselves from the holidays altogether, others thought it best to put a positive spin on things by attributting Christian meanings to former pagan meanings. At first the customs were somber, but the fun loving pagans livened things up back to the same fun it used to be, although with the Christian symbols lingering.
Giving of gifts at this time was customary. However, at the time of the pagans it was basically people giving gifts to other people. There was no central figure who handed out gifts.
Saint Nicolas, most likely a fictional creation, was alleged to live around 300 AD. He was believed to be the Bishop of Myra in Lycia (now Turkey). St. Nicolas was said to be a kindly priest who would do things on behalf of the poor in his area, especially the children.
The tradition of giving gifts was still in full swing around the time of Nicolas who was said to give gifts to the children who would do their Christian duties of studying their catechism, coming to mass, and being good children.
Many regions who newly adopted Christianity also adopted the legend of a kindly man who would give gifts to children, without the requirement of the Christian duties and came to be called by many names such as Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, and Chris Kringle.
The Christian Church was afraid of losing its hold on the holiday to a more secular nature again stressed that this was a holiday to remember the birth of Jesus and the gifts symbolic of the Magi, not that of a mythical Santa figure.
Whatever reason you and your family observe this holiday, that is the only thing that matters. It is whatever symbolism you apply and your personal rituals and traditions which make it special in your family. This celebration is as varied as the many different families who observe it from the somber Christian only meaning to the full pagan celebration and everywhere in between. No one owns the right to this day as theirs alone. It has always been evolving into new meanings to accomodate the ever growing and expanding cultures mainstreaming into a global community.
The Santa Claus associated with American tradition was more of a Victorian era theme and comes straight from the poem by Rev. Clement Moore, who wrote, "A Visit From St Nicolas" in 1882.
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that ST. NICHOLAS soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
"As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
Laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT."
Manger Scene
This one is a purely Christian creation which merge the birth accounts of Matthew who had Jesus born in a manger visted by 3 Magi with Luke who had shepards from the field come by.
The manger scene has the Christ child wrapped in swaddling clothes and comforted by Mary and Joseph while surrounded by the shepards from the field and the Magi who brought them gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
We all know what exactly gold is, but few can really tell you with certanty what is frankincense or myrrh.
Frankincese is a fragrant gum resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, found in Somalia, Yemen, and Oman. This important incense resin was used in ancient times in religious rites and in embalming. It constituted part of the Jewish incense of the sanctuary and is frequently mentioned in the Pentateuch. It is used today in incense and fumigants and as a fixative in perfumes.
Myrrh is a yellowish brown to reddish brown aromatic gum resin with a bitter slightly pungent taste obtained from a tree in Eastern Africa and the Middle East.
Why on earth would anyone in their right mind give such gifts to a baby? It was purely symbolic. If you believe in the story of the Bible, the gifts were really given to show the Magi respected the baby as the future king of kings. Others who may not believe the story to be true should at least appreciate the tale for its symbolic value.
Frankincense and myrrh, like gold, were rare and expensive. Symbolically, the three types of gifts represents three roles of Jesus as the Messiah. As King, he was given gold. As Divine, he was given frankincense. As a man who will die, he was given myrrh.
Gold was offered to kings to pay respect. Frankincense (sweet) is highly fragrant when burned and was used in worship as a pleasant offering to God. Myrrh (bitter) was used chiefly in embalming the dead because it had the property of preserving the body from rotting.
In the Catholic tradition of a manger scene, the Christ child is not laid in the manger until Midnight upon Christmas Day.
The story of the Magi was one to point out that both Jews and Gentiles would be united in one God through Jesus. The Catholics also observe the symbolism of the Magi in the feast of Ephiphany.
Christmas Plants - Tree, Holly, Mistletoe, Pointsetta and The Wreath
It was an ancient pagan tradition to decorate with plants during the winter festivals. In the Northern European cultures, it was mostly products of the fir and evergreen trees which were the few plants still alive in winter. Near Rome and the Middle East, there were more of a variety of green plants.
The origins of the Christmas tree in the home, as we know it, are mostly accredited to Germany where Martin Luther would bring one of the pick of the evergreen trees indoors and decorate it. Before then, it was usually just some of the branches brought indoors.
The evergreen was symbolic of everlasting life as it did not die during the cold winter like everything else. The pagans used evergreens as a symbol of hope that their gods would also preserve their lives as they did the trees (and many other legends as such.) The Christians turned the element of symbolism to represent Jesus who meant eternal life if you believed in Him.
The wreath was a more pointed symbol for Christians as not only did Jesus mean everlasting life (as did the evergreen for the pagans), but the pagan symbol of the circle which also meant the never ending circle of life was attributed to God who has no beginning or end.
The mistletoe was a sacred item for the Norse, Celtics, and North American Natives. Druid priests cut the mistletoe and divided the branches from the oak tree to divide among the people who would hang them over the door to protect against storms and other forms of doom and evil.
Mistletoe eventually became the symbol of peace and joy among the Druids and whenever enemies were to meet under a truce, they were said to do it under the mistletoe where they must lay down their arms to work things out.
Eventually, around the 18th century, this tradition of peace under the mistletoe transformed again to a man who would lure the one they wished to marry under the sprig to kiss her with the intention to make public his desire.
Holly was sacred to the Romans who used it to honor Saturn during the festival by giving it freely to each other and to decorate images of Saturn. To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival of Saturnalis, the early Christians decked their homes with holly.
The Poinsetta is a plant found in Mexico called Cuetlaxochitle by the Aztecs [Euphorbia pulcherrima]. The well known botanist, William Prescott, named the plant after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, who brought this plant back to the United States. By the way, the poinsetta plant is NOT poisonous.
During his stay in Mexico he wandered the countryside looking for new plants. In 1828 he found this unusual item along a road. He took cuttings from the plant and brought them to South Carolina where people fell in love with it.
There is a legend to go with the story of the poinsetta. Pepita, a poor Mexican girl, had no gift for the Christmas Eve Service. As she walked with her cousin Pedro, she told him how sad she was to have no gift to give to the Christ child. Pedro assured her that any gift given in love, no matter how humble, would be acceptable in the eyes of God.
Pepita gathered a handful of weeds into a small bouquet, feeling like she would never be accepted by God as this was the best she could do. She remembered the words of her cousin and humbly laid down her weeds. The bouquet bloomed into a bright red plant, a Christmas miracle. The bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.
Yule Log
There is a custom that on Christmas Eve an enormous log of freshly cut wood called the Yule log would be fetched and carried to the house with great ceremony. On Christmas Eve, the master of the house would place it on the hearth, make libations by sprinkling the trunk with oil, salt and mulled wine and say suitable prayers. In some families, the young girls of the house lit the log with splinters from the preceding year which they had carefully tucked away. In other families, the mother had this privilege. It was said that the cinders of this log could protect the house from lightning and the malevolent powers of the devil. Choices about the variety of wood, the way in which it was lit and the length of time it took to burn constituted a genuine ritual which could vary from region to region.
The custom, which dates back to the XIIth century, was known in most Europeans countries, notably in France and in Italy where the Yule log was called a ceppo. This tradition persisted in Quebec as it did in France up until the last quarter of the XIXth century. Its disappearance coincides with that of great hearths which were gradually replaced by cast-iron stoves. The great log was thus replaced by a smaller one, often embellished with candles and greenery, placed in the centre of the table as a Christmas decoration.
12 Days Of Christmas
The symbolic number 12 was observed by pagans in their winter festivals.
During Saturnalia, the dead would return during the 12 nights of the holiday. There were also 12 days of Choas to symbolize the unknown events for the coming year. Babylon held the twelve days of duel between Chaos and Cosmos.
The song we usually associate with 12 days has nothing to do with the pagan ceremonies, but was in fact [and coincidental] a way to get little Catholic children to memorize their catechism lessons without fear of death.
Back in England as the Catholic Church was booted out, the Church of England [Anglican Church] was swift about making sure it was the absolute authority in the land. It was against the law to be a practising Catholic and punishments could be as severe as a death sentence.
To cloak the meaning of what was being learned, the children were told that the true love in the song was god. So:
"On the first day of Christmas my true love (God) gave to me a partridge (Jesus) in a pear tree.
"On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves (The Old and New Testaments)
"On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me french hens (Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues)
"On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four calling birds (the four Gospels)
"On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings (The first five books of the Old Testament)
"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a-laying (the six days of creation)
"On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven swans a-swimming (the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit)
"On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight maids a-milking (the eight beatitudes)
"On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine ladies dancing (the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit)
"On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ten lords a-leaping (the ten commandments)
"On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me eleven pipers piping (the eleven faithful apostles)
"On the twelvth day of Christmas my true love gave to me twelve drummers drumming (the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's)"
Gift Exchange
This custom of exchanging gifts at Christmas originates with the Roman festival of Saturnalia where it was customary to exchange presents. It was usually the masters of the slaves and the wealthy giving priority to give to the slaves and the poor in a reversal of roles. Gifts were also exchanged among family and friends.
This custom was also observed in one way or another throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa to give a gift as an expression of gratitude and love.
The Christians could not stop this customary practice, so adopted it along with the other observances of the seasons. The giving of gifts was then said to be symbolic of the Magi who gave gifts to Jesus.
Hanging Stockings
The legend is there was a poor man with three beautiful daughters. As he could not afford a dowry to give to each girl, this meant they would all remain spinsters [an awful fate for a woman back then.]
Nicolas [the same sainted one who was the figure for Santa Claus] heard about the plight of that man and his great love for his daughters, so he wanted to help. The girls would hang their stockings by the fireplace at night after washing them. As Nicolas saw there was no other place to put the gold coins, he put them in the stockings. Word got out that if one wanted a special gift, one must put a stocking by the fireplace overnight.
Fruit Cake
I have lived for over 30 years and to this day I can count the number of people I know who like fruit cake on one hand.
Fruit cake, as we know it, is mostly made up of waxy, preserved fruit mixture called citron, with nuts and rum or whiskey or brandy is a modern day creation, at least over the last 200 years.
The origin of fruit cake is actually a plum pudding which was sometimes referred to as a fruit cake. This early fruit cake was made with flour, sugar, eggs as well as plums, raisins, nuts and preserved in alcohol. It was usually reserved for weddings and very special occasions.
Preparations for weddings had to be done in advance and the cake was quite a chore, one best not done the day before the ceremony. The best method was to make a cake so it could be preserved for long periods of time and alcohol was a great preservative - festive to boot!
As time went on, this traditional plum pudding was used at Christmas. Then as we moved on the plums were eventually replace with citron as well as other fruit. Seeing how well the citron kept in the cake, the other fruit was processed in the same manner as the citron and all the waxed candied fruit bore the name citron.
So for you rare specimens who love fruit cake, enjoy your feast. For everyone else, here are a few suggestions with what to do with your cake: 1) Door stopper; 2) Bricks to make your new home; 3) Objects to throw at stray animals going through your trash; 4) Objects to throw at people who drive like jerks on the Interstate; 5) Forget mailing anthrax at those you hate - give them a fruitcake!
Wassailling And Carolling
Okay, so this one is clearly going to offend those devout Christians who don't know the whole story, so brace yourself.
Wassailling, pure and simple, is a drinking ceremony. Yes, one of alcoholic products and the purpose to induce drunkeness. Of course, this is done on a weekly basis on college campuses, but for the purpose of the holiday celebration, wassailling was a way to relax with your family and friends. To cynics, it was a way to cope with family and friends crowding your space.
Its origins can be traced back to Babylon and Rome. In Roman times, Caligula was well known for the extended five day celebration of Saturnalia (to honor the god Saturn) with drunkeness among masters and slaves who would enjoy a brief period of equality. In Babylon, the masters would tend to the needs of the slaves, but they still had their own drunkeness in their duties.
Throughout the Northern European areas, this drunkeness was brought with them from house to house as a community affair. With such drunkeness was also a lot of singing, the origin of carolling. Along with carolling, some would get gifts of buns, cakes or almost anything available to eat.
The purist Christian who celebrates Christmas is more than likely to avoid this tradition altogether or create a virgin punch, one devoid of alcohol. As far as carolling goes, many will not go door to door singing while drunk as one could get arrested in many communities. Some will go door to door singing just for the fun of it while others sing to collect for charities.
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