|
As
we did last year, we are looking at the
Christmas holiday season.
The children begin to fill with
anticipation, trees are being decorated, and songs of remembrance are being
sung.
Yet, where do all these wondrous customs come from?
In truth many of these customs have little to do with the celebration of
Christmas, at least in their original intent. The practices of tree trimming,
preparing huge meals, and most of the other customs were being done long before
anyone was celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
For those of you reenacting the various periods, keep this in mind.
The church assigned the date of December 25th (On the Julian Calendar /
January 6th Egyptian Calendar) -- which happens to be winter solstice -- for
various recruitment purposes.
In the period this occurred, the worshipers of Mithra were strong in Rome.
Through the use of the same date, many conversions could be made to the
church.
One theory shows that the feasting may have originated from the Romans.
During 17-23 of December there was a great feast held in honor of
Saturnalia (or Saturn - the deity of agriculture).
Roman reenactors will note that in the Eastern part of the empire, the birth and
baptism were being observed as 6 January.
For those of you who do period reenacting you can take note that it was not
until 354A.D. that 25 December is clearly marked as the anniversary of Christ's
birth.
Somewhere around 600A.D. Pope Gregory I had instructed an Archbishop to adopt
some of the customs to aid in propagating the faith.
Let us look also at some of the various other customs that have been
adapted.....
Gift giving - The Roman New Year (1 January) was celebrated by giving gifts to
children and the poor.
Yule log and Yule cakes, fir trees, gifts, fires, and light decoration - The
Celtic and German people have done this for centuries, spreading good cheer
and fellowship.
Christmas Tree> - Germany - the people would decorate trees, and display
holly and mistletoe to symbolize that life continued even in the dead of winter.
The Druids also made an impact on the history of the tree. As the church wanted
to convert those people to the Catholic faith, the adorning of trees was done to
help build a bond with the Celts.
Santa Claus (AKA : <+#>Saint Nicholas, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, Saint
Martin, the Weihnachtsmann, St. Nicholie, etc.) - In truth a Bishop in Asia
Minor in the 4th century A.D. This
was a very generous man who became known as the patron Saint of children. His
feast day was originally 6 December, but was later included in the Christmas
fest. His name has various legends associated with it.
If you enjoy Middle Age reenacting, here is one of the most favorite and popular
Saints of the period.
Santa Claus had many changes through the various periods, but the imagination of
an American (Clement Moore) was what gives us our notion of what Santa Claus
should look like. (His poem which many would recognize as "The night before
Christmas" -- describes Santa Claus as a plump, red-coated, whiskered, and
red-cheeked man.)
For a while both Christmas celebrations, secular and religious, were outlawed by
a decree by parliament. Under
Oliver Cromwell, the Puritans rose to power in 1642 and outlawed Christmas!
It was punishable by a fine or prison!
Luckily in 1660, King Charles II was restored to the throne, and the practice of
celebrating Christmas began to be observed again in Britain.
However the Puritans had brought their influence to America as well, and in 1659
a law was passed by the General Court of Massachusetts forbidding Christmas
observance. The law was repealed in 1681.
|