|
 How
Christmas traditions have changed over the centuries
On the 25th of December
every year Christ’s birth is honored through
'Christmas', a term that originated in the Old English 'Cristes
Maesse', meaning "Christ's Mass".
The tradition of
Christmas in history:
Initially Churches of
earlier centuries paid very little attention to the
birth of Christ and Easter was the primary festival
among Christians. A date had to be chosen to celebrate
Christ's birth because the New Testament contained no
reference to it, being framed many years after Jesus’
death. The January 6th was selected as the
'Epiphany', which meant "appearance", by the
Eastern Orthodox Church.
The feast of Brunalia of
the Romans was around the 25th of December,
commemorating the "birth of the unconquered
son". For all the worshippers of the Persian god of
the sun, Mithras, this was similar to Christmas itself.
This was perhaps the only other Pagan religion which
could be called a proper adversary to the Christian
religion during this phase of history. By the time the
Western Church chose December 25 as Christmas day it was
already A.D. 336. Other religions also observed certain
festivities around this time, such as the Jews, who
celebrated Hannukah.
The Western and Eastern
Churches collaborated towards the end of the 4th Century
and established the newer Christmas tradition of 12 days
duration for revelry and rejoicing, from December 25th
to January 6th every year.
Other Festivals
observed since ancient times:
Many other ancient
festivities are believed to have been observed in
winter. Winter signified shorter days and therefore the
people of northern Europe were always overjoyed at the
passing of December 21st - the shortest day
in a year, and welcomed the sun once again. December
17th marked the day of Saturnalia, a fete of fun-filled
activity and mirth for Romans. On 1st of January, the
day of the Roman New Year, now commonly celebrate as New
Year's Day the world over, Romans would distribute gifts
to children and the poverty-stricken and decorate their
homes beautifully.
‘Jol’ was the month
when the God Woden of Scandinavia would travel across
frozen parts and arrive with gifts; Yule is an off-shoot
of this. Tree-worship was also a part of the
Scandinavian religion as it was for the Teutonics. They
attempted to keep away monsters and spirits by doing up
their homes and barns with evergreen trees during New
Years time. Birds were also looked after since trees
were kept for them in winter. Usage of such evergreen
trees, wreaths and fires was a common custom of
Egyptians, Hebrews and the Chinese as well, for who
these symbolized life and warmth.
The story of the
Christmas tree:
The "Paradise
Tree", made of fir, decorated with apples and
representing the Garden of Eden was an important part of
a medieval play centering on Adam and Eve. The Germans
would install such trees in their homes on the day of
the feast for Adam and Eve - December 24. The
contemporary Christmas tree therefore found its origin
in this custom sometime around the medieval period.
Since Christmas occurred right after this candle would
become a part of the tree and represented the light
belonging to this world, in the representative figure of
Christ the Savior. Sweets, cookies and other goodies
naturally followed. A wooden pyramid for Christmas, upon
which were put candles, a star and evergreens, was also
situated in the same room as the tree and, finally, in
the 1500s, the two were combined to form the simple
Christmas tree.
But it was only in the
18th Century that the German settlers brought the tree
with them to America, till which time it was
predominantly a cultural part of the District of the
Rhine River. The German Prince Albert, who married Queen
Victoria, was chiefly responsible for importing the
Christmas tree tradition to England sometime in the
mid-1800s. The branches of such trees were adorned with
cakes, candy, candles and paper, hung by ribbons.
Greetings of
Christmas:
It was Sir Henry Cole of
London who first conceived of having a Christmas
greeting card designed to rid him of the necessity to
write individual letters, in 1843. Perhaps the pen and
ink paintings, Pieces for Christmas, done by children
for their parents during this period encouraged the idea
and the first Christmas card was born which immediately
caught the fancy of the English
Away in a Manger:
Christmas crèches or
mangers was started by St. Francis of Assisi who
decorated the corner of his local church, sometime in
1224, like a barn and made actual people and
animals a part of this scenario to re-enact the first
Christmas.
The real tale of
Santa:
St Nicholas, popularly
considered the saintly patron of children of Greece and
Russia around the medieval period, was actually the
first Santa Claus. HE was the Bishop of Myra and had his
home in the provincial Lycia, on the south-eastern coast
of what is now considered Turkey, during the 4th
Century. This same saint was given the responsibility of
distributing presents among expectant people during
winter, by the Christian Church, even before the
establishment of Christmas. But with the Protestant
Reformation of Germany he was relegated to the ranks of
the Father Christmas of Pagan origin, in the mummer
plays and named Kris Kringle, a morphed form of
ChristKidle which actually meant "Christ’s'
child". The name 'Santa Claus' came from the colony
of Dutchmen of New Amsterdam, which is now New York
City, where Kris Kringle was referred to as Sinter
Claes.
But the real change in
Santa Claus' avatar came about in 19th Century America
where the formerly irascible figure was given a kindlier
nature and the status of a benevolent elderly person. He
was also given a sleigh, white hair and the red cap now
synonymous with the image. The sleigh with eight
reindeers pulling it, a traveling contraption which he
had used in Scandinavia, was reinvented through the poem
"A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C.
Moore in 1823. But it was actually Harper's Weekly which
of 1863 which contained the cartoon by Thomas Nast, of
how he is actually represented in the modern day.
|
