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Arlene Wright-Correll |
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Arlene Wright-Correll |
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The
History of Christmas©
By Arlene Wright-Correll |
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The Christmas’ of
my childhood were varied. Some were very lean in the late 30’s, some
were fine during the early forties, but later on afterward they seem, in
my memory, not to be pleasant ones.
Hence, that may be one of the reasons I am not too keen on
Christmas. During the years of
raising our 5 kids, we kept the traditional Christmas. Once they were
grown up and out of the house, we stopped the tree business etc. For me personally,
the gift of giving has always been a spur of the moment for me, at any
time of the year for no particular reason.
We partake of Christmas giving for our grandchildren.
I personally try to “behold the Christ” in everyone I meet on
a daily basis and believe me that is a hard job some times. |
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However, the history
of Christmas is a long, interesting, and varied one dating back to over
4000 years. Many of our
Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child
was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the Yule log, the
giving of gifts, carnivals (parades) with floats, carolers who sing
while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church
processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians. Many of the
traditions we have today began
with the Mesopotamian celebration of New Years. The Mesopotamians
believed in many gods, and as their chief god - Marduk. Each year as
winter arrived it was believed that Marduk would do battle with the
monsters of chaos. To assist Marduk in his struggle the Mesopotamians
held a festival for the New Year. This was Zagmuk, the New Year's
festival that lasted for 12 days. The
Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear his
faithfulness to the god. The traditions called for the king to die at
the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side. The
Mesopotamians used the idea of a "mock" king, thus sparing
their king. A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was
given all the respect and privileges of a real king. At the end of the
celebration the "mock" king was stripped of the royal clothes
and slain, sparing the life of the real king. The ancient
Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and
wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra
began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with
green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over
death. There
was a similar festival called the Sacaea and that was celebrated by the
Persians and the Babylonians. Part of that celebration included the
exchanging of places, the slaves would become the masters and the
masters were to obey. We
all know early Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and
trolls. As the Winter Solstice approached, with its long cold nights and
short days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals
and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun.
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In Scandinavia during the winter months the sun would disappear for many days. After thirty-five days scouts would be sent to the mountain tops to look for the return of the sun. When the first light was seen the scouts would return with the good news. A great festival would be held, called the Yuletide, and a special |
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feast would be served around
a fire burning with the Yule log. Greatbonfires
would also be lit to celebrate the return of the sun. In
recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home
large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until
the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse
believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf
that would be born during the coming year. The end of December
was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time
of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed
during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had
a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the
year was finally fermented and ready for drinking. In
some areas people would tie apples to branches of trees to remind
themselves that spring and summer would return. A
festival similar to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals
was held by the ancient Greeks to assist their god Kronos who would
battle the god Zeus and his Titans. During
the rule of Rome, Roman’s celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival
was called Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended
January 1st. With cries of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration
would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, visiting
friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky
fruits). Part
of the tradition we celebrate today in the form of decorating our homes
came from the practice of when Romans decked their halls with garlands
of laurel and green trees lit with candles. Again the masters and slaves
would exchange places. “Jo
Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the
Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early
Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn
and religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan
Saturnalia. As
Christianity spread they were alarmed by the continuing celebration of
pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the Church
forbad this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail. Eventually it
was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a
celebration fit for the Christian Son of God. In Germany, people honored the pagan
god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden,
as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe
his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his
presence, many people chose to stay inside. |
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No
one knows the exact day of the Christ child's birth and with that in
mind it has never been pinpointed. Traditions say that it has been
celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered
the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD
another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance
of Christmas. |
| In the early years of
Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not
celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute
the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not
mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order
to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence
suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would
shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose
December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in
an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia
festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to
Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end
of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the
way to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches,
Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred
to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed
that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger. By
holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice
festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be
popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was
celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part,
replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church, and
then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar
to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned
the "lord of misrule" and eager celebrants played the part of
his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand
their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors
would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the
time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined
"debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens. Many
of us do not realize that for many, many years in England and even in
our own America that the celebration of Christmas was against the law. In
the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way
Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan
forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence
and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. For awhile Christmas
was outlawed. By popular
demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the
return of the popular holiday. The pilgrims,
English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more
orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas
was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration
of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the
Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown
settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by
all and passed without incident. After the American
Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In
fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas
under America's new constitution. Christmas wasn't declared a federal
holiday until June 26, 1870. It really wasn't
until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas.
Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival
holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. During the early
19th century, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted
classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New
York city council instituted the city's first police force in response
to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes
to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America. bringing groups together across lines
of wealth or social status. Irving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed
"ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of
Misrule. Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday
celebration he had attended—in fact, many historians say that Irving's
account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it
described the true customs of the season. |
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It was around this time, that English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message—the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind—struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday. |
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The family was also
becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of
children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day
when they could lavish attention—and gifts—on their children without
appearing to "spoil" them. As Americans began
to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were
unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and
Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. Over the
next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that
included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees,
sending holiday cards, and gift-giving. Although most families quickly
bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had
been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to
fill the cultural needs of a growing nation. |
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Along the way, many of the different traditions involved greenery and
palm trees etc. From this came the use of Christmas trees as we know it
today. |
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amidst evergreens.
To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main
room and wired its branches with lighted candles. In 1846, the popular
royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in
the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a
Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very
popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became
fashionable—not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast
American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived!
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For us, as children growing up, a major part of Christmas was going and
getting the tree. Living in
the city, meant going out to where someone was selling them and buying
one and dragging it home in order to decorate it. |
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By
the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas
tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that
Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans
liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
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The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. |
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With
this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country
and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition. |
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| cranberries, alternately,
to make garlands for our tree each year.
Of course, many of us have home made ornaments that our young
children have made over the years, each one bringing a cherished memory
with them. I can remember
my grandmother buying a case of marshmallow Santa Claus’ and we would
string a loop through the top of each one and hang it on her tree. Those
were the days when marshmallows got hard after awhile. How we kids loved
to eat those hard marshmallows Santa’s when it came time to take down
the tree. |
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Today, Santa Claus plays a big part in our Christmas Tradition. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and |
| traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This was traditionally considered |
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a lucky day to make large purchases
or to get married. By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular
saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the
veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas maintained a
positive reputation, especially in Holland. The time line of
Santa Claus shows that St. Nicholas made his first inroads into American
popular culture towards the end of the 18th century. In December 1773,
and again in 1774, a New York newspaper reported that groups of Dutch
families had gathered to honor the anniversary of his death.
The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch name Sinter
Klass, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). In 1804, John
Pintard, a member of the New York Historical Society, distributed
woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society's annual meeting. The background
of the engraving contains now-familiar Santa images including stockings
filled with toys and fruit hung over a fireplace. In 1809, Washington
Irving helped to popularize the Sinter Klaas stories when he referred to
St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book, The History
of New York. As his prominence grew, Sinter Klaas was described as
everything from a "rascal" with a blue three-cornered hat, red
waistcoat, and yellow stockings to a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and
a "huge pair of Flemish trunk hose." |
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“Twas the Night before Christmas” that really inspired Christmas as we know it today. In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled, "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas." Moore's poem, which he was initially hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a "right |
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jolly old elf"
with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney
with a mere nod of his head! Along
the way we have seen Mrs. Claus, elves, reindeer and a 9th
reindeer added. Similar figures were
popular all over the world. Christkind or Kris Kringle was believed to
deliver presents to well-behaved Swiss and German children. Meaning
"Christ child," Christkind is an angel-like figure often
accompanied by St. Nicholas on his holiday missions.
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In Scandinavia, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to deliver gifts
in a sleigh drawn by goats. English legend explains that Father
Christmas visits each home on Christmas Eve to fill children's stockings
with holiday treats. Pere Noel is responsible for filling the shoes of
French children. |
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purposely gave the
wise men wrong directions to Bethlehem so that they couldn't find Jesus.
Later, she felt remorseful, but could not find the men to undo the
damage. To this day, on
January 5, Babouschka visits Russian children leaving gifts at their
bedsides in the hope that one of them is the baby Jesus and she will be
forgiven. In Italy, a similar story exists about a woman called La
Befana, a kindly witch who rides a broomstick down the chimneys of
Italian homes to deliver toys into the stockings of lucky children. Gift-giving, mainly
centered on children, has been an important part of the Christmas
celebration since the holiday's rejuvenation in the early 19th century.
Stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840s,
newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements,
which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus. In 1841,
thousands of children visited a Philadelphia shop to see a life-size
Santa Claus model. It was only a matter of time before stores began to
attract children, and their parents, with the lure of a peek at a
"live" Santa Claus.
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Rudolph, "the most famous reindeer of all," was born over a
hundred years after his eight flying counterparts. The red-nosed wonder
was the creation of Robert L. May, a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward
department store. In 1939, May wrote a Christmas-themed poem to help
bring traffic into his store. |
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Using a similar
rhyme pattern to Moore's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas,"
May told the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who was teased by the
other deer because of his large, glowing, red nose. But, When Christmas
Eve turned foggy and Santa worried that he wouldn't be able to deliver
gifts that night, the former outcast saved Christmas by leading the
sleigh by the light of his red nose.
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Over time we have added kissing under the mistletoe, holly wreaths,
Christmas stockings and all the other wonderful things that come to make
up our Christmas traditions. These either help or hinder the
“burden” of Christmas for to some of us Christmas does seem to be a
“burden”. However, it is just a matter of how you look at it.
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Harried shoppers start right after Thanksgiving.
Christmas music abounds in store and restaurants even before
Thanksgiving in today’s world. |
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It is during these
times that boundless cookie and candy making happens. Fruit cakes appear
in the stores. I can remember wonderful times spent with our children making Christmas cookies, not only for ourselves, but to give to our neighbors. I always looked forward to Christmas as a adult because there was a wonderful elderly lady named Mary Young who always sent up some |
| grand sugared pecans. To this day, for the past 30 years or so, Leon LeBeau, a good friend of ours makes wonderful hard candy and sends it to all his friends each year. Carl looks forward to getting it in the mail just before Christmas |
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I think one of the
things I miss about Christmas is the carolers. It was an integral part of our Christmas when our kids were
growing up. We had the
evening of caroling at our church and then we would tramp through the
snow in our small village and go caroling, door to door, complete with
candles. |
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English poem, Christmas
is coming, the goose is getting fat In Medieval England, peacocks and
swans were eaten only by the rich at Christmas but boar's head was the
main course. In the 18th century, turkey along with beef, slowly
replaced the boar's head as most people's Christmas meal in Britain. By
Victorian times, people were usually eating either turkey or goose at
Christmas. |
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The
Christmas pudding known today began life as Christmas porridge called
frumenty, a dish made of wheat or corn boiled up in milk. As time went
on, other ingredients, such as dried plums or prunes, eggs, and lumps of
meat were added to make it more interesting. When cooked, it was poured
into a dish. This pudding was
called plum pudding. The name 'plum pudding' continued to be used even
when people used raisins, currants, and sultanas instead of prunes. |
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Today, a Christmas
pudding is a brown pudding with raisins, nuts and cherries. It is served
with custard or brandy butter. Often brandy is poured over the pudding,
which is then set a light as it is carried to the table. The lights are
turned off so people can see the flames. Traditionally silver coins were
hidden in it. A silver coin brought good fortune to whoever was lucky
enough to find it when the pudding was cut. The
traditional time for making a Christmas pudding “Stir up Sunday” at
the beginning of advent. A proper Christmas pudding is always stirred
from East to West in honor of the three Wise Men and traditionally made
with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and His Disciples. Every member
of the family must give the pudding a stir and make a secret wish. Traditionally
a Christmas cracker is placed next to each plate on the Christmas dinner
table. When the crackers are pulled, out falls a colorful party crown, a
toy or gift and a festive joke. Did you
know it was the custom to eat
goose at Christmas until Henry VIII decided to tuck into a turkey?
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American’s have made turkey and ham the most popular meat on their Christmas menu. A traditional American country Christmas dinner usually includes Roast Turkey, Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Rutabaga and Pear Puree, Pineapple Carrot Jellied Salad, Carrot Pudding. |
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The joy of Christmas
prevails in every event. The
office Christmas party, the family Christmas gathering, a child’s
anticipation of Santa’s arrival on Christmas Eve, the early morning
the next day, putting together toys in between! Christmas day or to
go and visit them all. So
we quietly pass the day, reading and reflecting. Reflecting over the past 70 years, for me, the “good”
Christmas memories far out weigh the “bad” ones and we are glad to
have them to look back upon. May your Christmas
be the best Christmas ever. “Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….Peace, light and
love, Arlene
Wright-Correll I grant
“ONE-TIME” publishing rights About
the author, Arlene
Wright-Correll (1935-
), free lance writer, award winning artist and avid gardener is
mother of 5 and the grandmother of 8.
For almost 40 years she was an International real estate
consultant and during the last 20 years of her career traveled to many
parts of the world. She
has been a cancer and stroke survivor since 1992.
While working and raising her children she had many hobbies
including being a very serious home-vintner for approximately 14 years
while residing in upstate New York in St. Lawrence County producing
2,000 to 3,000 bottles of wine a year.
She was the president of the St. Lawrence County chapter of the
American Wine Society in Potsdam
,
"Tread the Earth Lightly" & in the meantime
may your day be filled with... Peace, Light, and Love, Arlene Wright-Correll www.learn-america.com ©Copyright www.learn-america.com
All rights reserved. |
