A look at Christmas folklore: Feature Article
Christmas is known as a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Many people still participate in Christmas celebrations despite their different beliefs. Christmas has evolved to be more than just a religious holiday. There are many symbols involved in the celebration of Christmas. Understanding how they became Christmas folklore can be quite entertaining. Here is a look at Christmas folklore:
Santa Claus
Perhaps the most recognized symbol of Christmas, besides baby Jesus, is Santa Claus. Like any other folklore the history of Santa Claus has been changed and influenced by several cultures. Many people date the history of Santa Claus to have started in 4th century AD. Bishop Nicholas was known for his generosity, especially to the young. As the years went on, he became known as Saint Nicholas. Over time, adults began to dress in the manner of Saint Nicholas and re-enact the kindness he showed toward his fellow man. The children began leaving their shoes outside the doors of their homes so they could have them filled with candies and toys.
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The Anglo-Saxon version of Santa Claus is known as Father Christmas. Father Christmas was a mixture of Saint Nicholas and of the gods Thor and Saturn. Father Christmas wore robes that were decorated with ivy and holly and he carried a switch to threaten unruly children and a bag filled with toys for the obedient children.
Helpful Resources: Christmas Folklore This web site provides several definitions of different Christmas folklore. It talks about the origins of the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, Christmas Cards, Christmas Presents, Christmas turkey, and other Christmas traditions. Christmas Symbols and Traditions Origins of the Christmas Tree Origins of Father Christmas Christmas Traditions American Christmas Folklore Christian and Pagan Beliefs Christmas Tree Folklore |
The British, German, and Dutch settlers introduced their own derivations of Father Christmas. The Dutch figure of `Sinterklaas' was the favorite Christmas character in the United States and eventually his name was anglicized to become Santa Claus. Santa Claus was modernized by Thomas Nast, a cartoonist with Harpers Weekly. Nast depicted Santa Claus as a larger man with white hair with a long beard, dressed in a red robe, with a crown of holly, and he held a long clay pipe.
In 1930, the Coca-Cola Company launched an advertising campaign, using Santa Claus as their central figure. The Santa Claus character used in the advertising campaign was produced by Haddon Sundblom, who built on the earlier Santa Claus character from Thomas Nast. Sundbloom's Santa Claus was a cheery, chubby fellow who spread joy throughout the world.
The Christmas tree
During the Christmas holiday, the Germans used to have plays in which trees were used as props. Eventually the idea of having a tree in your home to celebrate Christmas caught on and it began to spread throughout Europe. The Romans enjoyed the festival of Saturnalia and had a decorated tree in their home and would place 12 candles on the tree and an image of Apollo, the god of sun, at the top.
The Teutonic tribes would decorate trees in honor of their chief god, Odin. They would use apples and other foods to decorate the cake and to serve as a symbol of Odin's favor toward his people. The Druids used evergreen trees in the winter festival as the trees did not die, unlike everything else. The Druids believed the evergreen tree was the only tree whose spirit remained alive during the winter. The branches on the evergreen tree symbolized the return of life and growth in other plants and trees.
Martin Luther is given credit for the modern Christmas tree. Luther observed stars shining through the fir trees and the idea of placing lights on trees derives from this observation. Originally, candles were meticulously placed on the Christmas tree until the invention of string lights. The Christmas tree became an English tradition in 1841 when Price Albert introduced a tree with candles, tinsel, and ornaments, to the Christmas celebrations at Windsor Castle.
Christmas Cards
The Romans had a tradition of exchanging gifts with each other on the first day of January. The Christians adopted this gift exchange and changed it to be "New Year's Cards". The cards were sent on December 25th with the purpose of arriving at the person's home on January 1. Without traditional postal services, the Christmas cards were hand-delivered by children.
In the 18th century, lithography gave Christmas card sending a boost. Many people made their own Christmas card, with fancy water-coloring or children's drawings. With the invention of the penny post in 1840, it was much easier to send Christmas cards to loved ones who were not close by. In 1843, John Calcott Horsley designed the first Christmas card for a friend who was too busy to write letters and wanted something he could just sign. Horsley created a thousand copies of the card that was printed with a holiday message.
The 1860's and 1870's is when Christmas card sending really took off. The halfpenny post was introduced for cards and unsealed envelopes and the mailing of Christmas cards really expanded. The first Christmas card printing press was in Massachusetts. The artwork on the cards would feature holiday symbols like Santa Claus, nativity scenes, and Christmas caroling.
Christmas Gifts
It is estimated that the average American household will spend at least $2,000 on Christmas presents each year, with that figure increasing each year. Christmas gifts originally date back to the Roman tradition of exchanging gifts on the first day of the New Year as a way to wish one another a happy New Year. The gifts consisted of jewelry, gold, silver, or homemade pastries. The tradition of wrapping the Christmas gifts began in Denmark. Many date the tradition of gift giving back to the Magi who brought gifts to the newborn king, Jesus Christ.
The customs of gift giving change vastly for each culture, so it is hard to state which culture started Christmas gift giving. Depending upon the country, the gifts are delivered by elves, angels, the Christ Child, Santa Claus, or the wise men. The type of gift can be determined by the gift-giver, but in some countries it is customary to give animals and pastries.
The 12 Days of Christmas
English Catholics were not allowed to practice their faith from 1558-1829. Since parents could not teach their children about sacraments, attend mass, or have lessons from the priests, there was little parents could do to help children remember their faith. The song "the 12 Days of Christmas" was created to help the children keep the catholic faith in their lives.
The original song referred to God as the "true love" and the "me" in the song was a baptized member of the Catholic faith. `A partridge in a pear tree' is Jesus Christ. Here are the other meanings to other versus in the song:
- 2 turtle doves is the Old and New Testaments
- 3 French hens stands for Faith, Hope and Charity
- 4 calling birds represents the Four Gospels
- 5 golden rings is the first five books of the Old Testament, which give the history of man's fall from grace
- 6 geese a laying is the six days of creation
- 7 swans a swimming is the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
- 8 maids a milking is the eight Beatitudes
- 9 ladies dancing is the nine choirs of angels
- 10 lords a leaping is the Ten Commandments
- 11 pipers piping is the eleven faithful Apostles
- 12 drummers drumming is the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed
Mistletoe
Mistletoe was thought to be a plant that symbolized peace and friendship ion ancient times. If enemies met under a tree where mistletoe grew, they would lay down their arms and call a truce. If friends would meet under a tree that was growing mistletoe, it was known that your friendship would be blessed with good luck. Kissing under the mistletoe came from England, where it was customary to exchange kisses when greeting and parting. From here, mistletoe made its way into the Christmas holiday. A young woman would stand under the mistletoe expecting to receive a kiss in exchange for good luck and it would ensure her of marriage. The young woman had the right to pluck a berry from the mistletoe for each kiss she received. At the end of the 12th night, the mistletoe would be burned or else the young men and women who kissed under it would have no hope of marriage.
Mistletoe was also thought to keep people from harm. When a child was born, a sprig of mistletoe was placed in the cradle to keep the child from harm. During ancient times, mistletoe was never taken into a church. The word `mistletoe' meant `the wood of the holy cross.' The legend of this definition is that mistletoe was the wood that was used to build the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. After Christ's death, mistletoe shrank to its present size because of its shame and anguish.
The Druids even used mistletoe in ritual sacrifices. The Arch Druid would cut the mistletoe with a golden sickle in November. Four virgins would catch the mistletoe with a white cloth and it would be used in the ritual sacrifice of white oxen, which were used instead of human sacrifices.
