THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS III: Other Traditions

During the last few entries we have been learning about the origins of Christmas. Not only Rome and Babylon contributed to the traditions celebrated during Christmas. There are also many Scandinavian and German traditions that have been made popular around the world for this celebration.

YULE

Yule

Just like the ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice, so did the Northern European barbaric people. They would celebrate a week long festival known as “Yule”, based on Germanic and Scandinavian mythology.  This was practiced before Christianity came to these nations, and even earlier than the birth of Christ.

Below is part of a description of Yule taken from the Spanish version of the virtual encyclopedia Wikipedia :

Yule was mostly a family celebration that was always dedicated to fertility, to the solstices and to the family. It was a festival where absent relatives and friends were also remembered. The table where the feast was celebrated was prepared in splendor and magnificence, before the burial place of the deceased relatives, making hospitality towards outsiders a priority.

Among the Yule traditions are the following:

They would cut down large and extremely hard log to keep it burning for hours. Afterwards, they would scatter its ashes over the fields to make them fruitful. Besides the log they burned, they also cut down a green tree to place inside their homes. They would decorate their houses with mistletoe and place wreaths over their house entrance doors to summon the powers of fertility.

During Yule, some Nordic families would gather in their homes and remain awake all night long, until Sunrise. Others would go around their towns singing. At every house they stopped, they would toast to the tree’s health, sprinkle it with cider and leave muffins on its leaves. Later on, after these nations were Christianized, they would leave apples instead of muffins, making an allusion to the tree of the Garden of Eden.

On December the 26th Germans and Scandinavians celebrated the birth of Freyr, the Nordic god of the rising sun, rain and fertility. During this celebration they would decorate a green tree, a tradition that was transformed into the Christmas tree when Christianity reached Northern Europe.

The term Yule is still kept alive in many Christmas carols, and in the traditional “Yule Log” Christmas dessert.

GIFTS

Today, the Christmas activities are mainly focused on the children, and revolve around the gifts. We had already mentioned that the tradition of exchanging gifts goes back to the ancient Saturnalia Roman festival. To justify this practice, the church related this tradition to the gifts the wise men from the East brought Jesus when he was born.  That is why, in many countries around the world, the gifts are given on the “Day of the Kings” (also known as Epiphany, Saint Nicholas Day or 12^th Day) in January.

Without gifts, there is no Christmas. This has become a year end time of extreme spending, which is highly promoted by businesses. The urge to buy is such that many people spend all they have and more, getting themselves into debt just to buy gifts.


SANTA CLAUS

Santa Claus cartoon (1881)

The most famous character in Christmas is Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas or Father Christmas. This is a mythical figure attributed with the delivery of gifts during Christmas.


Santa Claus’ modern legend dates back to the year 1820.  His image as a chubby man with a large white bear, dressed in a red outfit red with white borders and a black belt was popularized by a North American cartoon in 1862.

It is believed that the creation o this Christmas figure was inspired by a real individual named Nicholas, who lived in Turkey.  He came from a wealthy family. When his parents died he distributed his inheritance among the poor and dedicated his life to the church. He became a bishop and was known for his generosity, especially to the children. After he died, he was recognized as the patron saint of Greece, Turkey and Russia.

On the other hand, there is a great parallel between the Santa Claus figure and the Germanic god Odin. It was believed that during the Yule celebration the god Odin would go out to hunt, riding an eight legged horse. He rode the heavens in a similar way Santa Claus with his deer. According to Germanic tradition, the children would fill their boots with carrots, hay and sugar to feed Odin’s horse. Then the god would leave presents and candies in their boots. However, if the children misbehaved, a demon riding along with Odin would kidnap the children and eat them.

The Santa Claus lie

We all know that Santa Claus is a mythical figure. He does not truly exist; he is a product of the imagination. We all know this… except the children.

Something that is very worrying about the Santa Clause subject is the “white lie” related to this character. In those families who celebrate Christmas, the parents tell their children that Santa Claus brings them the presents, making him a hero in their eyes. In the days before Christmas, or during their celebration, the parents take their children’s picture with Santa.

The existence of Santa Claus is a socially acceptable lie, which is universally protected. Whoever dares to tell the truth about Santa is attacked by the parents who have created a fantasy about this character in the minds of their children.

What these parents fail to consider is the disappointment they convey to their children when they discover the truth. Without realizing it, the parents themselves are mining their own credibility before their children. Their children may not consider the “good intention” their parents had, but may wonder: “If my parents lied to me about this, what else are they lying to me about? If they lied to me, I can lie too”.

This is a very serious issue.

Tomorrow we will publish the last part of this study about the origin of Christmas…