Chapter 9 - Festivals And Customs

What is the meaning of gift-giving at Christmas?

The gifts given by the Wise Men to the Infant Jesus are, of course, very probably the source of our present-day custom. We give, thus, to those we cherish, and this derivation is so direct that in many countries even today gifts are given on January 6 rather than December 25. January 6, the Twelfth Night, is believed to be the date on which the Wise Men appeared to the Holy Family, and is so observed in Poland, Italy, Russia, Spain and the Spanish-American countries.

The belief that Saint Nicholas brings gifts stems from the legend of the generosity of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. When he died on December 6 in the year 345, he was revered for his generosity and kindness, and it became the custom to give presents to loved ones on his saint's day, the date of his death. For centuries it had been the custom for Christians to give on both Saint Nicholas' Day and Christmas Day, but in general practice the two days gradually fused into one, and Saint Nick was borrowed from his own day to be the patron saint of December 25.

Why do we give to the less fortunate especially at Christmas?

The implications of Christian charity and the general customs of giving at Christmas apply also to taking thought to the needy, "feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked." In addition, there is an ancient legend that on Christmas Eve the Christ Child wanders the earth disguised as a beggar, and seeking shelter and food. Any mercy shown a beggar was thought to be a symbol of love of Jesus, and those who believed this would open their households to the homeless and offer their hospitality to those in need.

Where did the use of Christmas seals originate?

In 1904 a postal clerk in Denmark, named Einar Holboell, devised a plan for selling special stamps at Christmas to indicate to others that users had given charitably to some worthy cause. It seems to be a modern equivalent of ancient Christian giving to the needy, when none were turned away at the door during the Christmas season. In the United States the cause most closely associated with seals is the gathering of money for the fight against tuberculosis.

Why do children hang up a stocking on Christmas Eve?

The first Saint Nicholas, a real person who was a bishop in Asia Minor in the fourth century, is probably the source of our present Saint Nick who fills the stockings of good children on Christmas Eve. The story is that the bishop heard of a poor man who was about to sell his three daughters into slavery because he could not provide a dowry for them. Saint Nicholas saved the daughters, one by one, with gifts of gold. Each time, because he wished to remain anonymous, he threw the gift into the house rather than present it. One version of the legend is that he tossed the gold down the chimney, where it fell into a stocking that was hung there to dry. And so it is that children still hang up their stockings, and often find in the toe a tangerine, to represent a lump of gold.

What is the story of the Christmas tree?

The tree as a symbol of Christmas comes to us from Germany, in much the same way that we use and decorate it today. Martin Luther is said to have cut a fir tree from his garden one wintry Christmas Eve and placed it in the nursery of his home for his wife and children. He wanted to show them the great beauty of the snowy, dark night of the celebration of Jesus' birth, and he decorated the little tree with lighted candles, to represent the stars. From almost that time on, there are records of Christmas trees, and as long ago as the beginning of the seventeenth century other decorations, such as apples and colored paper, began to be added.

But the association of trees with Christmas is much, much older. In the tenth century a beautiful story spread through Europe. It is supposed to have been told by an Arabian named Georg Jacob, and it was so beautiful it was not forgotten, and became legend. On the night that Christ was born, so the story goes, all the trees in all the forests even those in frozen countries blossomed for one night, and bore fruit.

A thirteenth-century French legend tells of a gigantic tree lit with candles, in the forest, Some of the candles were straight and some upside down, and at the top of the tree there was an infant with a halo around his head. The tree represented humanity, the candles were people, good and bad, and the child was the Savior, Jesus.

And still longer ago there are stories that connect the tree with the season of Christmas. To pagan people the evergreen trees were a sign that winter would end and warmth again return to the earth, and in the feasts of the winter equinox, trees were hung with trinkets and masks. Some of our traditional Christmas-tree ornaments, such as a sun, stars and moon, and animals, are thought to descend, through the centuries, from these ancient symbols of nature. The goodness of the Creator as demonstrated in the return of spring may have been absorbed into the larger, greater celebration of the birth of His Son, Jesus.

Why do we decorate with holly?

Holly remains green throughout the winter, and is therefore a logical choice for Christmas ornamentation; its use goes far back to ancient peoples who took its greenness as a promise that the sun would again return to the earth, another year. Over the centuries many legends have surrounded it with Christian implications. The early French and English hung a piece over the door to indicate a house in which Christ abided. The Crown of Thorns was said to have been wound with holly, whose berries turned from white to red after the Crucifixion. A secular tale of holly states that whichever person, husband or wife, first brings the holly into the house at Christmas is the one who will rule in the new year.

How did kissing under the mistletoe originate?

Although kissing under the mistletoe is associated completely with the Christmas season, there is no reason why it should be, except for the power that custom can bestow. In a Scandinavian myth, Baldur the beautiful, god of light and spring, was troubled by dreams that his life was in danger. His mother Frigga, goddess of love, traveled over the world asking everything from earth, air, fire, and water to promise not to hurt her son. However, she did not ask the mistletoe, a parasitic plant which attaches itself to trees and therefore does not grow from any of the four elements. Loki, god of fire, was jealous of Baldur, and finally had him slain with a dart of mistletoe. The tears of Baldur's mother became the white berries of the plant, and she decreed that mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon, and that she would place a kiss on anyone who passed under it.

Possibly the timing of Christmas-kissing comes from an old legend that at the end of a year, if a girl receives no kisses under the mistletoe, she will not marry in the new year. A berry should be removed with each kiss, and when all are gone the bough has lost its power.

How does the poinsettia come to be the flower of Christmas?

The poinsettia as a symbol of Christmas is a completely American development in the annals of the day. In 1836 it was brought to the United States when our first Minister to Mexico returned from there; his name was Dr. Joel R. Poinsett and the flower was named for him. As it grew in Mexico it was a wild, small, and un-imposing weed, but cultivation has produced the brilliant and flamboyant blossom we know today. Lovely legends surround the development of the flower. One such story is that a poor child who wished to give a gift to the Virgin Mary was heartbroken because she had nothing of value or beauty. As she approached the Mother of Jesus, in desperation she pulled some of the scrawny flowers at her feet, merely to make a gesture of love. As she did so, the flower was transfigured into scarlet brilliance.

What do candles in the window mean?

For centuries, the light of candles has symbolized the enlightenment that Jesus brought to the earth. From the early Christians we have a legend that the Holy Babe wanders through the streets of the world on Christmas Eve, seeking shelter; and lighted candles in the windows will guide His steps to a house where He is welcome.

An old German belief was that the Virgin Mary and a host of angels passed over the countryside on Christmas Eve. A candle was placed in the window to guide them to a home where they might come in and eat, if they wished; and it was traditional to leave food upon the table.

Why do we burn a Yule log?

The Yule log comes to us from England before the Christian era, and burning it was originally a pagan rite. At the end of every year (based on the year's shortest day) it was thought that the sun stood still for twelve days. An enormous log was cut, large enough to burn throughout this period and burn away the evil of the past year. Since the pagan Yule and our Christmas so nearly coincide in time, gradually the burning of the Yule log was adopted by Christians and, for hundreds and hundreds of years, has been a favorite custom.

Why are mince pie and plum pudding traditional Christmas desserts?

Mince pie has been a symbolic food of the Christmas season for as long as we have any records of the celebration. Because it is full of spices and fruits, it represents the choice and exotic treasures of the East, the home of the Wise Men. Originally it was made in the loaf shape of the manger in which Christ was laid after He was born.

Plum pudding is the other standard dessert for Christmas, and it has a history almost exactly the opposite of mince pie, which seems deliberately to have been concocted to stand for splendor and luxury. It is told that in the early days of England a king and his men were lost in the forest on Christmas Eve. Since they had intended to be at their destination for the celebration of the night, they had only meager provisions. The cook for the party decided to combine everything he had so that there would be one dish for all, and thus the plum pudding was first made.

Why do we ring bells at Christmas?

Ringing out the bells at Christmas is a beloved custom that is centuries old. On Christmas Eve in medieval times the bells in churches tolled, as they did for the dead, to warn the Devil of the imminent birth of Jesus, who would save the world from darkness. For an hour before midnight the ominous tolling continued and then, at the stroke of twelve, a triumphant, happy pealing of the bells began. They announced the death of Satan and the birth of the Savior.

What are the origins of carols?

One of the happiest customs of the Christmas celebration throughout the world is the singing of carols. For us in the United States it would be hard to imagine the holiday without the music that fills the air around us the old, beloved music. Often it is a strain of melody that starts the season for us, before the other evidences have arrived. We hear the joyous music in our homes and in the shops and on the streets, and these are the songs we sing in soft harmony in our churches throughout the Yule-tide season.

The carols that we have known and loved since childhood are part of the tradition, also, of many other countries around the world. Some of our most popular carols were written so far away and so long ago that their origins arc lost in history; some are even songs of pagan origin which were adopted by early Christians and given new words.
 
Some were folk songs, with secular words, or shepherds' songs or lullabies. Their melodies were so easy to sing, so familiar perhaps, that long ago jubilant Christmas words were set to them. And there are other carols which are quite modern, written in recent years by Americans and set to music written in America.

Several countries have claimed to be the birthplace of caroling, but actually all that is known is that music in honor of the birth of Jesus has been part of church festivals from the very beginning of the Christian era. The word carol was associated with dancing until the fourteenth century, and is derived from the Italian carolare, a medieval ring dance accompanied by singing. Each country has developed its own ways with carols and caroling.

Probably the reason that carol-singing is done in the streets lies in the fact that early carols were not thought to be reverent enough for the inside of a church. Some of the carols seemed to emphasize the delights of the season and overlook its holy meanings, and others were set to gayer music than was thought appropriate; so, today, a group of carolers in a snowy village square on Christmas Eve has a long, long history of outdoor singing.

In England, groups of singers called "waits" continue even now with the ancient custom of making the rounds on Christmas Eve, singing outside doors and windows, and receiving gifts of goods and money from the serenaded householders.

In Wales, the carolers make their rounds at dawn on Christmas morning, and families wake from sleep to ask them in for refreshments. In France the carols are known as "noels" and are sung in the streets of cities as well as villages, and in Italy shepherds walk from house to house in the countryside singing carols to the accompaniment of bagpipes.

In Hungary and Poland carolers visit their neighbors carrying a huge lighted star, the Star of Bethlehem. This form of caroling, known as "star-singing," exists in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Holland, and Italy. Sweden's carol singers, for this reason, were known as "star-boys." They dressed in costumes to represent the Three Kings and Herod. It is pleasant to think that today, when we sing by flashlight or electric lantern, we are modern "star-singers."

Caroling was very popular in Czechoslovakia, where the boys dressed in the costumes of the Three Kings and carried a crèche, or Jeslicky. Processions of singers still intone the Kolyada songs in Russia, and in Rumania, where the Star of Bethlehem is decorated with frills and bells, carolers go from house to house, carrying on a pole a five-sided box with paper front and back on which there is a picture of the Virgin or some other religious subject, illuminated by a candle within.

So, in one form or another certainly in the melodies and words of some of the carols themselves similar caroling customs have spread to many parts of the world.

Carols, like so many other of the heart-warming traditions of Christmas, are enjoyed by so many people in so many places that they help to bring the nations of the earth closer together.

What is the history of sending Christmas cards?

It was in England that Christmas cards were first produced. People had, of course, sent private notes of good wishes to each other for uncounted Christmases, marking the birth of hope and peace and the beginning of each new year. In addition to these notes it was customary in the first part of the nineteenth century for British students to prepare and send, at Christmas, handsome and painstaking scrolls conveying their greetings and displaying their prowess in handwriting, composition, and art work.

It was in 1843, and this date is now generally agreed upon, that Sir Henry Cole arranged to have an illustrator named John Calcott Horsley design a card especially for the day. It was printed in lithography and tinted by hand, by a professional color. One thousand copies were sold that first Christmas, and literally billions of cards have been sent out in the ensuing years; they bear out Sir Henry Cole's original intention to have "artistic treatment applied to 'unconsidered trifles' as well as to weightier matters."

Why are ships used so often as a motif on Christmas cards?

Many seafaring peoples have developed legends that connect ships with Christmas. The patron saint of Greece, Saint Basil, comes each Christmastime on a ship laden with gifts, which he distributes to the people. Saint Nicholas sails to Holland from Spain, on a ship with a cargo of gifts. "I Saw Three Ships," the English carol, carries out in song the lovely idea that ships arrive on Christmas morning carrying Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Perhaps these countries, separated as they are by water from the Holy Land, adopted the symbol of ships at Christmas to bring the great story of Jesus' birth a little closer.

Why are cattle thought blessed on Christmas Eve?

No scene of the stable is complete without the gentle cows, and from childhood we sing "the cattle are lowing" in the songs of the manger. It is in the cows' manger that the Infant Jesus was laid, and a German legend holds that at midnight on Christmas Eve cattle kneel in adoration, and are given, for one moment, the power of speech. All over Northern and Middle Europe, cattle are given special attention on this night. In Spain, also, cows are honored, because it is thought that on the first Christmas the cow in the stable breathed on the Baby Jesus to keep Him warm.

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