Site search
sponsored by
News
ENLARGE
Christmas, perhaps more than any other holiday, puts me in a curious state of mind. This year, in search of how it gained such popularity in a free-thinking and religiously tolerant nation, I set out to collect some facts and traditions that have come to us from around the world and rediscovered that Christmas means many different things to many different people. I found most of the factual information through the History Channel and Wikipedia.
Christmas may be the most celebrated holiday around the world, and it is the product of hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions. Christmas as we know it today is a Victorian invention of the 1860s and wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the United States until 1870. Although today we are willing to arise before dawn to participate in the sacred ritual of gift giving, it may come as a surprise that in 1659 the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense, and people were fined for hanging decorations.
So where did it all come from? I mean, other than the celebration of the birth of Christ.
St. Francis of Assisi is recognized for creating the first living nativity in 1224 to help explain the birth of Jesus to his followers.
Santa Claus has his roots in the legends of St. Nicholas from modern-day Turkey (ironically enough) around 280 A.D. St. Nicholas was admired for his piety and kindness. In one legend it is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and the sick. The traditions of making a gift list for Santa and hanging stockings on the hearth are thought to have originated with St. Nicholas.
Eggnog came to us in 1607 at the Jamestown settlement of Captain John Smith.
Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, brought the poinsettia plant to us in 1828.
An Englishman named John Calcott Horsley made popular the sending of Christmas greeting cards in the late 1830s.
Celtic people considered mistletoe to have magic powers to heal wounds and increase fertility. They also used it to bring good luck and to ward off evil spirits. Surprisingly, it was the Victorian society of England that started the “kissing under the mistletoe” tradition.
Carolers also began in England as wandering musicians would travel and sing for food or money.
“Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” came from the imagination of Robert L. May, a copywriter who wrote a poem to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.
Decorating evergreen trees came to us from the German winter solstice tradition. Christmas trees were displayed by the Pennsylvania German settlers as early as 1747 but were seen as pagan symbols to most Americans until after the 1840s.
We have come to our traditional celebration of Christmas through many cultures and beliefs, but long before Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year-round had a special meaning for people living in winter. Ancient people hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows to keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. Whatever the reason, green and light symbolize life and growth, and so we have always wanted to bring these qualities into our lives during the darkest days of the year.
Although Christmas is a holiday that pretty much takes over everywhere you look and listen, it is not a holiday celebrated or loved by all. Despite its splendor, it can also be the most obnoxious and long-lasting of celebrations even to those participating. Let’s at least respect the secular and religious choices of others recognizing that to some it is probably as popular as Gay Pride Day to a homophobe; Halloween to those who consider that a satanic ritual; and as acceptable as sex on the streets of Amsterdam to the Amish. And in acknowledging our most recent contribution to the holiday, let’s see if we can avoid stampeding someone in another early dawn shopping spree.
Whether you choose to participate in the rituals of Christmas or not, may this season find you safe, sound and filled with the promise of a New and Wondrous Year.
Anita Alexandra is the owner and creator of Elemental Art Solutions. She has a background in Chinese Medicine and Alchemical Hypnotherapy. Contact information: (970)409-9586 or elementalartsolutions.com
Christmas may be the most celebrated holiday around the world, and it is the product of hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions. Christmas as we know it today is a Victorian invention of the 1860s and wasn’t declared a federal holiday in the United States until 1870. Although today we are willing to arise before dawn to participate in the sacred ritual of gift giving, it may come as a surprise that in 1659 the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense, and people were fined for hanging decorations.
So where did it all come from? I mean, other than the celebration of the birth of Christ.
St. Francis of Assisi is recognized for creating the first living nativity in 1224 to help explain the birth of Jesus to his followers.
Santa Claus has his roots in the legends of St. Nicholas from modern-day Turkey (ironically enough) around 280 A.D. St. Nicholas was admired for his piety and kindness. In one legend it is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and the sick. The traditions of making a gift list for Santa and hanging stockings on the hearth are thought to have originated with St. Nicholas.
Eggnog came to us in 1607 at the Jamestown settlement of Captain John Smith.
Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, brought the poinsettia plant to us in 1828.
An Englishman named John Calcott Horsley made popular the sending of Christmas greeting cards in the late 1830s.
Celtic people considered mistletoe to have magic powers to heal wounds and increase fertility. They also used it to bring good luck and to ward off evil spirits. Surprisingly, it was the Victorian society of England that started the “kissing under the mistletoe” tradition.
Carolers also began in England as wandering musicians would travel and sing for food or money.
“Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” came from the imagination of Robert L. May, a copywriter who wrote a poem to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.
Decorating evergreen trees came to us from the German winter solstice tradition. Christmas trees were displayed by the Pennsylvania German settlers as early as 1747 but were seen as pagan symbols to most Americans until after the 1840s.
We have come to our traditional celebration of Christmas through many cultures and beliefs, but long before Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year-round had a special meaning for people living in winter. Ancient people hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows to keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. Whatever the reason, green and light symbolize life and growth, and so we have always wanted to bring these qualities into our lives during the darkest days of the year.
Although Christmas is a holiday that pretty much takes over everywhere you look and listen, it is not a holiday celebrated or loved by all. Despite its splendor, it can also be the most obnoxious and long-lasting of celebrations even to those participating. Let’s at least respect the secular and religious choices of others recognizing that to some it is probably as popular as Gay Pride Day to a homophobe; Halloween to those who consider that a satanic ritual; and as acceptable as sex on the streets of Amsterdam to the Amish. And in acknowledging our most recent contribution to the holiday, let’s see if we can avoid stampeding someone in another early dawn shopping spree.
Whether you choose to participate in the rituals of Christmas or not, may this season find you safe, sound and filled with the promise of a New and Wondrous Year.
Anita Alexandra is the owner and creator of Elemental Art Solutions. She has a background in Chinese Medicine and Alchemical Hypnotherapy. Contact information: (970)409-9586 or elementalartsolutions.com
