How was
Christmas celebrated centuries ago? Why do we hang mistletoe and eat candy
canes?
Around the world., modern Christmas is a season for giving, sharing, and caring. Many
traditions, like Christmas trees and candy canes, are of
European origin, but an American imagination brought forth our Santa Claus in all his plump, red-suited
glory.
Dating
back to 336 A.D., Christmas was first celebrated in ancient Rome, around 300
years after Christ's birth. It was a popular Christian holiday until the
Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. Because pagan customs had been enfolded
into the religious observance, many Protestants chose not to celebrate it at
all, including the American Puritans. In the rest of colonial America,
Christmas was a raucous public holiday. Hunting, dancing, and feasting were the
custom in the country, while city streets filled with enthusiastic celebrants.
By the
1800s, the holiday-focused merrymaking became such a public spectacle that
concerned citizens, including Clement C. Moore, author of the famous poem "A
Visit from St. Nicholas" (popularly known as "Twas the Night Before
Christmas"), wanted to promote Christmas as a family holiday. His poem,
written in 1822, and the pictures illustrator Thomas Nast drew from 1863 to
1886, depict the Santa we have come to know and love today, a cherubic and
jolly fellow.
While
merchants count the shopping days until Christmas, it is also a time to share
with those less fortunate. Collecting and donating warm clothing, toys, and
food is as universal as bell-ringing "Sidewalk Santas." No matter how
you choose to observe it, celebrating Christmas has become a beloved global tradition. It is the season to rejoice with friends, family, and community and
dream of "peace on earth" and goodwill for all.
1. Christmas Greenery
Ancient Egyptians used palm branches,
while northern cultures preferred evergreens, to brighten the home during the
winter. Continuing a custom that dates back to the 16th century, German
immigrants were the first Americans to purchase and decorate Christmas trees, typically in the pine family.
2. Old Saint Nick
Today's "jolly old elf,"Santa Claus, is based on a real saint who
lived in Turkey in the 4th century. Saint Nicholas
was renowned for his generosity and love of children. According to historical
sources, he would drop coins down the chimney to preserve his anonymity and the
dignity of his recipients.
3. Gift Giving
Once frowned upon as a pagan custom
dating back to the Romans, gift giving is an integral part of our Christmas
tradition. Santa's alias, "Kriss Kringle," means Christ child in
German, and referred to a medieval legend that the infant Jesus distributed
presents.
4. Mistletoe Kissing
Remember the following Norse
fable the next time you sneak a smooch under the mistletoe: Frigga, goddess of
love and beauty, wanted to make the world safe for her son, Balder. Everything
on earth promised to do him no harm except the one plant Frigga overlooked,
mistletoe. Loki, an evil spirit, made an arrow from the mistletoe's wood and
killed Balder. Frigga's tears became the plant's white berries and revived her
son. In her gratitude, Frigga promised to kiss anyone who passed under the
mistletoe, just as we do today.
5. Candy Canes
The striped confections we now love to
crunch were once straight white sticks of sugar candy. In the 1600s, in
Cologne, Germany, traditional folktales reveal that the candies were bent at
the end to remind children of a shepherd's crook and to keep them quiet in
church.
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