Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Origins Of Christmas, Date Comes From Pagans

Ever wonder how the various Christmas traditions observed began?

It's a well known fact Christmas is celebrated in honor of the birth of Christ. The very name translates into Cristes Mass, or the Mass of Christ.

Everyone is also familiar with the story of Christ's birth in a manger. The story can be found in the Bible in the gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew.

However, the first mention of an actual date for Christ's birth being Dec. 25, didn't come until 336 A.D. This date, though, was probably influenced by midwinter festivals held by pagan colonies at the time.

In fact, most pagan communities held midwinter festivals, celebrating the end of the harvest season and the hope for a bountiful harvest next year.

The ancient Romans held their year-end celebration to honor Saturn, their god of harvest, and Mithra, their god of light.

Celebrations in midwinter were also held in northern European countries at the end of their harvests as well.

At these festivals, special foods were prepared, with homes decorated, songs sang and gifts exchanged. Sound familiar?

By 1100 A.D., Christmas had become the most important of all religious festivals in Europe.

But, all was not well for this holiday. During the Reformation of the 1500s, Christmas was considered a pagan celebration because of the non-religious customs involved.

In the 1600s, Christmas was actually outlawed in England and the American colonies.

Fortunately, though, all this changed and the celebration of Christmas returned even though there were those "outlaws" who celebrated the holiday in spite of the laws prohibiting it.

During the English Reformation, merchants were told to look upon Christmas as "just another day" and keep their doors open. Churches were not allowed to hold special services either. And anyone found observing Christmas could be fined or imprisoned.

So much for jolly old England.

There are those purists now who say Christmas should never be abbreviated Xmas. However, use of this shortened version actually began in the early Christian churches. In the Greek alphabet, X is the first letter in Christ's name, hence Xmas. X, at the time, was also frequently used as a religious symbol.

Leaders of the early Christian movement did all in their power to convert pagans to the Christian way of life. However, they were unable to get rid of many pagan observances during the year, especially the midwinter festival.

Because of this, they incorporated Christian ethics into these celebrations and festivals. The pagans enjoyed having wild parties, filled with unbridled passion, alcoholic spirits and revelry. These "parties" were toned down as they were assimilated into the Christian way of life.

Following the Restoration, these celebrations were further toned down.

Of course, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Santa Claus, or St. Nicholas, as he is also known.

While there are those who believe there is no Santa, they are the one's who are mistaken, and sadly so.

St. Nicholas was a bishop in the early Christian church, born in the late 3rd century in Asia Minor in what is now Turkey.

Known as the "Boy Bishop," St. Nicholas found himself in prison following a religious trek to the holy land in the East, but was released and returned home to Patara, a province in the province of Lycia.

Here, his legend was born and grew. In fact, the legend of St. Nicholas became positively mythical.

According to the mythos of the tale, there was an impoverished nobleman who had three daughters. Because of his financial problems, he was unable to provide a dowry for his girls and they couldn't get married.

At the time, the custom was for fathers to have dowries for their daughters as added incentive for the potential grooms. According to the legend, the father was considering selling his daughters into prostitution as he had no money for their dowries.

Bishop Nicholas learned of the family's plight and, legend has it, in the dead of night threw three bags of gold into the nobleman's home to be used as dowries for the girls. Here the legend gets a bit confused, with some reports stating the gold-filled bags landed in stockings hanging by the fireplace overnight to dry.

This, though, is where the legend of the Christmas stocking begins.

Still, St. Nick is known for much more than just tossing a few bags of gold in a window.

He became the patron saint of children after he allegedly brought three boys back to life after they had been hacked apart and their body parts placed in a barrel of brine.

He is also the patron saint of sailors, getting this honor after reportedly being on a ship caught in a storm on the open sea. When St. Nicholas offered a prayer, the story goes, the seas calmed and the ship safely reached port.

Nicholas, himself, was the only child of wealthy parents, who were, themselves, Christian in a time when belief in Christ was punishable by death. His parents died during an epidemic while Nicholas was a young child.

His mother had, though, taught him the scriptures and Nicholas, after his parents died, dedicated himself in the service of God.

He moved to Myra where he was made a bishop. The "boy bishop," as he was called, was popular with his parishioners, who believed he could perform miracles.

Following the incident with the nobleman's daughters, Nicholas would travel around in disguise, passing out presents to people, especially children.

Bishop Nicholas died around 341 A.D. After his death, some 600 churches in Europe were named in his honor. The first such recognition came from Emperor Justinian in Constantinople.

St. Nicholas was honored by the church with a day named in his honor. The day, December 6 , was celebrated for many years as the time when presents were given by Christian families. Non-Christians still exchanged gifts during the midwinter festival.

From there, his legend grew and most major cultures developed versions of gift givers, along with different names.

At one time, Odin, ruler of the Norse Gods, was considered to be a kind of Santa Claus. Legends state Odin rode through the world at midwinter on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir, bringing both rewards and punishments, depending on which was deserved by the recipient.

After Christianity came to the northern climes, Odin was replaced by Santa Claus.

In the British Isles, Santa is known as Father Christmas, in France he is Pere Noel. Germany calls him Weihnactsmann, while in Italy he is an old woman, La Befana. The Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden use the names Jultomten and Julenissen for jolly old St. Nick.

To the Dutch he is Sinter Klass. This name came to America to the English colonies. When the Dutch talked of Sinterklass, speaking rapidly, the name was interpreted as, of course, Santa Claus.

Santa was originally portrayed as a tall, thin stately man wearing bishop robes and riding a white horse.

His image changed for the first time when, in 1809, Washington Irving described him as a jolly stout man with a broad brimmed hat, huge breeches, smoking a pipe and riding over treetops in a wagon filled with stockings and presents for children.

The current description of Santa comes from a poem written by Dr. Clement C. Moore, "A visit from St. Nicholas." This is possibly the best known and most popular of all Christmas poems. It is more commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas."

In this poem, Santa was described as a jolly old elf with a round belly that shook, when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. Moore also introduced the concept of Santa flying across the world in a sleigh pulled by "eight tiny reindeer."

This is also where St. Nick wound up being decked out in the red, fur-trimmed suit with black boots and belt.

Moore's poem was written in 1822, and in 1863, cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a picture of Santa as we recognize him today.

Always, though, Christmas or the midwinter festival has involved gift-giving. Ancient Romans would gather laurel boughs (one of the only green plants in winter) to decorate their homes, along with olive branches and myrtle. In addition, these items were sacred to Strenia, the goddess of health.

Gifts of this nature were symbolic of giving the gift of health, happiness and affection to the recipient, primarily the rulers of the area. After a time, the Roman emperors began demanding more materialistic tributes.

The gifts, called strenae, were always given during Saturnalia at midwinter.

Homes, these days, have decorated trees to celebrate the Christmas holiday. This custom most likely came to us from Germany or Prussia.

In medieval Germany "Paradise Trees", usually an evergreen decorated with apples, were used in a play held Dec. 24 about Adam and Eve.

By 1605, though, the trees were beginning to be found in homes, where they were trimmed with fruits, nuts and lighted candles, along with paper roses. Later decorations included painted egg shells, cookies and candies.

The Christmas tree came to the Americas in the 1800s, brought over by German settlers in Pennsylvania.

It is said when George Washington crossed the Delaware and surprised the Prussian soldiers, they were involved in their Christmas celebrations, including trimming the tree.

This idea caught on in the new nation, and rapidly spread around the rest of the world.

Along with the trees, many homes place wreaths on their front doors. In ancient Rome, the wreath was a sign of victory and celebration.

The Christmas wreath, with the passage of time, became the symbol of the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter.

Holly is used for wreaths because the pointed leaves resemble the thorny crown worn by Christ during His crucifixion. The red berries are representative of his blood.

One of the most popular of Christmas traditions is mistletoe. We all know anyone standing under the mistletoe will get a kiss.

But why is mistletoe so revered? According to Druid belief, mistletoe came from heaven, brought to Earth by the missel thrush. It is believed someone saw a thrush carrying a white berry from the plant in its claw hence the name mistletoe.

It was often referred to as the "golden bough" in Greek mythology and was said to be a charm against evil.

The plant was also sacred to the Norse goddess, Frigga, wife of Odin, the All Father.

Norse legend states Frigga, mother of Balder, god of light and sun, asked all plants to protect her son with the exception of mistletoe, a plant she considered unimportant.

The Norse gods celebrated at their raucous parties by throwing deadly weapons at Balder, causing him no harm. However, Loki, the Norse god of mischief, fashioned a dart out of the mistletoe, giving it to Hoder, a blind god, who struck Balder with it, thereby killing him.

After three days of suffering, Balder died from his wounds, but was brought back to life, legend states, by his mother's love. His rebirth brought light back to he winter solstice, and Frigga's tears became the berries on the mistletoe plant, representing a mother's love being stronger than death itself.

When Balder returned from the land of the dead, the legend goes, Frigga kissed all who passed beneath the mistletoe plant, thereby creating today's tradition.

However, the Druids also believed mistletoe has healing properties as well. They though it contained a sacred spirit because it could only be found on their sacred oak trees.

The Druids believed the plant could protect cattle from disease, could cure ulcers, was good for fertility, fought poisons and could cure epilepsy.

Native Americans chewed mistletoe to cure toothaches, and, in 1952, medical research found the plant contains a drug that can reduce blood pressure.

Druid priests would bless the plant, giving it to others. Those who received the gift were expected to give the priests something in return, as an exchange of good faith.

And what would Christmas be without caroling? Those joyous songs proclaiming the birth of Christ, along with the wassailing and sharing the gladness with those who sing them.

But caroling wasn't always done by song. The word carol comes from the Greek choraulein and was a dance accompanied by flute music.

Sailors and merchants who traveled to Greece and witnessed these celebrations took it back to their homelands. In France the flute was replaced by songs and was held at many occasions during the year.

Again, time passed and by the 1600, caroling simply became songs sang only at Christmas.

The majority of carols sang today were written in the 1700 and 1800s, with most being religious in nature.

Christmas cards, another popular tradition, were first designed by John Calcott Horsley, an English illustrator. The first card was done in 1843, showing a family celebrating Christmas at their home.

By 1860, the giving of cards had become a Christmas tradition in Great Britain.

However, crossing the big pond took a while for the Christmas card. The first ones in America were done in 1875 by Louis Prang, a German-born printer.

The midwinter celebration, whether it is the pagan festival or done in honor of the birth of Christ, has always been connected with the Birth of the Unconquered Sun (Son) and new life, or rebirth, whether it be the harvest of a coming season or everlasting life in the kingdom of heaven.