Traditions
are your links to the past. They are gifts from your ancestors that
give you ideals to live by. No other traditions are more cherished than
those celebrated at Christmas. With the Christmas celebration comes old
customs that, somehow; makes the season more meaningful. You love your
Christmas stockings, cards, cookies, and poinsettias that are apparent
every Christmas season. But, did you ever wonder where the tradition
came from?
The Legend of the Christmas Stocking
The
Legend of the Christmas Stocking The custom was founded by the most
influential figure in the shaping of today's Santa Claus, St. Nicholas
of Myra, a fourth-century bishop who was known for his charity and
wisdom. According to legend, a poor Italian father was faced with
selling one of his three daughters into slavery in order to afford the
dowries needed for others to marry. One night the daughters had washed
out their stockings and hung them over the fireplace to dry. Having
heard of the family's misfortune, the good saint decided to pay them a
visit. Late that night, in the darkness riding his faithful white steed
he stopped by their house and saw the stockings through the window. He
secretly tossed three bags filled with gold coins down the chimney. The
bags fell into the stockings that were hanging by the fire. His
kindhearted gift made it possible for all three maidens to marry. A
variation of the story is that he tossed the bags threw the window into
the stockings.This idea may have accounted for the gifts being delivered
to those without chimneys. Through his life, St. Nicholas tried to help
others while inspiring them to do the same. Legends of his unselfish
giving spread all over Northern Europe. Like so many other traditions in
our country, the legends were introduced by immigrants who brought
beliefs when they crossed the Atlantic.
The Legend of Santa Claus
Like the
tale of the Christmas stocking, the story of Santa Claus originated in
Europe during the fourth-century when a bishop named St. Nicholas of
Myra spread goodwill and generosity throughout the land. He was known to
go about on a white horse giving anonymous gifts by night. His
traveling clothes were bishop red and he carried a staff. His unselfish
acts of kindness spread throughout Europe and the children thought of
him as a giver of all good things. When he died on December 6, his
remains were taken to Italy and a church was erected in his honor. That
day soon became a day of celebration, gift giving, and charity. In the
sixteenth century, the celebration of catholic saints was banned and St.
Nicholas Day became merged with Christmas celebrations. Although the
gift-giving Saint took on a non-religious form, the generous spirit
still remained. Eventually, the image of the Saint became a sort of
mystical being, known for rewarding the good and punishing the bad. Like
so many other traditions in our country, Santa Claus is a product of
many different cultures. In Europe, he was depicted as a tall-dignified
religious figure riding a white horse through the air. The Dutch
immigrants presented Sinterklass (meaning St. Nicholas) to the colonies.
Many English-speaking children pronounced this so quickly that it
sounded like Santa Claus. The tradition of the Santa Claus or St. Nick
in a red suit was brought to us by the Scandinavians. Black Peter, an
elf who punished disobedient children, accompanied the German's St.
Nick. As Christmas evolved in the United States, new customs were
adopted and many old ones were reworked. In North America, Santa Claus
eventually developed into a fat, old, kind, generous, man who was
neither strict nor religious.
The Legend of the Christmas Candle
Throughout
medieval Europe, a very large candle, called the Christmas candle was
burned until the twelfth Night, in remembrance of the arrival of the
Wise Men to Bethlehem. In Victorian times, candles represented good will
for those less fortunate and were placed in windows December 25 to
January 6 to indicate welcome to any passerby needing shelter and food.
Certain beliefs were attached to candles. Some people believed the
flames from the burning candles frightened away evil spirits during the
darkest days of the year. The Norwegians believed that Christmas candles
must not burn out on Christmas Eve or bad luck would plague the family.
Legends tell us that candles in windows guide the Christ Child as he
wanders from house to house on Christmas Eve looking for a place to
stay. Thus, no traveler can be turned away on Christmas Eve in case the
Christ Child might come by. The custom of lighting candles on trees
indoors started in Germany. To them the candles represented the stars
and is one custom that founded its way to America. Today, especially at
Christmas, candles signify the message of the season. A candle burning
in the window of some Christian homes symbolically lights the way of the
holy family, as well as welcomed guests.
The Legend of the Mistletoe
Baldur
was the god of light and spring, purity and beauty. He was the son of
Frigga, the Norse goddess of love and marriage. Baldur was often
disturbed by dreams that his life was in danger. To protect her son,
Frigga went about the land demanding promises from all the other gods
and all the natural elements such as, fire, water, air and earth not to
harm her son. But, in her haste, she forgot to speak to the mistletoe,
which was considered too puny and insignificant to do him harm. Baldur
had one enemy, Loki, a god known for causing evil toward his fellow
gods. When he heard that the mistletoe was ignored, he ordered another
god to hurl a mistletoe dart into Baldur's heart, killing him. Baldur's
mother was heart-broken and cried many tears. Her bitter tears fell onto
the mistletoe causing pearl-like berries. Because Frigga was liked by
many gods, her plea for her son to come back to life was answered. She
was so delighted that she went about the land kissing everyone under the
white berries. She then declared that the mistletoe would never again
be used as a weapon and said, "All who stand beneath the mistletoe must
kiss in friendship and peace." It is said the myth of the mistletoe
spread throughout the land, and whenever enemies met under it, they laid
down their weapons and declared a truce. There were many beliefs
associated with the mistletoe. In ancient times, it was believed to be
sacred, to have come from heaven, possessing mystic powers because it
grew without roots and never touched the ground. It was also considered
as a giver of life and protector against disease and poison. The plant
was believed to encourage romance, to bring happiness and good luck, and
to promote peace. Despite all these positive beliefs, the English
church banned the mistletoe around 1600 because of its pagan
superstitions. Some Christians believed that the mistletoe was
originally a tree whose wood was used to make the cross on which Christ
was crucified. It then shrank from shame into a parasite bush. In the
late eighteenth century, people in England began using the mistletoe in
their home Christmas decorations. The pagan customs were forgotten and
the plant was associated with happiness, peace, and good luck. It was
hung in doorways where guests would walk under it providing an
opportunity to kiss for no reason!
The Legend of the Poinsettia
In
Mexico, it is an old custom to take flowers to church on Christmas Eve
in honor of the Christ Child. According to legend, long ago in a small
mountain village in Mexico, there lived a boy named Mario. Each year
Mario watched the villagers walk to church Christmas Eve carrying
bundles of fresh flowers. Mario could not afford to buy fresh flowers
so, he would look in the fields for wildflowers that might have survived
the cold winter up in the mountains. One Christmas Eve, as he was
searching for wildflowers, a voice called out to him. "Mario, pick up
the weeds that are growing where you kneel and take them to the Christ
Child." Mario answered, "I cannot take these weeds to the Baby Jesus!"
The voice gently replied, "the simplest gift, when given with love, will
be the most beautiful to him." Mario listened to the voice and placed
the green weeds around the manger, as the other children teased him. But
to everyone's astonishment the weeds turned into a beautiful red flower
with bright green leaves. Mario could not believe his eyes. It was the
most beautiful flower he had ever seen. The other villagers who
witnessed the miracle knelt before the manger. Mario understood what the
angelic voice was trying to tell him. He knew that the most important
gift for the Christ Child was the give of love. The plant was brought
from Mexico to America in 1836 by Dr. Joel Poinsett, the first American
minister to Mexico. It was introduced to him by Mexicans who called it
the "Flower of the Holy Night." The plant was cultivated in the 1890s by
Albert Ecke in California. The city of Ventura, California, is called
the "Poinsettia City." Today, the Poinsettia plant is considered a
Christmas symbol and brought into homes in early December. Their beauty
remains throughout the holiday season.
The Legend of the Christmas Tree
There
once was a poor woodcutter who lived with his family deep in the forest.
On Christmas Eve they sat down for dinner when they heard a knock at
the door. There stood a child in torn and ragged clothes, pale and
hungry. The woodcutter invited the child in for food even though they
did not have much to share and gave him a bed to rest. The woodcutter
and his family prayed to God, thanking him for a warm and safe place to
live. In the early morning they awoke to the most beautiful singing they
had every heard. They went to the window and saw the orphaned child
standing with a choir of angels singing a lovely Christmas carol. The
child was no longer wearing the tattered clothing but dressed in a
magnificent robe surrounded by a glowing light. When the child saw the
woodcutter and his family he said, "I am the Christ Child, I have
received your kindness and now this is my gift to you." He broke a
branch from a small fir tree and planted it. He told them, "From this
day forward, this tree shall bear fruit at Christmas and you shall have
plenty even in the cold winter." As they stood listening, the branch
grew into a beautify tree covered with fruit. The Christmas tree as we
know it originated in Germany. In the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries, people in Europe performed miracle or mystery plays in front
of cathedrals during the advent season. This was a means to teach the
Bible since few people could read the scriptures. The evergreen tree was
often used as a prop. Its image lasted in the minds of those attending
and influenced the German people to bring trees into their homes at
Christmas. The fir tree in the plays represented the tree of life as
well as sin, so people first decorated trees with little religious
figures on the branches. The Christmas tree spread to America when
Hessian soldiers practiced the custom while fighting in the
Revolutionary War. Later, the German born Prince Albert and Queen
Victoria popularized the custom when they erected the first Christmas
tree in Windsor Castle. By the early 20th century, the custom of
decorating a Christmas tree was adopted by most Americans of European
descent. The tradition of a Christmas tree in the White House started in
1856 with President Franklin Pierce. This cherished tradition of
celebrating Christ's birth around a decorated tree is one of the most
popular and beloved parts of our Christmas season.
Christmas Card Tradition
No one is
sure where the tradition of sending Christmas cards first started. Some
say it began in England, where school children away from home would
write to their parents reminding them that the gift-giving time would
soon be near. The first known artist to create a Christmas card was John
Calcott Horsley, who designed a card for Sir Henry Cole, a London
museum director. Sir Henry Cole decided that it would be easier to send
pre-made cards than to labor over individual greetings, as he had done
as a child. Sir Henry had 1000 cards printed and sold them for one
shilling each. At first, only the wealthy could afford them, then later
less-expensive printing soon became available. Queen Victoria loved the
idea and soon it became quite fashionable. By the 1850s, Christmas cards
were a well established tradition. Christmas cards did not become
popular in America until the 1870s when Louis Prang, a German immigrant
who owned a small Massachusetts print shop, designed and printed such
beautiful cards that he became known as, "father of American Christmas
cards." The cards were favorable, but impractical to produce. By the end
of the nineteenth century, less expensive cards were taking over and
Prang was forced out of business. Before WWI, many of the cards sold in
America came from Germany. After the war, the Christmas card business
flourished. Today, over two-and-a-half billion Christmas cards are
exchanged every year!
Christmas Cookie Tradition
Christmas
Cookies have been part of celebrations long before the first Christmas.
After Pope Julius declared December 25 as Christmas in 350 A.D.,
Christians adopted cookie baking as part of the Christmas celebration.
There are many traditions inherited and adopted by Americans and the
Christmas cookie is another one. The Christmas cookie actually came from
the Dutch word koekje, which means "small cake." It was the
Pennsylvania Dutch who first introduced holiday cookies to America. The
rest of the Europeans continued to bake when they came to the United
States introducing many treats that we enjoy today. We can thank Sweden
for the spritz cookies topped with sugar crystals, Scotland for their
shortbread, Greece for their Baklava and the Russian for their powdered
sugar tea cakes. The German cookies, lebkuchen and springerle are
favorites. Many of the Christmas cookie recipes we enjoy today came from
European countries; each carrying generations of folklore and legend.
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