By: BHS Features Staff
December 11, 2024
Christmas is known all over the world! Even if some don’t celebrate it, they know about it. Today, we decided to shine our collection of holiday lights on the history of this beloved holiday.
Long before Jesus’ arrival, many Europeans celebrated light and birth during the Winter, even on the darkest days. After the harsh Winter days, many would look forward to the longer days and sunlight.
The end of December was a time for celebration, especially in Europe. Winter meant that they would always have a fresh supply of meat. Cattle were often slaughtered, so they would not have to be fed during the Winter.
In Scandinavian countries, people celebrated Yule from December 21 through January. They did this because they were celebrating the return of the sun. To do this, fathers and sons would go out to the woods and bring back large logs to start a fire. Once the fire was lit, they feasted until the logs burned out, which meant that they would be eating for up to 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or cow that would be born the next year.
Germans honored a pagan god named Oden. It was believed that Oden flew through the sky during the night and observed people to judge who would perish or prosper. Because of this, Germans were terrified of Oden and stayed inside during mid-Winter.
Germans also created the tradition of decorating trees. This was a known tradition in Germany for a while. Christmas trees began popularity after 1750 when Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited Strasbourg to publish his novel, which included a Christmas tree. His book was called, The Suffering of Young Werther.
A place like Rome (Italy) doesn’t have as harsh Winters as other countries. They celebrated Saturnalia (a holiday in honor of the god of agriculture, Saturn). They began this during the week leading up to the Winter Solstice and continued for an entire month. For the Romans, food and drinks were plentiful. For a month, enslaved people were given freedom and were treated as equals. During this time, businesses and schools were closed, so everyone could be involved in the celebrations.
Now, for the main reason for the season.
Christmas is known for being the date that Jesus was born. Church officials declared the birth of Jesus as a holiday in the fourth century. The Bible does not include an official date of birth, but many believed his mother Mary became divinely pregnant with him on March 25, which means after nine months, he would be born on December 25. It is also thought that Pope Julius I chose this day to keep the traditions of Saturnalia alive.
Since Christmas is celebrated at the same time as traditional Winter Solstice festivities, church leaders decided to increase the odds of Christmas being celebrated by everyone. This action caused the ability to dictate how it was celebrated to the lost. Christmas ended up replacing the pagan religion.
On Christmas, people attended church and then celebrated a carnival-like festival, which was similar to today’s Mardi Gras. Each year, people would choose someone they would label as the “Lord of Misrule”. Most of the time, they would pick a beggar or a student to give the title to, and they would play the part of the lord’s subjects. They would go from house to house, knocking on doors, and asking for their best food and drinks. If the homeowners didn’t comply, their visitors would most likely end up doing something naughty. For the wealthy, they believed Christmas was their opportunity to pay their “debts” to society by entertaining the poor.
The legend of Santa Claus started back in 280 A.D. Santa is believed to be a Turkish monk named St. Nicholas. He gave away his inherited wealth to help those who were poor and ill. He was known as the Protector of Children and Sailors. This legend entered America in the 18th century in New York when Dutch families came together and celebrated the anniversary of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas), also known as Sinter Klaas. Later on, his name was abbreviated to Santa Claus. The now-known, jolly version of Santa Claus was created by a man named Clement Clarke Moore. He wrote the poem “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas”. In this poem, he wrote Santa as a jolly man who flies to-and-from houses in a sled, pulled by reindeer, to deliver toys.
During World War I, on Christmas Eve in 1914, one of the strangest occurrences happened. The British and Germans were spending their holidays in the cold trenches trying to keep warm. When a British soldier overheard some Christmas carols coming from the Germans’ side, the British started singing back. Then suddenly, they heard confused shouts from the Germans, and the British were confused until one of the German soldiers spoke in English with a strong German accent, telling the Brits to come over to their side. The Brits were skeptical, so they shouted for them to meet in the middle of “No Man’s Land”. Both parties were nervous while they climbed out of their trenches, but soon, the feeling disappeared as they all exchanged handshakes, words of kindness, and Christmas carols.
This Christmas Truce didn’t just happen on the battlefield. The French, German, British, and Belgian troops started holding cease-fires all across the Western Front, with some even happening on the Eastern Front. Some of these truces lasted for multiple days. This was a very welcomed break for the soldiers because they were suffering in war and expected to be home for the holidays and not for a war that would last four more years.
The Christmas Spirit is everywhere, so have a holly jolly Christmas this year!
{Information sourced from The History Channel (History of Christmas), History Channel (Christmas Traditions), Britannica, and History Channel (Christmas Truce).}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 