The Origin Of Christmas Customs by Darren G.
Burton
With Christmas upon us once again, how many of us know where the customs
we follow originally began?
Before the birth of Jesus Christ, pagans used to worship the ‘sun god’ on
the 25th of December. This festival is thought to have originated in the
ancient Egyptian city of Babylon. Great feasts and parties and much
merrymaking took place on this day.
Actual Christmas celebrations, the celebration of the birth of Christ, did
not take place until the fourth century after his death.
In the fourth century, Emperor Constantine placed Christianity on the same
level as paganism - Christianity was a sin punishable by death to the
former emperor. At that time, Emperor Constantine changed the festival of
worshipping the sun god, to worshipping the birthday of the "Son of God",
on the 25th of December.
The name of the celebration was then changed to "Christmas" - Meaning,
‘Christ-Mass’.
Holly Wreath, Mistletoe and Yule Log
Mistletoe was considered sacred to the sun god by the pagans. It was a
very important ingredient in the celebrations of the winter solstice.
Mistletoe was considered to have marvelous and miraculous healing powers.
It was also a popular pagan custom to kiss under the mistletoe. This was a
part of the festival of celebrating the death of the old sun and the birth
of the new sun at the winter solstice.
Holly berries were also considered sacred to the sun god. As, too, was the
Yule log. The Yule log was the ancient symbol of the sun, due to its
circular shape.
The lighting of bon-fires and candles was a part of the celebrations as
well. It was a custom that was to encourage the waning sun god as he
reached the lowest place in the southern skies.
Holly wreaths still hang on many doors at Christmas time today, and the
custom of kissing under the mistletoe is still very popular in countries
throughout the western world, particularly in the United States.
Homes are decorated with bright shining decorations and in most homes,
these decorations would be incomplete without a Christmas tree.
Decorations of this kind also decked the homes and streets during the old
pagan festival.
Origin of Santa Claus
The name Santa Claus was derived from the name of a Roman Catholic bishop
of the fifth century named "Saint Nicholas". The saint was honoured by the
people of Europe on the 6th day of December each year. It is said that St
Nicholas originated the custom of secretly giving presents on the eve of
this celebration.
St Nicholas was made a saint while still only a boy. He would go out at
night and deliver presents to the poor and needy.
After the death of the saint, the fame of his kind actions spread rapidly
throughout all of Europe. People would hold celebrations and feasts on
December 6th to commemorate his kindness.
On December 6th throughout the countries of Europe, a man dressed as St
Nicholas would ride through the streets on a white horse. The man acting
as the saint would carry with him presents for the children. Parents would
tell him how their children had behaved during the year. If they had been
good, they would receive a nice present. If they had been bad, they would
receive a bogey present; usually something like a bundle of straw or
sticks.
Dutch settlers brought the custom to New York - then known as New
Amsterdam - in the United States. British settlers in the country soon
adopted the tradition and it was through this that the name changed from
St Nicholas to Santa Claus.
British children, when they tried to say St Nicholas, said it very fast.
They would pronounce it "Sinterklass" and this was soon spelt "Santa
Claus".
About the same time as the name was changed, so did the appearance of St
Nicholas (or Santa Claus). He used to appear as a tall, thin, stately man.
But in a book written by Washington Irving, ‘Knickerbocker's History of
New York (1809)’, a different description was painted of the saint. Irving
described him as a jolly fellow wearing a hat and smoking a long pipe.
Santa Claus would ride over the tree tops in a wagon and drop presents
down chimneys.
In a poem written in 1822, "A Visit From St Nicholas", Clement C. Moore
saw him as this: A round and jolly fellow with twinkling eyes and a nose
like a cherry. He had a
white beard and wore bright-red clothes.
In 1837, Robert W. Weir painted a picture of him. In this painting, Santa
Claus was envisioned as a friendly, chubby fellow who wore a hood and knee
boots and carried with him a bag of toys.
Famous American cartoonist, Thomas Nast, is credited with developing the
appearance of Santa Claus as he is seen today. Nast created a series of
cartoons for a magazine, ‘Harper’s Weekly’, during the late 1800's. Santa
Claus was seen in these drawings toiling in a workshop making toys for the
children. Some of the drawings featured Santa Claus driving a sleigh
through the snow pulled by reindeer, and others showed him stuffing toys
in stockings hung over the fireplace.
After the Protestant reformation, St Nicholas was replaced by the "Christ
Child" in Germany. From this name came the character, Kris Kringle. This
character was an angel-like figure that brought gifts at Christmas time.
In England, Henry VIII put a ban on all St Nicholas celebrations. The
celebration was later reinstated by Prince Albert; a German prince who
married Queen Victoria. St Nicholas was then known throughout Britain as
"Father Christmas".
Though most of us know him as Santa Claus, many still call him Father
Christmas or St Nicholas; the latter particularly in America.
So Christmas and its customs, with all its festivities, glitter and
tradition, was not originally a Christian festival, but a time to
celebrate the birth of the new sun.
About The Author:
Born in Sydney, Australia, Darren G. Burton has been writing for more than
20 years. He has written numerous full length works of fiction and
non-fiction. In addition to his books, he has had many articles and short
stories published in major Australian and international publications.
