Christmas traditions revealed
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By Andy Kaiser
Article ID: 1264
It’s the middle of December. In the northeast United States, snow blankets our houses, and ice and slush cover our roads. People curse and sweat as they shovel and salt and sand, all futile attempts to keep the frozen pestilence at bay. Our economy is sinking with the inevitably of the Titanic, yet retailers everywhere beg consumers to spend, spend and spend. To sum this up in two words, we say, “Merry Christmas”. Or for the secular, there is the vague and meaningless “season’s greetings”. For the astronomically-inclined, “happy winter solstice“. Or “Happy Birthday”, for the followers of Christianity’s “Jesus” and the Zoroastrian’s “Mithra“. Or, if we have any ancient Romans reading, “happy Saturnalia and Sol Invictus“.
Whether or not you’re religious, you can’t make it through this time of year without encountering the most famous seasonal mascot ever: Santa Claus.
Originally called “Saint Nicholas” by the Dutch, the pronunciation sounded more like “Sint Nikolass”. As the Dutch helped colonize America, the name was reshaped for non-Dutch tongues, and evolved into “Sinterklass”, and finally into “Santa Claus”. Santa’s unique and warm-sounding name is nothing more than the byproduct of verbal evolution.
I’m not out to be an evil skeptic and suck the joy out of the season (not intentionally, anyway). The idea for this article started with my wife and me, from a deep and meaningful conversation about Christmas. We had questions like, “why does Santa have to come down the chimney? Isn’t that dirty and uncomfortable and just a bit dangerous for him and the reindeer?” Or, “what’s this whole disgusting eggnog thing about, anyway? I hate that stuff.”
…Okay, maybe it wasn’t a deep conversation, but it was fun. I started researching various traditions of the Christmas season and the jolly, fat man behind it. Here is my examination of some of the more popular aspects of the Santa mythology and why we have certain Christmas traditions.
The origin of the word “Christmas”
“Christmas” is the word for the season (or at least it was the word until those pesky non-Catholics got involved). The word is just a combination of two words: “Christ” and “mass”. The “Christes maesse” was just the Old English religious celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Over time, the two words of “Christes maesse” merged into “Christmas”.
The origin of Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas
We’ve just covered the origin of Santa’s name, so no need to repeat that here. But Santa the person actually did exist. “Saint Nicholas of Myra” was born in Turkey in the city of Patara somewhere around 280 AD. From an early age he was a dedicated Christian, and some sources say he was a monk or a bishop. Though he gave away money and presents as an anonymous benefactor, word somehow got out, and people loved him for his overly generous nature.
The fourth-century Romans, for some reason, didn’t like this. They held him in contempt of the Empire, and Nicholas was jailed and tortured. Emperor Constantine later freed Nicholas. Nicholas then gave away all his wealth and traveled Europe, giving help to the needy.
Saint Nicholas’ feast day is also the day of his death, December 6.
In 1087 AD, a delegation of well-meaning Italian sailors broke in to Nicholas’ tomb and stole its contents. From this tomb they took relics and other goodies, and moved them to Bari, Italy. They are there today in a building called “Basilica di San Nicola”, or the “Basilica of Saint Nicholas”:
Yes, kids, how’s that for morbid: you can actually visit the reliquary and tomb of Santa Claus. Even today, it’s a very popular pilgrimage destination. Pilgrims think that the incense additive myrrh is magically secreted by Santa’s relics. Those who are anointed by this myrrh supposedly experience wondrous miracles of healing.
In 1822, Clement Moore published a poem called “A visit from Saint Nicholas”. The title was later changed to “A night before Christmas”, and the image of the modern-day Santa – chubby, bearded, and dressed in furs of red and white – was complete.
Why does Santa Claus climb down the chimney?
Originally, Saint Nicholas didn’t climb down the chimney, but this is where he threw his gifts. The gifts were originally not fragile, hand-made toys, but were instead cold, hard cash. Money.
In the areas where Saint Nicholas was popular – primarily Northern Europe and North America – it’s cold in the winter. Ice and snow are everywhere, and it’s dangerous or at least very uncomfortable to leave doors and windows open. Chimneys in Northern Europe appeared around the 12th century, and these were different than the skinny chimneys we have today. They were larger, wider, and often had a maintenance entrance at the top. The logic follows: if Santa can’t easily get in the doors or windows, the chimneys of the Middle Ages were a realistic option.
Why do we hang stockings above the fireplace?
This is explained by one of the most popular legends about Saint Nicholas: there once was a poor Dutch man who was father to three daughters. The man was so poor he was about to sell his daughters, where they would become slaves or prostitutes. Saint Nicholas was passing by the house and knew of the father’s problem. Wanting to remain anonymous, Nicholas threw money down the chimney. Some versions of the story say he threw three coins. Other versions say he threw three bags filled with coins. The father used this money as a dowry, and his daughters were married. Some versions of the story have the money fall down the chimney and land in the daughters stockings, which were hung by the fireplace to dry. Today, we hang our stockings by the chimney, in the hopes that Santa will give us the same types of gifts. Though every time I’ve checked my stocking, I’ve never found a bag of money. Maybe I should see what happens if I prostitute myself just before the holidays.
What’s the origin of the Christmas tree?
You might think that the purpose of a house is so you don’t have to live outside of it. The Christmas tree flips that rule on its head, as every year we invite foliage into our homes. The Christmas tree tradition originated in Germany, around the 16th century. Trees have often been a symbol of good luck. In Germany it was considered good luck to nail an evergreen tree to the highest point on a house. Inevitably, the tree was brought inside, and decorated. This good-luck tradition continued as Germans immigrated to America, and the modern Christmas tree was born. The tradition also got a push from Queen Victoria: her husband, the German native Prince Albert, brought the tradition to England. In 1848, Victoria’s family was featured in a publication called “Illustrated News”. This showed an etching of the royal family with their Christmas tree in Windsor castle. In part from this, the Christmas tree became very popular in England.
What is eggnog? Why is eggnog? What possible reason do we have for eggnog?
I’ll say it right now: I really don’t like eggnog. Maybe I’ve never had it prepared the “right” way, or maybe it’s just one of those flavors I’ll never appreciate.
Eggnog has experienced two major incarnations. One started in the 17th century with a special British ale called “nog”. It was made from beer and egg yolks, and was spiced with sugar, cinnamon and lemon rinds. The drink was perfected and named “eggnog” in 19th-century America, where Americans essentially took the same drink, but removed the beer and added stronger alcohol like rum and brandy.
I used to grow confused at the prevalence of eggnog around the holidays, as it seems to have no connection to any other tradition. But then I realized: alcohol is itself reason enough.
Mistletoe: the original pop-culture herbal remedy
Mistletoe has very ancient origins. It was thought to have magical healing properties, and could cure poisoning and infertility. Around 200 BC, Druid priests used mistletoe in celebrating the winter solstice. In addition to its magical properties, it was considered special because live mistletoe remains green through most of the winter season.
Now, the kissing. How does that work? And, more important, how can I make it work for me? To paraphrase a wonderful but long-canceled TV show, the concept is simple: You hang mistletoe over the door and women have to kiss you. What a gimmick.
The kissing-under-the-mistletoe tradition probably came from Scandinavia’s Norse mythology. Mistletoe was associated with Frigg, the Norse goddess of love, the wife of Odin and the mother of Thor. As the tradition goes, a girl stands under the mistletoe. A boy would then walk up, pick a berry from the plant and give the girl a kiss. When the berries are all picked, the kissing stops. Those who performed the smooching were said to receive good luck over the following year.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Every important Christmas tradition explained. Or, at least, I got the ones that were really bugging me. I like knowing about these, because I get insight into how our culture got where it is today. There’s nothing inherently wrong with tradition – it often exists for a good reason – but to confirm that, you need perspective on historical detail and modern usage. I hope this information helps clear up misconceptions. At the very least, you now have some thrilling verbal ammunition for your next eggnog-soaked party.
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