Christmas History and Traditions

When we think of Christmas today we think of Santa and Christmas trees hung with tinsel and ornaments and fruitcakes, but "Christmas" and many of its traditions were celebrated around the world, long before the birth of Christ.

Christmas as we know it grew out of both winter solstice and New Year celebrations.

For example, the Mesopotamians believed in many gods, their chief god being Marduk, whom they believed, as winter arrived each year, would do battle with the monsters of chaos. To assist him, they held a New Year's festival called Zagmuk, which lasted for 12 days. The Persians and the Babylonians celebrated a similar festival called the Sacaea.

The early Europeans, who believed in ghosts and evil spirits, feared as the winter solstice approached--bringing long dark nights and short days--that the sun would not return. So, they devised special rituals and celebrations to welcome back the sun. This was also a good time of the year for a feast because around this time they had a fresh supply of meat, and the wine and beer made throughout the year had fermented and was ready to drink.

In Germany, the god Oden, according to superstition, made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe the people, to decide who would prosper and who wouldn't.

The Scandinavians held a festival called Yuletide, with a special feast served around a fire burning with the Yule log. This feast lasted until the log burned out, often as long as 12 days. They also lit bonfires to celebrate the return of the sun. In some areas people would tie apples to branches of trees to remind themselves that spring and summer would return.

The ancient Greeks held a festival similar to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals to assist their god Kronos who would battle the god Zeus and his Titans.

The Romans celebrated their god Saturn with a festival called Saturnalia. Saturnalia lasted from the middle of December to January 1st, and included masquerades in the streets, feasting, visiting friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits). They decked their halls with garlands of laurel and green trees lit with candles.

The Romans also celebrated Juvenalia in December, a feast honoring the children of Rome. They also celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

At first, the birth of Christ was not celebrated, perhaps because the day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpointed. It has even been suggested Christ may have been born in the spring.

Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance of Christmas, in an attempt to fold in the popular pagan traditions with the Christian. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the eighth century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia.

By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. After church, the poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink, a tradition that arose out of the ancient custom of slaves and masters changing places for the December holidays. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining the less fortunate.

Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after the 25th, which is also referred to as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day it is believed that the three wise men finally found Jesus in the manger.

And so it is today we go caroling and light the yule logs in the fireplace--or watch the yule log on TV :) We decorate the Christmas tree with lights and ornaments, give presents, eat, and look forward to what the new year will bring.

So you see, there's no need to cram everything into a single day. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all the holiday season has to offer. Spread the joy and fun over a week or two. Personally, I think Christmas should last all year-long. Or at least till Epiphany. Okay, maybe till Easter :)

Happy Holidays!


Links:

The History of Christmas

Christmas History from the History Channel

Christmas crafts for kids

More Christmas crafts for kids

Last-minute homemade gifts

Christmas recipes, coloring pages, more

Last-minute kid-friendly recipes for the holidays