Merry Christmas!
Santa makes his way around the world tonight, but the shoeboxes An Enchanted Letter (TM) sent to Samaritan's Purse's "Operation Christmas Child" campaign have landed--in Lebanon and Botswana! How cool is that? I just found out from Samaritan's Purse, and wanted to post an update--and a great big THANK YOU to everyone who has ordered from An Enchanted Letter (TM) this year. A portion of profits go to Christmas presents and for gift-filled shoeboxes for needy kids around the world, and I am so grateful for your support.
The holidays are always tough for me, since losing my dad quite a few years ago, so playing "Santa's elf" I think is what gets me through. I get so much joy from shopping for these kids, all year-long. I love to shop! (The only thing I enjoy more than shopping is finding a bargain! Can you say "Sale?") And I love to write, so writing the letters is truly a labor of love. I can't think of a better way to "get through" the holidays.
And what better way to spend Christmas Eve than tracking Santa's journey? Check out the Official Norad Santa Tracker at www.noradsanta.org. Follow Santa around the world as he travels on his magic sleigh delivering goodies!
Have a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
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
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
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Hanukkah!
This year Hanukkah runs from December 11th-December 19th.
More than 2000 years ago, Israel was annexed by Antiochus, the king of Syria, to the Syrian-Greek empire. At first, life wasn't so bad under Antiochus, but things got worse when his son Seleucus IV took over.
Compounding the problem was the growing rift within the Jewish population: the influence of the Hellenists (people who accepted idol-worship and the Syrian way of life) was increasing, leading to two factions.
When Seleucus was killed, his brother Antiochus IV--a tyrant--assumed the throne. In an attempt to unify his kingdom through a common religion and culture, Antiochus suppressed the Jewish Laws. He removed the righteous High Priest, Yochanan, from the Temple in Jerusalem, and replaced him with Yochanan’s brother Joshua, who called himself by the Greek name of Jason. Joshua/Jason, a member of the Hellenist party, used his high office to spread more and more of the Greek customs among the priesthood. He was replaced by Menelaus.
Antiochus was away at war in Egypt when a rumor spread he was dead, prompting a rebellion against Menelaus, who fled. Upon his return, Antiochus set his army on the Jewish people, and enacted a series of harsh decrees against the Jews. Jewish worship was forbidden; the scrolls of the Law were confiscated and burned.
A group of rebels--called the Maccabees--grew. They set out to destroy the pagan temples and eventually defeated the Syrians. Antiochus realized he must send a powerful army to defeat Judah and his brave fighting men. But still, the Maccabees were victorious.
After they won the war, the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to liberate it. They entered the Temple and cleared it of the idols placed there by the Syrians. Judah and his followers built a new altar. Since the golden Menorah had been stolen by the Syrians, the Maccabees now made one of cheaper metal. They found only enough oil to light it for one day. But by a miracle of G-d, it continued to burn for eight days, until new oil was made available. That miracle proved that G-d had again taken His people under His protection.
In honor of this miracle Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days.
Every night the menorah is lit: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Hanukkah, when all eight lights are kindled.
Happy Hanukkah!
Links:
Hanukkah/Chanukah
Hanukkah in a Nutshell
The Story of Chanukah
Hanukkah for Kids--Traditions, Crafts, more
Hanukkah for Kids Links--list of kid-friendly sites
Billy Bear's Hanukkah for Kids -- activities and crafts
All About Hanukkah from Kaboose
Hanukkah clipart at An Enchanted Letter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
