I see a lot of people ask about the Christmas traditions we recognize in modern society. Generally, they're pretty sarcastic, in a way that implies they don't really know the origin, so it seems like an arbitrary and ridiculous thing to them. Generally, it's something along the lines of "how did the birth of Jesus turn into a fat man flying around, dropping down chimneys and giving kids toys?"
The short answer: it didn't.
However, if I just left it at that, this wouldn't be much of an entry. So, I'll explain, and not just about Santa, but about a lot of the popular traditions we see.
The Winter Holidays
What better place to start than with the holiday itself? Why is Christmas in December, when scholars and churches alike agree that Jesus was not born in December (this source cites fall, I've seen others cite spring; the point, though, is that nothing suggests Jesus was born in December)?
The answer is easy, actually. That's when the Winter Solstice, also known as Yule (hence why "Yule" and "Yuletide" show up in some carols and greeting cards, not to mention the *ahem* Yule Log) is. December 20 or 21 (depending on year) is the longest night of the year. The pre-Christian Pagans celebrated this time of year because it meant that the days were going to get longer again as Spring returned.
Early Christians actually objected the celebrations of this time of year. The birth of Jesus wasn't supposed to be celebrated (the Bible actually teaches to celebrate his death, not his birth, for fairly obvious reasons). The Bible also taught the Jews and Christians to not be like the Pagans.
One of the Biblical quotes that is used that I've found while researching for this topic is the following:
"For the customs of the peoples are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest. the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are up-right as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne. because they cannot go" (Jer. 10:3, 4, 5).
There are even some churches now who object to the celebration of Christmas as we know it and instead teach that only that which is Christian (acknowledging the birth of Christ, being with family, love, etc) should be celebrated, if there's any celebration at all. I actually ran into a church about a year ago that taught that Christmas (and Easter) aren't Christian holidays, which is what got me started into learning the origins of the different traditions.
When you think about it, it makes sense that Yule was a major holiday. Winter can be depressing, especially when dealing with the cold, snowy winters of Medieval Europe and especially with the almost never-ending night of Scandinavia. It also makes sense that the holiday was celebrated with, you guessed it, lights (well, candles, but that's where you get not only Christmas lights, but those candle-shaped lights people put in their windows). The Pagans broke up the long, dark winters with a celebration of lights, lifting their spirits and renewing their hope for the coming Spring.
Christmas Trees and Garland
Christmas trees weren't originally cut down and brought inside. Instead, nuts, berries, and other treats were strung and placed on the living evergreens, giving the animals some food in a time of scarcity (hence why you often see popcorn garland in stories). They would also put up evergreen boughs and wreaths on their doors to ward away evil spirits and witches. The Druids would hang apples on Oak Trees.
The idea of cutting down trees and decorating them inside is actually a fairly new tradition that didn't catch on in the United States until the mid 19th century. Until that time, most people thought it odd, actually.
Evergreens were chosen because they were a reminder that the world is not dead in the winter. Its greenery stayed even through the cold months, which showed it was still living. Again, a reminder that, despite the harshness of winter, spring will come again.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe has its roots in both Celtic and Norse history. The Druids believed it to be sacred (especially when seen on Oak trees) and would hold special ceremonies and thank the gods when they found it. The Norse believed it to be a sign of peace. If opposing forces came across mistletoe in the battlefield, they laid down their arms in a truce until the next day.
Mistletoe itself is a rather unique Christmas symbol because it's the only one that people forget about outside of Christmas. It's also a parasitic plant, as well as having been regarded as a "cure-all" plant (it was even used at one point to try to cure cancer).
The idea of kissing under the mistletoe stems from the Norse myth of Baldur, the son of Frigga. When Baldur was born, Frigga made every plant and animal promise not to harm Baldur, but she overlooked the mistletoe. So, Loki (the trickster) tricked another god into killing Baldur with a spear made from mistletoe. This brought winter to the world. When the gods brought Baldur back to life, Frigga declared the mistletoe sacred and that it should no longer bring death, but love.
It's also said to be an aphrodesiac. :)
Santa Claus and Gift-Giving
Santa is a rather universal story. Much of western Europe has its story of a man who leaves gifts in children's shoes or on doorsteps at Yule.
The story of Santa as we know him is traced back to Dutch immigrants to America, with the story of Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas was a 4th Century Bishop named St. Nicholas who was well-known for his help with poor children. He was so renowned he actually had his own holiday -- December 6, the Celebration of Sinterklaas.
The idea of him riding a reindeer-driven sleigh and coming down chimneys is purely the work of Clement Clarke Moore in his famous story Twas the Night Before Christmas (though possibly stemming from the use of reindeer in Scandinavia and Northern Europe), but giving coal to the naughty kids and treats to the nice ones is derived from Sinterklaas.
The Birth of a God Figure
Sorry Christians, this one isn't unique to the religion, either, though it's probably one of the main reasons why the Christian holiday was put here.
Paganism, especially the British/Northern European Pagans (and others who have a similar God/Goddess cycle), is among the origins of a god being born (or in this case reborn). The British/Northern European Pagan tradition, the one Wicca is (at least loosely) based on, has a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of the God. The cycle as a whole represents the cycle of the seasons in the northern hemisphere. The God is born on Yule, marking the start of the cycle. He then courts the maiden Goddess in the spring and impregnates her in May (at the holiday of Ostara, the Spring Equinox), they then grow old (the Goddess going from maiden to mother to crone) and the God dies on Samhain (Halloween), and is then reborn again at Yule.
Other Pagan groups had myths about savior gods being born (sometimes to virgin mothers). The Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians were among the Pagan groups with a savior god whose birth was celebrated on...you guessed it...December 25.
Conclusion
So there you have it, folks. The reason why Santa is lumped into the same celebration as the birth of Jesus. If you think about it, Christmastime/Yule as we know it today is quite a conglomerate of traditions from all parts of Europe. If there's one holiday that celebrates today's society's rich cultural heritage, I think it's got to be Yule.
*Edited for accuracy
Guys..the author made an attemp....but in reality is darker than that...please do the reasearch...my grandma a devout catholic stopped celebrating after all the shocking crap i showed her
You're allowed to elaborate, you know. In fact, it's encouraged on this site.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
My church does not consider Christmas and Easter religious holidays... as there is no specific time told in the Bible, we do not celebrate them as though they are mentioned. And you're right, the death, not the birth, is what is to be celebrated. We do that EVERY single Sunday by taking communion (not wine, by the way, grape juice). People shouldn't just celebrate that one day out of the year.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/srhs-bandchic
^^^^ Take a peek ^^^^
Good job derailing the myth that this holiday is actually Christian. Much of Christianity is recycled old myths from the ancient religions.
Thank you, for informing us about everything. I really needed to know, since I'm from another country.
Thank you again
I have been on ProU for awhile now and I don't recall seeing your name.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
"The idea of him riding a reindeer-driven sleigh and coming down chimneys is purely the work of Clement Clarke Moore in his famous story Twas the Night Before Christmas (though possibly stemming from the use of reindeer in Scandinavia and Northern Europe), "
The idea of Santa Claus coming down the chimney stemms from Lapp Pagan tradition, where the shaman, who wore a red cloak, would have to delivery the sacred sacrement of the fly agaric mushroom to families in various Lapp communities during a time of year when Lapp homes were snowed in, only permitting entry through the chimney. This is still common today, as far as I know, with chimneys being built in such a fashion as to allow for the intended duel usage as chimney and Winter entrance/exit for the home when snowed in.Reindeer were used by the travelling shaman as a mode of transport in Lappland.
The sock over the fireplace tradition stems from Lapp Pagan tradition too. Hanging socks over the fire was a method of drying out the Fly Agaric mushroom. The mushrooms, which are the red and white variety Amanita Muscaria, would be hung in socks overnight by the fire to dry them and aid in the neutralization of the toxins within, while leaving the psychotropic chemicals undamaged.
The Fly Agaric mushroom is central to Lapp shamanic practice. It is often fed to reindeer also as a means of clearing the toxins through the Reindeer's kidneys, after which the urine of the deer is consumed. So, with this practice taken into account and the fact that the shaman would use reindeer to aid him in travelling from settlement, combined with the fact that Fly Agarics have potent psychedelic properties, it becomes easier to understand how the normal sleigh bearing reindeer may have made the transition to mythical flying ones.
_____________________________________________________________
I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
Wow, now I wish I had been good this year! :please:
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Ooh, thank you. The only reference I had found while writing this was the Twas The Night Before Christmas one, though I do remember reading about the Fly Agaric mushroom a few days ago in a book I had found -- Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide (which is fascinating, I might add).
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
You completely neglected Black Peter!
-acertainsaint-
Xo
Indeed I did. I think I did that because Santa is generally associated with giving coal to naughty kids.
But yes, Black Peter (Zwarte Piet) in the story of Sinterklaas was commonly depicted as the one who would chastise kids who were too naughty.
He was Santa's first helper, and from what I can tell, his character later became the elves.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
You were reading the children's legends about Black Peter, then. Black Peter would go around, sometimes depicted with Santa - sometimes he's on his own, and snatch kids who were deemed "naughty" and take them back to be tortured and disappeared.
He is also known as "Black Santa" and is how the "you'll get coal!" myth got started, if I'm not mistaken. He is the original "elf" and is propably the scariest thing ever (excusing clowns and heights) that has never had it's own movie. Black Peter is always neglected...
http://mymerrychristmas.com/2006/blackpeter.shtml
-acertainsaint-
You evidently missed the link I included, which describes in more detail the story.
The "Chastising" I was referring to actually ranges from coal to abduction (at least according to the link), and there's enough about him to almost be his own entry.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
Maybe that should be your next blog!
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
I have never heard of Black Peter. Thank you for sharing!
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Jesus was born in spring. I like to speculate that he was born in March and was a Pisces. I like to think that is why the symbol of the fish became so prominent in early Christianity.
Sorry, I think its fun to do the reverse of what Christians do. I like to find the similarities Christianity has with religions or mythologies that existed before it did.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
The simple fish symbol, the one with 2 arcs, became popular in very early Christian times, when they were being persecuted by Romans. It was a way to guide Christians to secret meeting places, so they could gather without being killed. A Christian could meet someone on the road, and draw an arc in the ground with his foot. If the other person completed the arc and made a fish, both knew they were in safe company. It was a safe symbol to use that was a little more subtle than a cross.
"What a crazy random happenstance!"
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so we are told. I have meditated on fish and realized that vegetarians who eat fish, as well as other humans who think that fish are primitive, underevolved animals are full of sheite. Fish do cry, and the only reason we humans are not cognizant of it is that they cry while surrounded by water.
The assumption that fish have no feelings is based on an ignorance of their environment. They do feel pain and they do cry, but their tears are absorbed by rivers and oceans. Humans are content to assume that fish are inferior and underevolved creatures. How arrogant of us!
What if our tears were instantly evaporated because solar heat became too magnified? Would we be so quick to dismiss our reflexes and responses? Would we cease to be human?
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
That's neat, I actually didn't know that. It makes sense, though.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
that the reason they chose a fish symbol was the recurrent theme of fish in Jesus' parables. Fisherman were some of his first disciples. One of the miracles he did was to bring fish and bread to his audience. He talked about his followers being fishers of men. Another miracle was telling his disciples to cast their not on the opposite side of the boat when they weren't catching fish, and then their nets were overflowing with fish.
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Or Jesus was a pirate. What do Pirates eat? Fish.
-acertainsaint-
Good observation. I never thought about that before.
Thank God for the Cosby Show~Me
It's interesting that Christmas traditions are largely derived from pagan ideas. I've heard that the Christmas tree is also supposed to be tied to the old pagan or Celtic tree of life.
Also, I've heard of two reasons why Christmas was arbitrarily assigned to December 25th. First is the reason you said- that Christmas is (or at some point became) a "festival of lights" for the middle of winter. Most religious traditions have festivals of light- such as Diwali in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, or Hanukkah in Judaism. It is no coincidence that all these holidays fall in the gloom of winter.
I've also heard that early Church leaders wanted to associate Christmas with pagan traditions in order to encourage more converts. So, Christmas was supposed to coincide with the pagan festival of Saturnalia (which was specifically associated with the Roman pantheon, the prevailing religious institution in the area and at the time of early Christianity).
I think you did a good job researching and writing this, however was your point just to share some interesting information or diminish Christmas as a Christian holiday?
You are right that Christmas traditions come largely from other pagan religions. Most importantly, Christmas replaced the Saturnalia, or festival to the god of all gods, Saturn. The Saturnalia was indeed one of the most extravagant and cherished Roman holidays (of their hundreds of holidays annually) and when young Church faced the impossible task of brining the religion to Rome, and hence to the Roman empire, Saturnalia was a large obstacle. With the help of God however, the Church seeded itself in Rome and with great steps under Christina emperor Constantine, the Church was ready to defeat the pagan hordes and establish Christ's light. The Church placed the celebration of Christ being born to bring light to the world again in the winter (as some others mentioned) and placed it at the time of Saturnalia to appease the many Romans who were not ready to give up their parties.
I personally view Christmas as both a celebration of the birth of God on earth and one of the greatest triumphs of the Church in planting and spreading the faith. Today, it has been tainted certainly but that is another problem.
Government has no other end, but the preservation of property. - John Locke
I wish I could remember where I read this but I will share anyway. I read that Christmas was created in order to convince people to convert to Christianity.
Might I suggest reading my original post and the comments that follow it? There are a number of places where I point this fact out.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
"With the help of God however, the Church seeded itself in Rome"
So it was God who helped out with all that torture, oppression and mass murder. Beautiful. Sounds like a real swell deity you've got yourself there. Nice job this God did helping the church to seed itself in the mouths and assholes of young children too. Personally I would have thought a bit of Godly strike-em-dead type intervention wouldn't have gone astray when he noticed priests sodomizing innocent and defenseless children, but who am I to question his mysterious ways. Damned children were probably asking for it, going around acting all sexy and stuff, needed to be humbled a bit no doubt. High five, church 1, sexy children 0.
Can't wait to see what God's gonna do to all those Godless bastards who are messing with his church's divine plan this time round. I mean, the temerity of calling his holy missionaries of christian kid-fiddlery to worldly justice, how dare they! Worse than the pagans this lot. I hope your God sticks the heathens good and proper for daring to present themselves as an obstacle in the way of the church's divine plan to move priests from parish to parish so they could avoid persecution at the hands of faithless heretics who live in perpetual darkness and can't seen the glorious light emanating from every aspect of the church's activities. Forgive them, and indeed forgive the angry, sexy children who testify against the most benevolent church in worldly heathen courtrooms, for they know not how lucky they are to have received such a holy sacrament as they did, sometimes multiple times, over the course of multiple years, from different priests.
"the Church was ready to defeat the pagan hordes and establish Christ's light."
Christ's light? I love it. What a charming euphemism for genocide. At least when Stalin, Mao et al commit genocide Atheists don't turn around and claim they were establishing Atheism's light, quite the opposite in fact. They point out the fact that they were trying to establish the 'light' of their particular brand of intolerant human ideology through the brutal slaughter of millions of people to forward their own fucked up human ideals and agendas. The most disgusting part is the fact that I have to admit that vicious bastards like Stalin and the boys were actually more honest than the church, in that they actually took responsibility for their blood thirsty megalomania and didn't try to pretend that some unprovable deity made them do it.
"I personally view Christmas as both a celebration of the birth of God on earth and one of the greatest triumphs of the Church in planting and spreading the faith."
That's because you personally had your critical faculties neutered as a child and will probably never recover. Something which I personally view as one of the church's greatest triumphs over you as a once potentially free thinking human being.
_____________________________________________________________
I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
Those are some powerful words. Interesting insight.
I think you might enjoy this: http://progressiveu.org/010704-parents#comment-290780
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Yeah, kind of inspired by the notion of God helping the church seed itself, which to me is no different to an Islamic nut-job dancing in the streets with joy, proclaiming how wonderful it was that God helped his buddies seed a suicide bomber in a cafe filled with innocent people trying to enjoy a latte, or a plane into the side of a building filled with people trying to get through a 9-5 without being burned alive. Praise be....
_____________________________________________________________
I am the people my mother warned me about.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tuffgong
TUFFGONG
Senior Executive Administrator™
First, a note because it kind of bugs me, but you might want to make sure you're replying to the correct thread. The location of your post shows that you're replying to another comment, but your text suggests you're replying to my blog entry.
Anywho, back on topic.
however was your point just to share some interesting information or diminish Christmas as a Christian holiday?
Both. The holidays have a rich history all their own. However, the vast majority of people have no idea that the holidays even existed before Christianity, when in fact most of the "Christian" holidays predate Christianity by centuries (I'll be posting more as the year goes on, keep an eye out for my upcoming Easter one) and were actually for centuries forbidden by Christians because of their blatantly Pagan meanings, and the Bible explicitly states to not do as the Pagans do.
Ironically, it's not Christianity that's ingrained into our society, but rather, Paganism.
Most importantly, Christmas replaced the Saturnalia, or festival to the god of all gods, Saturn.
Saturnalia wasn't the only midwinter festival that Christmas replaced, it just happened to be the one that the Hebrews and Romans were most familiar with. The Celtic Yule, and Germanic Jul/Jol (pronounced "yule") festivals were also prominent in their areas and were often some of the most important festivals of the year as they represented the lengthening of days and the coming of the sun.
And I hope that when you say "the god of all gods, Saturn," you mean the chief of the Roman pantheon.
With the help of God however, the Church seeded itself in Rome and with great steps under Christina emperor Constantine, the Church was ready to defeat the pagan hordes and establish Christ's light.
"Convert or die" tends to have that effect, especially when a political leader becomes a fervent member of a religion that includes "convert others" as a major tenet.
The Church placed the celebration of Christ being born to bring light to the world again in the winter (as some others mentioned) and placed it at the time of Saturnalia to appease the many Romans who were not ready to give up their parties.
Your choice of words in both this segment and the last one I quoted suggest to me that most of your information and/or view is quite skewed.
The festivals of the Pagans (regardless of location) were no more just "parties" any more than the Christian celebration of Jesus' resurrection or any other reason for them to celebrate. Converting any of the Pagans to Christianity wasn't just "giving up their parties," it was changing the very foundation of their way of life, and yes, such a way of life did include festivals to celebrate the gods.
The very fact that Christianity had to assimilate the very traditions the foundation of its religion explicitly prohibits should make it obvious that the conversion of most Pagans was involuntary.
I personally view Christmas as both a celebration of the birth of God on earth and one of the greatest triumphs of the Church in planting and spreading the faith. Today, it has been tainted certainly but that is another problem.
Christmas as a Christian holiday was never pure to begin with, especially the Christmas celebrated in December (Old Christmas is actually January 6), that's half my point.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I am just curious, do you celebrate Christmas?
"Consistency is not a human trait" - Maude, from Harold and Maude
Yes I do, actually. Nothing really extravagant, but Christmastime allows me to spend time with family. Each year, my husband and I got up to his parents' (most of his relatives live in one particular area) and we have dinner together and exchange gifts.
Overall, it probably means something different to me than it does to them (or even to my husband, for that matter), but I think we all share a common meaning -- spending time with family and setting aside differences for a while.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge