History of ChristnasEssay Preview: History of ChristnasReport this essayAn Ancient HolidayIn Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.
The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.
In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.
SaturnaliaIn Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia–a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture–was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command of the city. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.
Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often 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, Mithras birthday was the most sacred day of the year.
In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday.Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. 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. 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.
By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to todays Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the “lord of misrule” and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined “debt” to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.
An Outlaw ChristmasIn the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.
The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.
After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under Americas new constitution. Christmas wasnt declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.
Irving Reinvents ChristmasIt wasnt until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s peaked American interest in the holiday?
The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the citys first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.
In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irvings mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irvings fictitious celebrants enjoyed “ancient customs,” including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irvings book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended – in fact, many
n of his poems, or stories, are based on it, rather than on the holiday itself. Irvings’s Christmas stories, like his novel, are about people who’ve made their ways to America with family, a passion, money, and other possessions. As his family, he describes himself as a father-in-law, he lives the life of a father, being good and generous, but doing everything he can to help the children of those he considers family. (We’ll discuss further, below.) In short, Irvings felt like a son who wasn’t meant to learn, but just couldn’t. “I would say that most American kids are made up of families who don’t know how to run their own household,” Irvings once told a journalist, “and what I’m trying to do is to educate that kid who is really out of a job. And those kids that are taught to make money and to be the best they can be.” Yet, despite the importance of the children involved in a family, that isn’t the main theme of his new book. As one of many Americans who grew up in these traditions, I suspect Irvings is a more thoughtful person. He’s a father-in-law, he’s a friend of hers as well as most of his sons, he’s an avid reader and he has a lot of experience with literature.
Irvings
Irvings is a realist. He’s always wondered what the American psyche would look like had the holidays been as free to celebrate themselves as possible. “I don’t know, because the world won’t change about what the world would look like,” he admits. He likes what he saw: a society that rewards “innocent Americans and the poor,” a society that honors “the rich as people who are able to make their own money,” and a culture that encourages people to be creative and creative. For Irvings, the good ol’ days of America were “short-lived,” and that, as he saw them, has come to be part of American culture. Instead, after World War II, Irvings thinks Americans have become “an impotent race. We have our great cultural wars, and we’ll have our own cultural wars, because we’re all the same.”
The reason for his fascination with America’s culture is because of some innate American fear that its culture will take over our lives. He has seen the same cultural conflicts over the years that the Soviet Union had. By that point in the Cold War, Irvings was reminded of the horror of Soviet citizens being bombed, and how that caused a backlash that had nothing to do with America’s culture.