Twelve Days of Christmas

For our holiday facts today I thought it might be fun to learn a bit about the traditional 12 Days of Christmas since they are the inspiration for this event. So here we go!

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide and Twelvetide. The Twelfth Night of Christmas is always on the evening of 5 January, but the Twelfth Day can either precede or follow the Twelfth Night according to which Christian tradition is followed. Twelfth Night is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions, the first day of Epiphany (6 January) and the twelfth day of Christmas overlap.

Over the centuries, differing churches and sects of Christianity have changed the actual traditions, time frame and their interpretations. St. Stephen’s Day (or Boxing Day), for example, is 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Boxing Day, the first weekday after Christmas, is observed as a legal holiday in parts of the Commonwealth of Nations; Boxing Day was traditionally marked by the giving of Christmas boxes to service workers (such as postal workers and trades people) in the United Kingdom. 28 December is Childermas or the Feast of the Innocents. Currently, the twelve days and nights are celebrated in widely varying ways around the world. For example, some give gifts only on Christmas Day, some only on Twelfth Night, and some each of the twelve nights.

With the onset of more Americanized and secular traditions over the past two centuries (such as the American “Santa Claus”), the rise in popularity of Christmas Eve itself as a holiday, and of New Year’s Eve parties, the traditions of the Twelve Days of Christmas have been largely forgotten in the U.S. This is also heightened by the commercial practice to have after-Christmas sales begin on 26 December and run usually until New Year’s Eve. Indeed, contemporary marketing and media tend to espouse the (erroneous) belief that the Twelve Days end on Christmas and thus begin 14 December. (Source: Wikipedia)

Holiday of Lights – Hanukkah

Today I thought we could touch on a non-Christmas Holiday Tradition. So, let’s talk about the Holiday of Lights – Hanukkah. I have always heard of Hanukkah but really know nothing about it. I thought this was a great opportunity to learn a little something about another religion and culture.

Significance of Hanukkah

According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is one of the less important Jewish holidays. However, Hanukkah has become much more popular in modern practice because of its proximity to Christmas. Hanukkah falls on the twenty-fifth day of the Jewish month of Kislev. Since the Jewish calendar is lunar based, every year the first day of Hanukkah falls on a different day – usually sometime between late November and late December. Because many Jews live in predominately Christian societies, over time Hanukkah has become much more festive and Christmas-like. Jewish children receive gifts for Hanukkah – often one gift for each of the eight nights of the holiday. Many parents hope that by making Hanukkah extra special their children won’t feel left out of all the Christmas festivities going on around them.

Lighting the hanukkiyah (menorah)

The hanukkiyah is used during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and commemorates the miracle of the oil. According to the Hanukkah story, once Jewish revolutionaries had retaken the Temple from the Syrians they wanted to rededicate it to God and restore its ritual purity. Eight days worth of oil were needed to complete the ritual purification, but they were only able to find one day’s worth of oil. They lit the menorah anyway and miraculously the oil lasted for eight full days. In commemoration of this event Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and a candle is lit on the hanukkiyah on each of those days. One candle is lit the first night, two the second, and so on, until the final night when all the candles are lit. Each of the eight candles is lit with a “helper” candle known as the shamash. The shamash is lit first, is used to light the other candles, and then is returned to the ninth candle spot, which is set apart from the others.

Spinning the dreidel
A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. It is used during Hanukkah to play a popular children’s game that involves spinning the dreidel and betting on which Hebrew letter will be showing when the dreidel stops spinning. Children usually play for a pot of gelt, which are chocolate coins covered in gold colored tin foil, but they can also play for candy, nuts, raisins – anything really! A game similar to the dreidel game was popular during the rule of Antiochus. During this period Jews were not free to openly practice their religion, so when they gathered to study Torah they would bring a top with them. If soldiers appeared, they would quickly hide what they were studying and pretend to be playing a gambling game with the top.

Eating fried foods

Because Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of oil, it is traditional to eat fried foods such as latkes and sufganiyot during the holiday. Latkes are pancakes made out of potatoes and onions, which are fried in oil and then served with applesauce. Sufganiyot are jelly-filled donuts that are fried and sometimes dusted with confectioners’ sugar before eating.

Credits: About.com

Santa Claus

Today were going to take a look at Santas around the world in honor of Nikolaustag, or St. Nick’s Day!

Santa Claus is derived from Sinterklaas (Dutch), or St. Nicholas, who was a Greek Bishop of Myra (modern day Turkey) in the 4th Century AD. He gained a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as leaving coins in the shoes people left out for him, and became the model for Santa Claus. December 6th is his name-day and therefore the day celebrating him in many European Countries. In Germany, for example, he visits the evening of Dec. 5th and leaves gifts to be found on the morning of Dec. 6th (as long as you leave out your shoes!) As a bishop, he wore a Bishop’s Hat, golden Robes and had a white beard.

So how did Sinterklaas become Santa Claus? Word has it, the tradition of Sinterklaas was reinvited by a former Dutch colonial town who wanted a symbol of the city’s non-English past. In 1810, John Pintard published a pamphlet with illustrations where he calls for Saint Nicholas to be made the patron Saint of New York and to start a Sinterklaas tradition. His pamphlet included an old Dutch Sinterklaas poem in which Sinterklaas was referred to as “Sancta Claus”. Two years later, John Irving wrote his famous poem: The Night Before Christmas: where Santa Claus was first born as a red-suited, rosy-cheeked, Jolly old elf! Ultimately, Pintard’s initiative helped morph Sinterklaas into Santa Claus, but freed of his Bishop’s Robes. Source: Wikipedia

Sinterklaa visits children in the Netherlands, de Kerstman or le Père Noël comes bearing gifts for children in Belgium on Christmas day, Tomte comes to Scandanavian households, Papai Noel is known in Brazil, Mikulás comes to Hungarian Children, Croatian children expect a visit from Sveti_Nikola, Kleeschen comes to children in Luxembourg, in Slovenia, Miklavž comes with an angel and a devil (Krampus), Italy boasts Babbo Natale & La Befana & in Russia Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) comes visiting!

Feliz Navidad!

Today we travel to Mexico to learn about Las Posadas they’ll be celebrating Las Posadas for nine days! Unofficially, the holidays in Mexico begin with the saint’s day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, but decorations can appear any time after the Day of the Dead on November 2.

Starting on December16, the posadas start. Every evening until the 24th, Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem is reenacted. These are a novenario, or nine days of religious observance and are based on the nine months that Mary carried Jesus. The word posada means ‘lodging’ in Spanish:
“Traditionally, a party is held each night in a neighborhood home. At dusk, guests gather outside the house with children dressed as shepherds, angels and sometimes, Mary andJoseph. An angel leads the procession, followed by Mary and Joseph or by guestscarrying their images. The adults follow, carrying lighted candles. The“pilgrims” sing a song asking for shelter, and the hosts sing a reply, finallyopening the doors to the guests and offering hot ponche, fried rosette cookiesknown as buñuelos, steaming hot tamales and other festive foods.” –source mexconnect

In the U.S., the Posada is usually celebrated on one night only, but as in Mexico, ends with a piñata in the shape of the Christmas star!

In both counties, the procession marches to the different houses in the neighborhood and is turned down at each one until they reach the site of the night’s party where they are finally welcomed inside, and the party can start!

In Mexico, the last posada, on December24, is followed by a midnight mass.

History of Festive Decorations

There aren’t too many homes that escape the plethora of decorations used at this time of year and indeed much of the excitement of the season is thanks, in part, to the degree of decoration we create and see around us and the feelings it arouses in us. The history of the different decorations is as varied as the decorations themselves. Holly & mistletoe were significant to the Druids long before Christmas festivities were started.

The Christian faith incorporated these items, claiming that the sharp holly leaves symbolized the crown of thorns Christ wore and the red berries drops of his blood, and the white mistletoe berries symbolized the purity of the Virgin Mary. The Yule Log probably dates back to the Celts bringing a large log indoors to burn for warmth and later it was believed toward of the devil. The chocolate table top variety is a modern 19th century invention!

Nativity scenes are accredited to St. Francis of Assisi in1223 who wished to recreate the scene after his visit to the Holy Land. Tree decorations consisting of glass baubles and tinsel shards developed in Germany,with candles and later electric lights adding to the décor. Christmas crackers were apparently invented by Tom Smith, a baker in London in 1847, who filled his early attempts with sweets. Christmas cards are another Victorian invention and the concept to spread seasonal goodwill caught on quickly, no doubt aided and abetted by the postal systems in various countries.

Sources: h2g2. History.uk, Christmas Archives, Wikipedia

History of Festive Music

Music has played an important role in most religions throughout time, with chanting, mostly in Latin taking the earliest form in the Christian church. Carols as we know them now, written in the venacular, became popular from the 13th century first in Italy, then Germany & England. In 1426 an English priest, John Audelay, listed 25 “caroles of Cristemas” which were probably performed by wassailers, who went from door to door.

The tradition of carol singing for charity began in Britian during the 17th century. In Britain today, very few wassailers are seen and heard, but we still get the large scale charity arrangements including our local rotary club arriving on the back of the horse drawn brewery cart, complete with brass band, choir & amplification – Victoriana at its finest, 21st century style. Somewhat surprisingly, and despite the long heritage and tradition of carols, most carols we sing today date back no further than the 19th century.

Since the mid 20th century pop Christmas songs have come to the fore, thanks in a large part to “Christmas creep” starting earlier & earlier in malls and on radio shows the world over. These are not generally religious but are often infuriatingly catchy and we all have our favourites.

With thanks to Wikipedia

Christmas Trees

Today were going to talk about CHRISTMAS TREES! Why do we have them? Where did the tradition start? Well, let’s find out!

The tradition of Christmas trees has ancient origins which date back long before the first Christmas. Many ancient cultures treasured and worshiped evergreen plants and decorated their homes with them at the time of the winter solstice. Evergreens were considered a symbol of eternal life or the triumph of life over death. It is from these early traditions that our modern Christmas tree evolved.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. Legend has it that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles. The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio. After the war in 1776, many Germans stayed in the United States, introduced the Christmas tree, and shared their traditions. The size of the tree was limited to 8 feet, and decorations consisted of dolls, as well as sugar items. In the early 19th century, the custom became popular among the nobility and spread to royal courts in Russia, Austria, France, Denmark and Britain.

The American Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly universal.

The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.

(Sources: History.com, Wikipedia, AllAboutHistory.org, Christmas-Tree.com)

So now you know all about the history of Christmas trees :)