As Christian festivals were substituted for pagan ones, the winter solstice festivities of light and rebirth seemed a natural time to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Through the centuries, folk customs celebrating the coming of longer days were combined with church observances celebrating the “Sun of Righteousness.” Christmas today is the sum of customs observed for so long that their origins may have been forgotten.
The Roman tradition of giving New Year’s gifts continued well into the Middle Ages, but in the 12th century, the tradition of giving gifts for Christmas began, inspired by the account of the wise men, who brought gifts to the Christ Child.
In English Commonwealth countries, Boxing Day is the first weekday following Christmas. The name comes from the boxed presents given to servants and other helpful folks like the postman and trash collector.
In Sweden, children have their gifts and tree on Christmas Eve. Sometimes gifts are thrown in the front door by mysterious donors who quickly run away.
In Norway, gifts may be hidden away in different parts of the house for the children to find. In both Norway and Sweden, sheaves of grain are put out on rooftops or hung on poles, so that the birds may also enjoy a Christmas dinner.
The custom of decorating the tree comes from Germany. Although trees may have been part of a pagan festival, many people believe it was Martin Luther who thought of decorating the first Christmas tree.
In Italy, a little old woman named La Befana is believed to come and leave delightful gifts in the stockings of good children while she leaves birch rods or charcoal ashes for those who are bad.
In Holland and Belgium, St. Nicholas, dressed in magnificent robes, comes riding on a horse and inquires about the behavior of the children. Children with good reports find their shoes full of gifts in the morning; while naughty children find birch rods.
The American Santa Claus was adopted from the Dutch Saint Nicholas when they settled in New Amsterdam. Most of the Santa legend, such as his climb down the chimney and his red suit, are of Dutch origin. His reindeer and the North Pole, however, come from Scandinavia.
It is always fun to discover the ways that families find to build their own traditions. This week I was privileged to participate in a family tradition of the Hunt family in Ogden Utah. For the past 36 years at their home on Christmas Eve they have been sharing a special Nativity program with their own live animals.
People from the community would come and enjoy this generous Christmas tradition. This year the community invited them to do it at the Fairgrounds for four nights. Each night over 650 people gather to share a special tradition that has grown to be a memorable event in this community.
December is a very exciting time to enjoy the rich traditions that have been passed down for Centuries. Happy Holidays!
