I love Christmas. I'm one of those people who doesn't mind that Christmas decorations have been up in the mall for weeks already and who has had Christmas carols playing as soon as I could get away with it. I WILL put up a Christmas tree and see no reason to wait for December 1st, to begin revelling in the season. I love the lights, the songs, the eggnogg, the laughter, the traditions, the time with family, and, most of all, that each day of it is a reminder of the best gift of all, a child born in Bethlehem.
Now that it is December, my goal is to take a walk through the Christmas season and intentionally think through the things that we do, remembering that the focus is not commercialism but Christ.
Today, I found an article from Radiant Magazine that I wanted to share. It explains some of the origins of some of the things we do...
The Season of Superstitions
By Cara Davis
Now that local radio stations have started to play non-stop Christmas songs, do you ever wonder how some of our seasonal songs came to be? Or what “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” has to do with the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? What many don’t realize is the same question could be asked of Christmas itself. What does Christmas have to do with the birth of Jesus? Strangely, almost very little. If you trace the history of Christmas, you’ll find that this cultural celebration is filled with just as much superstition and folklore as Halloween! Hold on to your cider, here are some top Christmas myths and superstitions.
When Christmas Isn’t Christmas
During the first three centuries after Jesus’ birth, Christmas wasn’t in December. It wasn’t even on the calendar at all! ChristianityToday.com reports that the birth of Jesus was originally celebrated along with Epiphany, one of the earliest established feasts. However, many church leaders opposed the idea of a birthday celebration at all because the culture celebrated birthdays of pagan gods and rulers like Pharaoh and Herod.It was only after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the empire’s favored religion that Christmas was celebrated on Dec. 25, in the year 336. That date also played host to two festivals surrounding the worship of the sun, including the winter solstice.The winter solstice was seen as an especially evil time, so as centuries passed, people would gather in one another’s homes for protection, according to Snopes.com. Folklore and superstition would develop over the years, as people would participate in a number of charms and rituals thought to ward away evil spirits.
Decorating Against Witches
Holly and mistletoe were brought into homes, thought to protect against witches and lightning. Mistletoe was also thought to be a cure for poison, epilepsy, barrenness and whopping cough. Ivy was considered back luck inside the house, but good luck growing outside of the house as protection. Evergreens brought from the church were especially lucky. Some would keep them up in the house year-round.
Eat, Drink and Stay Single!
If pudding was being made for Christmas dinner, each member of the household was to stir the mixture three times to ensure the prosperity of the family. If an unmarried girl didn’t take her turn stirring, she could forget about finding a husband in the coming year.
Good Ol’ St. Nick
Stockings were hung over the fireplace in remembrance of St. Nicholas, who by legend tossed gold coins down the chimney of three unmarried women, who were being courted but had no dowries. The coins (which miraculously fell into stockings hung by the chimney) supplied the dowry and secured their right to marry.Another “miracle” was attributed St. Nicholas when, by oral tradition, he saved his hometown of Myra from starvation by seizing grain off a ship. The stolen cargo was never reported missing, so it was counted as miraculous. St. Nicholas died on December 6, 345 or 352, according to ChristianityToday.com.As tradition was passed down, the Feast of St. Nicholas was established on Dec. 6, until church reformers banned the feast in favor of an alternate celebration of the Christ child, or Christkindlein, who reportedly brought gifts to children on Christmas Eve, much like St. Nicholas. This character eventually developed into “Kriss Kringle,” who is identified as the mythical Nicholas figure as well.
Christmas = Xmas?
So what about the word "Christmas" itself? Many are offended when the word is abbreviated as “Xmas,” but that term is neither modern nor disrespectful, according to Snopes.com. The origin of the first letter of the Greek word for “Christ” is “chi.” The Greek letter is represented by a symbol similar to the letter “X.” The abbreviation was not used to take the “Christ” out of “Christmas.” However, many still prefer not to use it.
And Finally, A Pop Quiz!
These are just a few of the superstitions and folklore that surround what has become a secular, commercial celebration. Take the time to read the Bible’s Christmas story (Matthew 1-2) this season. You get extra credit if you identify this statement as true or false: The Bible says three wise men traveled from afar on camels to visit the infant Jesus as He lay in the manger.
Cara Davis, editor of Radiant, is celebrating the reason for the season in warm and sunny Florida, where it doesn’t feel like Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment