Christmas Day
Christmas is just around the corner and do we know how the customs of Christmas came about? This used rare old Ladybird book series 644 explains it in a simple way. it describes how the early humans worship the sun and it’s interesting how it evolved from there until the birth and death of Jesus.
Every year in December, we celebrate Christmas which is the birthday of Jesus Christ and Christians go to church to celebrate it at ‘Mass’ and for Christ. That is why it is called Christmas.
During this festive mood, we send cards, give presents and eat and drink good food. We watch and take part in Nativity Plays and Carol Services. Churches, some buildings and homes are all gaily decorated with paper decorations, colourful electric lights and christmas trees.
Isn’t it interesting how all these came about and why holly is hung instead of privet leaves and other origin of Christmas? This little Ladybird book will explain it.
Before Jesus was born, the twenty-fifth of December was the shortest day of the year. on that day, the primitive people worshipped the sun and had other special services where they prayed to the sun for another summer.
When the Roman calendar came in use which is what we use today, the shortest day falls on the twenty-first of December and the sun festivals were still practiced after the birth of Jesus. the Christians knew that God made the sun and so they decided to worship the ‘Son of God ‘on this day.
The early Christians often took part in them, for although they did not believe in a sun god, they wanted to have fun and joy and some had animals sacrificed. However, this did not please the Pope during that time.
In the year 601 AD, Pope Gregory ordered the early Christians to ‘no longer offer beasts to devils, but to worship God by feasting’. So, as more and more people converted to Christianity, they thought more of Jesus rather than of the sun at festival times. But this change of thinking took some time.
The Romans adopted Christianity during the fourth century and they started to celebrate the birth of Christ with great processions to church on Christmas morning. the first Christmas of England was in 521 AD, when King Arthur went to York Minster to remember Christ’s birthday, after his battle win against the Danes.
Did you know that in the middle ages, when there was no king in England, the Puritan Parliament made laws so that Christmas was celebrated as a solemn time rather than one of joy and laughter? Fun and feasting were forbidden as the Puritans said that such merrymaking was associated with pagan sun worship rather than Christ’s birthday.
The joy of Christmas spirit only came back when Charles II became king and allowed the old traditions again. the Scots disapproved of these old traditions by Charles II and kept to the Puritan ways. It’s stated in this Ladybird book that Christmas in Scotland is not the festival that is in England. I am abit cautious here as I have never been to Scotland at all and have to give the benefit of the doubt in the statement. I am sure in modern times, the attitudes have changed. Could someone please shed some light here?
Christmas Customs
Lights at Christmas
When the pagans worshipped the sun, they built fires which they thought would give the sun god strength to come back to life again to bring the light and heat of summer. So before Jesus was born, fire played an important part in worship.
Also, before the birth of Jesus, the Jews had a festival of lights in which candles were burnt. This festival was to remember the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple , and was a reminder that truth was to be heard again in the Temple.
Light has always played an important role in the church and candles are always lit at the altar during the service. Christians have used the flame of the candle as a sign of the truth of Jesus.
Martin Luther was the first to put candles on a Christmas tree to shine like the stars in Bethlehem on the night of Christ’s birth. it is dangerous now to do so as Christmas decorations on the tree, so we use coloured electric lights instead.
The Crib and Carols
The putting-up of the crib is a Christmas custom which came from Italy, even before Jesus was born. During the early Roman winter festivals, clay dolls were given as presents and when Christianity came, dolls were made to look like Mary, Jesus, Joseph and other figures of the Nativity story for the crib.
Christmas is full of joy and happiness and what better way to spread it than by carolling. the word ‘carol’ comes from the French ‘carole‘, which was a dance and in old England, this word meant a dance used to celebrate the shortest day of the year.
About a hundred years after the death of Jesus, Christmas hymns were not popular because they were sung in Latin and only the priests could sing, read and understand them.
The first carols to be sung in the language of the ordinary people was at St Francis’s Crib at Graecia. the actors at Graecia composed carols to sing with the play and after the service, the singers strolled home singing, and so street carolling began.
Holly
The holly wreath is commonly seen fastened to a door or window during the Christmas season. This is an old American custom. the British saw this custom when Americans were living in England and liked the idea and copied it.
The meaning of the holly tree is known as the ‘Christ-thorn’ in Norway and Sweden and its Danish name is ‘Kristdorn’. it seems likely that the English word ‘holly’ may have come from the word ‘holy’.
There is alot of symbolic meaning of the ‘holy’ tree as it reminds us of the death of Jesus. the prickly leaves are like the thorns used in the Crown of Thorns around Christ’s head on Good Friday. the red berries to remind us of the drops of blood when the thorns pierced his flesh.
The Christmas Tree
The custom of the Christmas tree is from an old German legend on how the Spruce Fir became the first Christmas tree.
In the eighth century there was a very holy man was sent from England to Germany to preach about Jesus. his name was St. Boniface. One frosty night in December, while he was walking in the woods, he came across a group of people worshipping a pagan god. This was the night when they were offering a human sacrifice of a little boy beneath an oak tree. just as they were about to sacrifice the little boy, the Saint rescued him. St. Boniface felled the great oak and when it fell, it left behind a little fir tree that had been growing between its roots.
The Saint looked at this group of people and said, “From this night, that little tree shall be your holy emblem. it is a wood of peace, for your houses are built on it. it is a sign of eternal life, for its leaves are evergreen. it points to Heaven, and shall henceforth be called the tree of the Christ-Child.”
Santa Claus
Do you know how Santa Claus came about? in this Ladybird book it states that it was an American who first drew Santa Claus that we still see today in our illustrations at Christmas time. he was a cartoonist called Thomas Nast, and it was first published in the a paper, the Harper’s Weekly, in the years 1863 to 1866 AD. Interesting isn’t it?
In North America, the children of European settlers were left gifts by someone who was as kind as St. Nicholas. he was called Santa Claus. the children believed that Santa Claus had to travel from the North Pole over much snow, and used a sledge and reindeer. since laced leather shoes could not be filled with presents easily, the American children hung up stockings instead. From here it grew to Santa Claus giving presents to children all over the world, and not just to American children.
Conclusion
I have only put in the main customs celebrated at Christmas but this rare Ladybird book has covered on practically everything from mistletoe, gifts, Christmas cards, the food etc. I cannot put everything into my blog. It’s just very enlightening to note that all the customs came from all over the world. Christianity was celebrated in different cultures and the customs that were popular went all over the world like fire.
This vintage, rare Ladybird book will be a joy to add to your collection. it is not easy to find but perseverance pays off! Browse through my website at bookwhispers.com for more updates of out-of-print and rare books.
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