Surviving Christmas

Wassailing and caroling have little in common... I should state here, that even caroling in the 15th century was only somewhat similar to what it was just a few decades ago.

Early in Christmas history, a caroling group consisted of a leader, who did most of the singing, and a troop of dancers, who not only danced through the songs, but also provided the chorus.

Usually, these carolers were hired to perform at a feast or ball, and stayed in one place to entertain the guests.

Wassailing, on the other hand was only slightly closer to what I remember as caroling when I was a kid in the 70's, and has long been a popular tradition in Christmas history.

A group of us would get together (in my case it was my girl-scout troop), and practice for weeks. We'd sing carols and Christmas songs at each house along a selected route one evening before Christmas.

The last stop was always a nursing home, where we would sing our songs to the people who lived there - and instead of asking for drinks and food, we would hand out small baskets we'd made as gifts for them!

Wassailing, however, was carried out by a group of (usually) costumed singers. Nearly always, these were peasant-class people. Their song always asked for food, drink or money from the hosts whose homes they went to. They would continue on well into the night on Christmas eve.

This custom continued throughout Christmas history, but in the mid-nineteenth century, started to become violent...

With the social and class-system upheaval of the 19th and early 20th century, the wassailers would demand food, drinks and money from the wealthy citizens they targeted.

If they were refused, it became more and more common that threats and violence would meet that refusal.

It became dangerous in cities like New York, and sparked major social and political reform as well as a popular re-structuring of the Christmas holiday in the United States.

Today, wassailing has become more of a drinking party, rather than roaming around town demanding food, drink and money. However, in some instances, due to the desire to link back to days-gone-by, modern wassailing can include caroling before sitting down to a feast of mulled wine and cider, and a few Christmas cakes.

I guess through the blurred lines of Christmas history, caroling has become a children's activity - when it is done at all - and wassailing is now for adults only.

Many Blessings
GrannySue 

Pope Perpetuus proposed a time for pre-preparation for Christmas in 490. Today, we call this time Advent. He feared the increasing decadence of the celebrations beginning to swirl around the observance of Christ's birth. Advent is a much-celebrated part of Christmas history even now in many parts of the world.

Perpetuus suggested fasting on each Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Martinmas (November 11) until Christmas eve. These preparations were similar to the idea of Lent in the spring. Easter, at the time, was Christianity's biggest Holy Day, and he felt that Christmas should be honored in the same tradition.

Though it was not called such, the idea of Advent quickly spread throughout Europe, but crashed and burned when it came to Rome. There was no way that the newest converts to the religion were going to give up their feasting and other festivities - even if by now they had toned them down measurably.

Celebrations and Fasting Don't Mix
Fasting did not enjoy popularity for very long among the peasant populations, though at first it was quite well-received. There are several reasons for this.

Winter is the traditional time of butchering livestock and of hunting. By doing this at the first of the winter weather, livestock would not be competing for the meager food supply needed to feed the people until the next harvest.

Since meat does not keep well, doing the butchering in the cold weather would prolong the supply of protein by keeping the meat cold, if not frozen.

Hunting - where it was allowed - would take place at the same time so as to consolidate the butchering chores. So - this was about the only time of the year that the people had a large and ready supply of fresh meat.

The wines and beers which had been prepared from the harvest were finally ready to drink at about this time of year as well.

Given these circumstances, it is easy to see why the idea of fasting at Advent was unpopular among the masses. Thus, the idea of fasting was dropped. Though the idea was brought back several times over the centuries, it has never really caught on.

Since this time of year was traditional to celebrate the last of the harvest work. Pagan celebrations also continued in the countryside. Sooner or later, something had to give. Much of the early part of Christmas history has to do with the pastoral lifestyles of the people in the first centuries AD. As much as things tend to change, the more they change, the more they stay the same. In modern times, we enjoy a party much more than a fast as well -


The celebrations of Advent and Christmas that we recognize today came in part from the give-and-take required to convert the pagans to Christianity. Advent is only one of these compromises.

When one considers the idea of Advent, the first thought that comes to mind is the Advent Calendar. These calendars were invented in an effort to remind people of the meaning and story behind celebrating the birth of Christ. Each day could be opened, and inside was a gift or a picture depicting a progressing part of the story of Jesus' birth.

Another part of the celebration is the Advent Wreath. Traditionally 5 candles in a circle of greenery, many times with a Cross in the center. Once a week for the four weeks preceding Christmas, one of the candles in the ring was lit. Stories and games depicting a part of the Nativity story were told and played. On Christmas Eve, the candle in the center of the Cross was lit to signify the birth of the Savior.

Special foods are still eaten during Advent, more probably from ancient and historic local traditions than from any significance to the story of Christmas. However, these are a much-cherished part of the celebrations, and always add to the feelings of joy and peace that come from preparation for the Christmas holiday.

And - as you can see, we have been trying to "put Christ back into Christmas" throughout Christmas history!

Many Blessings
GrannySue 

Another major highlight in our Christmas history came in the 16th century, when Pope Gregory introduced his new calendar, and indirectly with it, the Renaissance Christmas. The reverberations are still felt today - especially when it comes to Christmas celebrations!

The Pope's new calendar was not widely accepted at first. The Eastern Orthodox churches, and the protestant church kept the old (Julian) calendar. Even today, the Greek Orthodox church celebrates Christmas 13 days after the 'official' Christmas - on January 6th (our Epiphany)!

The 17th century saw the first "Christkindlmarkts" (Christ Child Markets) in Germany. These markets centered around the Nativity which was set up in the middle of the market space. Around this, vendors of all sorts of Christmas wares would set up their tents and tables. These markets are still very popular today!

(For those who cannot get to Germany to see the spectacle of these wonderful markets, several major US cities have them, including Chicago!)

Also in 17th Century Christmas history... The Puritans arrived in New England in 1620. With them, they brought their very austere and strict religion. Puritans did not celebrate Christmas.

They saw the celebration as a vile pagan observance. Since a Renaissance Christmas meant dancing, feasting, gift-giving and other festive occupations, the Puritans began in earnest to pass laws against this pagan festival in the New World as well.

When Oliver Cromwell took the British throne in 1645, he had also outlawed Christmas celebrations in Britain. The Puritans vowed to remove the decadence from England.

In 1659 they succeeded in the New World, and in Boston, one found celebrating the Christmas holiday could be fined 5 shillings! Though by 1681 these laws were no longer strictly enforced, it was not until the 1850's that some places actually repealed these laws.

It was not this way everywhere in the Colonies, though... In Jamestown, Virginia, Captain John Smith recorded in his diary that Christmas passed without incident, and was enjoyed by all.

When Cromwell died in 1660, King Charles II was restored to the British throne, and with him came the celebration of Christmas, and the repeal of the ban.

However, popular opinion was not so quick to change. With the growing disparity between the classes, and the continuing popularity of the Puritan religion, the traditions of Renaissance Christmas celebrations would not return to the masses for another two centuries.

Many Blessings
GrannySue

Most Americans were finally beginning to embrace the idea of celebrating the Christmas holiday by 1851. It was, after all, an excuse to lavish gifts and attention on their children, without appearing to spoil them!

It was customary in those days to treat one's children as if they were merely small adults. This was the perfect family holiday!

New York made Victorian Christmas history when it opened its first Christmas tree market in 1851. It did not take long for the idea to spread, and before the end of the decade, several major cities boasted their own Christmas tree markets each year.

By 1860, 14 states had included Christmas in their list of official state holidays.

Macy's flagship store in New York City hosted the first ever in-store Santa in 1862. In 1864, they unveiled the first of their famous annual Christmas window displays. It was also the first in the country. Macy's is noted for being the first to start several traditions in Christmas history.

By the first year of the Civil War (1861), 31 of the then 36 states had declared Christmas to be an official holiday. Though these were sad years, Victorian Christmas history was made several times.

Retailers, of course, helped this along, with the first Christmas wish books, and magazine articles described once again the methods of making many useful and practical Christmas gifts.

People needed a respite from the ravages of a war which tore the fiber out of both sides, and a Victorian Christmas provided not only that respite, but also a perfect occasion for hosting fund-raisers for the armies.

After the Civil War, Victorian Christmas history begins its spiral into becoming a secular holiday, and major economic force in the United States.

Children's books were a vital force in bringing about the commercialization of Christmas. Beginning shortly after Thanksgiving (now an official Federal holiday), the children's books and magazines began to feature stories about Christmas, and pictures of decorated Christmas trees.

They told of presents being delivered by Santa, and even had simple crafts in them so that the children could make their own Christmas presents.


Women's magazines were not only becoming larger, but also more plentiful by the time the war ended. The "Cult of the Home" was being promoted heavily, and Christmas figured prominently into the idea of the Ideal Home.

It was the women's responsibility to make the home as perfect and inviting as possible, and to do this 'right' she must decorate and host lavishly at Christmas time!

Of course, just as today, we can blame the media for the commercialization of Christmas history!

Sunday schools even got into the promotion of Christmas. Of course, their primary focus was the Nativity of Christ and the Biblical stories surrounding his birth.

With even the sanction of the church, Congress had to act. In 1870, Christmas became a federally recognized holiday, and, of course, the politicians and their families were especially happy, because that meant that no longer would Congress be in session at Christmas!

Thomas Nast published his first cartoon of Santa in the year 1863, for Harper's Weekly. In 1881 his famous Santa caricature was published - also in Harper's. In 1890, he published "Thomas Nast's Christmas Drawings for the Human Race".

This German immigrant and political satirist/cartoonist probably did more than any other single human being to develop the Santa we all know and love to this very day!

The last major Victorian Christmas history milestone of the 19th century came, not from New York, but from Chicago. This was the first year that the Marshall Field flagship store on State Street hosted its annual Christmas window displays. Over the years, they became as well-known as those of Macy's, and equally as popular.

Many Blessings
GrannySue 

Well, let's see... Christmas history is a very broad subject... So, I guess we'll start with why December 25th was chosen as the date for Christmas in the first place!

In the very beginning, the Christian church didn't even celebrate the birth of Christ. Christmas history as such did not begin until late in the third century after the Crucifixion.

Nothing in writing has been found as to what possible Christmas observances were actually held, if any, during the first three hundred years of the church.

During the late second, and much of the third century after Christ's death, many prominent elders argued about the Nativity, and whether or not it should be observed. They argued about the date of the nativity, the method of observance, and just about everything else.

Some elders favored dates in spring, because of the references in the Bible to the shepherd's being in the fields with their flocks 'by night'. One Latin treatise written in 243 suggested March 21st, the date the church tells us that God created the Sun. April 18 and 19, as well as May 20 were favored dates by some.

Others favored the reputed date that the Three Kings arrived to honor the Christ Child at Bethlehem, which on today's calendar is January 6th - recognized as Epiphany. Christmas history was full of quarrels and dissension for quite some time.

It was in the year 273 that December 25th was finally chosen as the official date of the Nativity of Christ. So, Christmas history records this as the date of the Nativity of Christ.

Origen, an early church leader, feared a celebration, as he felt that Christ should not be honored in the same way as Pharaoh and Herod were.

Thus, December 25th was to be a solemn day of thanksgiving in the very early church. There were no gifts exchanged, no carols, no Christmas trees. It was a day of prayer and introspection. Since these early days of Christmas history, we seem to have lost the religious significance of the holiday.

There was also the problem of bringing the pagan populations to Christianity. They were not likely to give up some of their most favored holidays. Even those who were beginning to look upon the Christian church with more curiosity were not willing to give up the feasting and other celebrations they'd grown up with.

Well, the church back then identified Christ with the celestial sun. Most of the pagan celebrations were held at and around the time of the winter solstice on December 21. The pagan festivities were loud, boisterous, and featured many of the traditions we currently consider as Christmas traditions.

Christmas history would change them, of course, and give them new meanings, but they are still very much a part of our celebrations, even today!

Part of the church leadership felt that by choosing the December 25th date, Christians could honor their savior without worry of persecution or other problem from the pagan populations. At the same time, some of the others who were curious about Christianity might just make the leap of faith required to convert.

December 25, incidentally, was also the reputed date of birth of the god Mithras, whose cult flourished in Rome at the time.

Another Roman celebration, Natalis Solis Invicti (the birth of the invincible sun) was also celebrated on December 25.

And, this was also the middle of the festival of Saturnalia, in which gift-giving and feasting were prominent features, as well as the lighting of candles and the decoration of the home with evergreens.

And finally, after all, December 25th is exactly nine months after the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25th).

Gradually customs became increasingly mingled together... The first truly 'western' Christmas was celebrated in 336, once Constantine had declared Christianity to be the official religion of Rome.

By this time in Christmas history, lit candles and practical small gifts had become more acceptable to some Christians, though by no means were a major part of the occasion of observing Christ's birth.

Many Blessings
GrannySue