Christmas is the festival of the birth of Jesus Christ.  The gospels do not indicate the date or even the precise year of His birth, but the Church chose December 25th as the day of celebration because that was originally the date of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere.  The winter solstice, which through changes in the calendar now occurs on December 22nd, marks the depth of winter, the day when the sun is furthest from the equator and about to begin its journey back, bringing its blessings of light and renewed life.

The inner meaning of Christmas is the same wherever it is celebrated but the external forms of celebration vary from country to country.

The beloved patriarchal figure of Father Christmas is known by various names around the world - Santa Claus, Papai Noel and a dozen others.  ‘Santa Claus’ is an anglicised version of the Dutch ‘Sinterklaas’ or St. Nicholas, who was the bishop of Myra, a town in Lycia in Asia Minor at the close of the third century. For a man who has become so famous surprisingly little is known about St. Nicholas and his elevation to one of the most beloved figures of history is based on a simple legend, which may or may not be true.

The story is told that St. Nicholas dropped dowries secretly into the shoes of three pretty sisters whose father, unable to arrange suitable marriages for them, was prepared to submit them to a life of shame.

From this one anecdote has spread the practice of giving presents secretly to children — presents allegedly brought by good Santa Claus himself. This practice has been transferred to Christmas Eve in many countries, but in the Netherlands the children still put out their shoes for presents on December 5th, St. Nicholas Eve.

The idea that Santa Claus comes down the chimney also originated in the Dutch celebrations of St. Nicholas Eve. In the Middle Ages the story was popular that on the eve of his feast day St. Nicholas, riding his white horse, would chain the devil (or Black Peter as the Dutch called him) and drag him along the roof tops making him drop sweets and presents down the chimney into the children's waiting shoes.  The Dutch still enact the ceremony of Sinterklaas and Black Peter, but in other countries Santa comes without Black Peter and instead of riding a white horse he journeys over the roof tops in a sleigh drawn by reindeers.

The peaceful Christmas tree, so beloved by children and adults alike, had a warlike origin. Odin (or Wodan) was the Teutonic god of the dead, and human sacrifices were offered at the foot of his sacred oak tree. St. Boniface (680-754) the English monk, who was called ‘the apostle of Germany’ because of his successful missionary work in that country, replaced the sacrifices to Odin's oak tree by a fir tree adorned in tribute to the Christ Child.

The custom of lighting the Christmas tree is attributed to Martin Luther. The German Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, brought the custom to England and German migrants took it to the New World.

The practice of decorating our homes at Christmas with tinsel and streamers traces back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia which was celebrated from December 17th to December 24th.  This festival was held in honour of Saturn, the god of sowing or seed, and was the most popular carnival in ancient Rome. Even slaves were permitted and indeed encouraged to join in the gay celebrations of the Saturnalia when streets and buildings were decorated and presents, usually wax candles and small clay dolls, were exchanged by all.

The first Christmas card is believed to have been made in 1842 by an Englishman Wilham Maw Egley, who was then a youth of 16. He designed an ornate card, which he sent to his friends to convey Christmas good wishes.  Christmas cards were first sold to the public some thirty years later. Until the beginning of this century, some of the non-conformist Churches frowned on the whole idea of Christmas cards, but this opposition gradually faded.

CUSTOMS AROUND THE WORLD:

AUSTRIA: A lovely Christmas custom symbolises the light God gave to man in the Christ Child.  Three large wax candles are prepared for this ceremony on Christmas Eve; the head of the household lights the first candle with a burning taper while he chants ‘Christ is Born’.  Then each member of the family takes the taper in turn and repeats, ‘Praise be the Lord (comma) Christ is Born.’  After this ceremony dinner is served.  The second candle is lit on Christmas Day and the third on New Year’s Day.

BRAZIL: The Christmas fiesta is ushered in on Christmas Eve by an open air Mass at midnight under the brilliant tropic sky. The Brazilians call this the Missa do Galo which means ‘The Roosters’ Mass’.

BULGARIA: In rural areas the father of the family brings in a yule log before breakfast on Christmas Day. The family sprinkle their father with corn to bring health to all and a bountiful crop the following year. As the father lights the yule log, the children strike it, making their wishes as the sparks fly in the air.

ENGLAND:  Carol singing is a feature of Christmas. In the churches, carol singers assemble at midnight on Christmas Eve to sing the old and cherished hymns and carols.

FINLAND:  Homes are decorated for Christmas with a framework suspended from the ceiling, on which are fixed paper stars. These stars twinkle in the reflected light from the fire and the candles on the Christmas tree. Straw is piled on the floor, and here the children sleep on Christmas night in remembrance of the manger in which the Christ Child was laid.

FRANCE:  At Christmas time a huge wicker figure called ‘Melchior’ after one of the Three Magi, is dressed in fantastic garb and paraded through the streets strapped to a donkey. On his back, he carries a basket in which the charitable place gifts for the poor. These are distributed at the church.

GERMANY:  It was here that the Christmas Tree ‘Tannenbaum’ originated. This is decorated with the utmost secrecy on Christmas Eve ready to bring wonder and delight to the children on Christmas morning.

IRELAND: Candles are lit and placed in the windows of the house on Christmas Eve as a symbol of hospitality. The candles shine forth all night and may be snuffed only by those having the name of Mary

ITALY: The Presepio (The Crib) is the symbol of Christmas in Italy. In every home, the Birth of Christ is depicted with tiny statues of the Holy Family, angels, shepherds and the Wise Men gathered around the manger.

MEXICO: A gay part of Christmas celebrations is the breaking of the ‘Pinata’ in the yard of the home. The Pinata is a cardboard figure on a wire frame, shaped as a donkey, a pig or a cat or in some other form. Inside the Pinata is a clay jar filled with gifts and sweets for the children. In turn the children are blindfolded, spun around, and given a stick to break the Pinata. When one of them finally succeeds, the children scramble for the gifts from the jar.

NORWAY & DENMARK: The people remember to provide the birds of the air with a Christmas dinner. A special sheaf of grain is placed on top of a tall pole in the yard and every gable, gateway and barn-door is decorated with sheaves for the birds to peck.

PALESTINE: People from all over the world assemble at Christmas time to worship and sing carols in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, directly above the birthplace of the Holy Child.

POLAND: Christmas Eve is observed as a day of fast until the first star appears in the sky, and then the Christmas supper begins. One chair is left vacant for the Holy Child. As a symbol of peace on earth, the Peace Wafer, obtained from the priest, is broken by the head of the house and shared by all present.

RUSSIA: Although many old traditions are no longer observed, families still unite at Christmas time. At these reunions an old custom called the Five Piles of Grain is enacted. At midnight a sleepy hen is brought from its roost into the warm kitchen. On the floor, five piles of grain represent Wealth, Poverty, Death, Marriage and Single Blessedness. As the hen awakens, she senses the grain and begins to peck at a selected pile. 

SPAIN:  Tradition in Spain says that the Wise Men retrace their journey to Bethlehem every year. On the eve of the Epiphany (January 6th) the children take gifts to the edge of the city hoping to glimpse the Wise Men as they pass.

YUGOSLAVIA: The first visitor on Christmas morning must be ‘polaznik’ a village lad. The family awaits his arrival at their fireside by the yule log, which has been felled with great ceremony on the previous day. The polaznik enters and throws a handful of grain at each member of the family, asking a blessing as he does so. The log is struck causing sparks to fly in the air, each spark meaning many sheep, cattle and pigs.

These are but a few of the national customs and traditions with which Christmas is surrounded.  May you, your family and friends celebrate in the manner you know best and may we all be granted peace, love and happiness.