Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner.  We all know what Christmas represents- the birth of Jesus Christ, the saviour and son of the God of Christians.  But why is it that now a jolly overweight man dressed in red gives out presents to children?  Or that we dress evergreen trees up? Sounds like its time to read a GRIND article.

It is well known that the main reason for celebrating Christmas is that the 25^th of December is Christ’s birthday.  However, the exact date is unknown. On the same day, the Romans celebrated the winter solstice, and connections by a few professors have been made.

The first mention of Christmas comes from 336AD, from a Roman calendar.  The celebration of Christ’s birth on the December 25^th probably came about as other non-Christian festivals were also held at this time.

When Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, the celebration of Christmas spread.  And as Christmas spread, so did the art associated with Christianity, with many paintings depicting Christ and his birth.

Then The Reformation, beginning in the 16^th century, saw an end to Christmas for quite some time.  Seen as a non-Christian holiday due to non-religious customs surrounding the holiday, those who had split from the church stopped celebrating Christmas.  In Boston, Christmas was banned by law from 1659 to 1681, although other states allowed Christmas to be celebrated.

An important player to Christmas’ comeback was Charles Dickens.  His story, A Christmas Tale, embodied what was an ideological Christmas, and invented the Christmas spirit.  As the story was so popular, the holiday took off with resounding success.  After it’s publication in 1843, Christmas has been celebrated since.

Well that sums up the history of the holiday itself, but what about it’s customs?  In the 1800s, two now significant parts of Christmas became popular, namely decorating Christmas trees and the sending of Christmas cards.  The tree itself originates from Germany, from the sixteenth century.  The Germans spread the tradition, but it’s first recorded use in Britain was by the royal family in the mid 19^th century.  An engraving of the British royal family celebrating Christmas, ‘Americanised‘, was circulated in 1850.  Twenty years later, the practice was widespread.

In 1843, Henry Cole produced the first Christmas cards.  They were of images of spring, rarely including images of religion or winter associated with Christmas.  In 1875, Lois Prang printed the first cards in America, but they were so popular cheap imitations drove Prang off the market

Santa Claus, or Father Christmas is another symbol associated with Christmas.  His image originates from Saint Nick, who lived in the third century.  Saint Nicholas was noted for his generosity, and gifts that were being given anonymously to the poor were attributed to Saint Nicholas.  After his death, people continued giving gifts anonymously to the poor, and these gifts were also attributed to Saint Nick.  A few hundred years after his death, Nicholas was made a Saint by the Catholic Church, and his image spread around Europe.

In Holland Saint Nick was known as Sinter Klass, Sinter for Saint, and Klass presumably for Nick.  When the Dutch immigrants arrived in the New World (America), they brought with them the traditions of Sinter Klass.  Around 1822, “The Night before Christmas” was published anonymously, and the many different ideas about St Nicholas were unified into one.

A cartoonist named Thomas Nast also played his part.  A cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly, he drew pictures inspired by the poem “The Night before Christmas”.  Nash gave his own version red robes, and Santa Claus as we know him was born.  However, his immortalisation was undertaken by Coca Cola.  In the 1930s, Coca Cola used his image extensively to promote their soft drink.  Many urban myths claimed that the soft drink was the source of Santa Claus’s current depiction.  This however is untrue.

In Britain, Father Christmas originates from the 17th century.  He wore green and was depicted as an old jolly plump man.  He displayed Christmas cheer and festive spirit, and was the ghost of the Christmas Present in Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”.

If you are into the habit of sending Christmas cards, think of Lois Prang and his clever invention. Iif you are also into the practice of decorating Christmas trees, you can take pride that it was popularised by the British royal family, and do not forget that without Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol“, it is reasonable to think that Christmas would not be as popular among non-Christians.