Nicola Cunningham sought to gently seek out the Christmas story (not the Charles Dickens’ version) and source the true meaning of the holiday and all its accompanying mayhem, merriment and magic.
Christmas, a holiday honouring the birth of Jesus Christ, evolved over two millennia into a worldwide religious and secular celebration incorporating many pre-Christian and pagan traditions into the festivities along the way.
Today, Christmas is a time for family and friends to get together and exchange gifts.
The early Roman pagans first celebrated ‘Saturnalia’, a week long period of lawlessness in mid to late December during which Roman law dictated that no one would be punished for damaging property or injuring people. People would indulge in wanton eating, widespread intoxication plus other physical pleasures. By the fourth century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping Christian masses would engage in these pagan rituals. Because there was nothing intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia, early Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday.
While many associated gift giving at Christmas to the presents the three wise men brought to baby Jesus in pre-Christian Rome, the Emperors forced citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia and Kalends in January. Later, this evolved to include the general population. The Catholic Church spun this custom into an even more acceptable practice when they presented a cheerful fat man called Saint Nicholas bestowing presents on good boys and girls around the world.
Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, originated from Turkey in 270 CE and became a saint in the 19th century. Nicholas was among the most senior bishops who convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE and created the New Testament. In 1087, a group of sailors who idolised Nicholas, moved his bones from Turkey to a sanctuary in Bari, Italy. Nicholas subsequently replaced a female boon-giving deity called ‘The Grandmother’ who used to fill the children’s stockings with her gifts. On the anniversary of Nicholas’ death, members of this group exchanged gifts during a pageant they conducted annually on December 6th. This practice quickly spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans who also worshipped a pantheon led by Woden, their chief god who had a long white beard and rode through the heavens. When Nicholas merged with Woden, he shed his Mediterranean appearance and donned heavy winter clothing.
To continue reading, Purchase Vol. 8 Issue #3 2015.
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Nicola Cunningham sought to gently seek out the Christmas story (not the Charles Dickens’ version) and source the true meaning of the holiday and all its accompanying mayhem, merriment and magic.
Christmas, a holiday honouring the birth of Jesus Christ, evolved over two millennia into a worldwide religious and secular celebration incorporating many pre-Christian and pagan traditions into the festivities along the way.
Today, Christmas is a time for family and friends to get together and exchange gifts.
The early Roman pagans first celebrated ‘Saturnalia’, a week long period of lawlessness in mid to late December during which Roman law dictated that no one would be punished for damaging property or injuring people. People would indulge in wanton eating, widespread intoxication plus other physical pleasures. By the fourth century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping Christian masses would engage in these pagan rituals. Because there was nothing intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia, early Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday.
While many associated gift giving at Christmas to the presents the three wise men brought to baby Jesus in pre-Christian Rome, the Emperors forced citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia and Kalends in January. Later, this evolved to include the general population. The Catholic Church spun this custom into an even more acceptable practice when they presented a cheerful fat man called Saint Nicholas bestowing presents on good boys and girls around the world.
Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, originated from Turkey in 270 CE and became a saint in the 19th century. Nicholas was among the most senior bishops who convened the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE and created the New Testament. In 1087, a group of sailors who idolised Nicholas, moved his bones from Turkey to a sanctuary in Bari, Italy. Nicholas subsequently replaced a female boon-giving deity called ‘The Grandmother’ who used to fill the children’s stockings with her gifts. On the anniversary of Nicholas’ death, members of this group exchanged gifts during a pageant they conducted annually on December 6th. This practice quickly spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans who also worshipped a pantheon led by Woden, their chief god who had a long white beard and rode through the heavens. When Nicholas merged with Woden, he shed his Mediterranean appearance and donned heavy winter clothing.
To continue reading, Purchase Vol. 8 Issue #3 2015.
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