A HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS

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The Chieftain lit the bonfire. Around him, his tribe waited, huddled in their inadequate clothes against the chill. Earlier, they had satisfied their gods, represented by the Sun at its highest, most southerly point. But now the warmth of the flames stayed the chill and a glow grew in their bellies and groin.
Festivities were now to be had, stories were to be told, and the winter respite was with them.

PAGAN FESTIVALS

We can imagine a pagan midwinter, celebrated at the solstice of 22 December. It was one of the most important times of the year. Required to get them through the hunger and cold, a whole culture developed around the festival, complete with mythology to identify themselves with their gods.
And running through it all would be a story to tell, usually based on a real event, but embellished to make the tribe unassailable and complete. The story was the very heart of who they were.
It is impossible to say what these early pagan stories were, but in one of their last forms, we know of the Roman Saturn, god of agriculture and father of the gods. Based on the Greek Cronus, the Romans celebrated him on the seven days beginning 17 December.
Known as Saturnalia, it was a holiday period. An orgy of feasting was had as the stories were retold, and in this climate of merriment, presents were given to those important to the celebrants.
Whether the orgies were really of a more carnal nature, we cannot be sure. Maybe it was simply propaganda – another set of stories made up by the more austere story that was to take over Saturnalia and man’s psyche from that day to this.

FROM PAGAN TO VICTORIAN

That story was the Nativity – the Christian story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Remembered as Christmas, it is celebrated on 25 December, a date fixed in the Christian calendar by the 4th century. And the celebration absorbed more than just the Roman Saturnalia.
Holly, ivy and mistletoe were really brought to it by the pagans. Indeed, the celebration was changed much over the centuries. In Medieval times Christmas was a social gathering, with games to be held, such as archery.
The traditions of Christmas we tend to remember today began to appear with the Victorians, and the stories of Charles Dickens, such as A Christmas Carol. The ‘family’ had become important to the Victorian middleclass due to inheritance as society became wealthy.
Hence, Christmas changed from a communal event to a family event. This reinforced the idea of ‘family’ in a Christian perspective.

CULTURE OF CHRISTMAS

The festival centred around the religious aspects of celebration. But then the family ate a traditional meal, decorated tree close by (another pagan influence), and prior to the event, cards were sent for the first time.
Our image of the bringer of joy had not been defined by the Victorians. Initially, joy came from the birth of Christ. But a new character was entering the story. Based on St Nicholas, a 4th century saint from modern day Turkey who used to distribute gifts, Santa Claus had no definite dress in Victorian times. Neither did he have a magic sleigh pulled by reindeer.
These came from European folk tales and only attached to the story following the Victorians, as a new influence began to infiltrate Christmas.
This was the spirit of enterprise. And the story fell into the businessman’s hands perfectly. After all, what could fuel consumerism more than the idea of bringing gifts? And thus, by the early 20th century, the red costume of Santa appeared in American adverts.

THE NATIVITY

The actual story of the Nativity is rich in the symbolism of the storyteller’s craft. Mary and Joseph are poor and are required to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for a census. There is no room in any of the Inns but, seeing Mary is with child an innkeeper offers a place in a stable. In this part of the story, charity and compassion are enshrined in human nature.
The child, when He is born, is of supernatural parentage. Given to Mary, a Virgin, by God, the story encapsulates the older ideal of heroes born from a human and a god, enshrined in many a pagan myth.
The story has two themes – that of poverty not being a barrier to greatness; and in providing a spiritual link between man and the God-head.

SYMBOLISM

The sense of the pagan is continued in the Star of Bethlehem which appears above the stable. The most likely explanation of this is that an astrological alignment has been discovered around the time of Christ’s birth of three planets – in astrology a time of fate.
Indeed, paganism is captured by the Christian with the story of the Three Wise Men – almost certainly three Magi, or occult magicians. In the story, they bring gifts and pay homage to the child, a new king. And thus, Christianity is seen as more important than paganism.
An angel appears before some shepherds to tell them of the good news. The symbolism, here, is vital. This new religious system instigated by the birth is for all people, both rich and poor. Hence, emissaries from the rich and poor go to the stable, embodied in the Three Wise Men and the shepherds.
But every story has its nasty bit. And this is found in King Herod who, whilst visited by the Three Wise Men, was told that a new king was foretold to be born. Herod fears for his throne, so sends his men to kill all new born babies. Mary and Joseph do, of course, escape with their child. And in doing so, evil is vanquished.

CHANGING TIMES

These are the themes of the Nativity – universal themes of the storyteller. They confirm life as miraculous, taking away the hum-drum elements of existence and making us all special in sharing in the tale through custom and tradition. But the story constantly changes to represent the times.
Initially required to provide a respite to the ravages of winter, today it has become an orgy of greed, with little interest in the spiritual message. But this itself provides a story with a message – for in atheistic times, where the material is all important, the spiritual WOULD be forgotten.
So even now the message is true to who we claim to be. This factor can be seen in the universality of the good story, in that it is adaptable to all times and all moods.
Initially grounded in family values, with Mary and Joseph providing for their child, new themes arise today, such as the fact that Joseph is not the father of Jesus, thus confirming the validity of single-parenthood, or Madonna and Child.
In this way, the story captures what we are, and becomes central to our existence. And thus the giving of gifts during Saturnalia changed to the Three Wise Men bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh.
And finally to today, and the clamour for consumer goods to be given as presents, sealing our present aspirations towards wealth within the story for our new times. The story may have changed, but it continues to define what our society is.

© Anthony North, December 2007