...That some of our favorite
Christmas decorations
come from another religion? Holly, mistletoe, ivy and
evergreen branches were sacred symbols of a pagan religion called
Druidism in the British Isles and parts of Europe. When
Christians came to those places, they adopted the symbols that were
important to the people there, giving them Christian meaning...helping
converts to see new meaning in familiar symbols. The time we
celebrate as Christmas, pagans celebrated as "Yule"...a time when the
dark of winter begins to turn toward the light. For Christians to
observe Christmas, which celebrates the coming of Christ -- "the light
of the world" -- at such a time and with such symbols seemed
particularly apt, both to the Christians of the time and to the pagans
who embraced Christianity.
...That the Christmas tree is NOT (as some claim) a
pagan symbol? Given the importance of evergreens to the
pagans, it's an easy assumption, but the Christmas tree is really very
Christian. It originated in Germany, as part of the special plays
that were an important part of the Christmas and Epiphany
seasons. These plays usually centered around the story of the
Garden of Eden. The plays usually had few props, but the one
thing they always had was a tree decorated with apples, to symbolize
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. These trees were
usually firs because fir trees are very common in that part of the
world, and could be counted on to be green, even in the depths of
winter.
...That some Orthodox
Churches won't observe Christmas until January 7? This is
because they use a different calendar...the older, "Julian,"
calendar. We use the newer, "Gregorian," calendar. They
actually do observe Christmas on December 25, but December 25 on the
Julian calendar corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar.
When such plays were outlawed, people
began to erect apple-hung trees in their own homes during the Christmas
season. Gradually, this tradition merged with another seasonal
tradition...that of hanging triangular frames of candles in the windows
to herald the feast of Epiphany (which is where we got the tradition of
hanging lights on the Christmas tree). Giving small gifts was
(and still is, in much of the world) a part of the Epiphany
celebration. People took to hanging these gifts on the tree as
well, which is why tree ornaments today often look like small toys or
dolls.
Pagan? The Christmas Tree?
Not hardly!
...That on Okracoke Island on our
own
Outer
Banks, "Old Christmas" is celebrated on January 6? A
number of explanations of this are in circulation. It seems
likely that the origin of it is Epiphany, but that is not what they
call it and that is not what they themselves seem to think.
Another possibility has to do with changes in the calendar since
Okracoke was settled (at least by the early 1700s, maybe
earlier). They were quite isolated from the mainland for long
periods of time and may not have gotten the word when the calendar was
changed in 1752.
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