Recommended From Santas
Nov
30
Christmas In England
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The people of England are well known for their Christmas celebrations, dating back to the legendary King Arthur who made” merrie” in York in 521 celebrating with “minstrels, gleemen, harpers, pipe-players, jugglers, and dancers.” Except for the brief period of the Republic under Cromwell, England has always been a special place for Christmas, and made even more so by the famous Charles Dickens classic A Christmas
Carol.
During the Victorian period of the 1800’s, according to Countess Maria Hubert von Staufer, Director of Christmas Archives International in the UK, “It is a popular misconception that Christmas in England was eradicated by the Cromwellians and was reinvented by the Victorians.” She says the customs people observed then were handed down from earlier days, when Christmas celebrations were underground. The countess has written about Christmas in Victorian England extensively, and says that it was
celebrated with church bells, hand bells, choirs of singers and street performers. Wandering minstrels went from hamlet to hamlet and castle to castle in England’s past, and the tradition continued.
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Nov
30
Christmas Adventures
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It was Wednesday, three p.m. This was the last errand I needed to run before I could head out of town. Excitement was building and a smile was plastered on my face. The family traveled every year to the cabin for Christmas. I had been working all week clearing up loose ends at work so I could enjoy five whole days of vacation. My head filled with silly anecdotes of past holidays as I drove to the grocery storm. The snow was blowing, swirling and dancing until I could barely see the road. My jeep swerved a little in the grocery store parking lot. The weatherman as usual was wrong. The storm was not due until later that night. “Oh great,” I have a two hour drive in this, it will be midnight before I get there.”
Nov
26
Christmas may very well be the oldest holiday that is shared across the many cultures of the world; it is traditionally celebrated during the winter season (or even the warm summer season if you count Australia, where Christmas is celebrated as an official holiday).
Before Christmas was celebrated, people were finding time to celebrate in Europe during the winter holiday before the birth of Jesus Christ ever even occurred! The Winter Solstice has always been a time to celebrate and rejoice; it is celebrated on December 21 in the northern hemisphere and it was after the Winter Solstice that the worst part of the year was behind them. It was at that point during the year that the days began to get longer, giving the people more time to spend outside on their crops and tending to their animals.
In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, men and their sons used to go in to the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the men would carry the log back to the home. This log was dubbed a Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. Often times the Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! Of course, as the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of the hearth and as the sparks flew out of the fire place, the family would count the sparks and each spark stood for a farm animal (a cow, a goat, a pig, etc) that would be born on their property that year. It is important to note that farm animals were signs of wealth back then.
Saturnalia is a celebration of the Winter Solstice that occurred in ancient pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of the god of agriculture, who was named Saturn. During the time of Saturnalia, the entire Roman empire is in a state of social disarray. Servants and peasants spend time with and celebrate the holiday with people of higher classes, which was a rarity back then. The Saturnalia festival in itself can last as long as an entire week in Rome. During that time, people rejoiced all over the country of Rome. The phrase ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ was played out to its fullest. Shops and businesses are closed during the Festival of Saturnalia. Following the first week of Saturnalia, the festival itself usually ends, but the Saturnalia period itself does not end.
In addition to Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, the Romans also worshipped an infant type god named Methra, who was carved out of a rock. On Mithra’s birthday, people also rejoiced, just as they did during Saturnalia. The day of this rock god’s birthday was one of the most sacred days of the year for the Roman people. It was a time for celebration and togetherness, and for family.
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Nov
22
From Santas
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We are getting closer to the time of the year when Santa is getting all his helpers lined up and passing out instructions for jobs they have to do before Christmas. Watch out, the might be visiting you soon to see how you are doing. Be nice, they might be watching you whe you least expect it!