CHRISTMAS

Evening Post, Issue 145, 22 December 1928, Page 10

CHRISTMAS

WHY 25THDECEMBER? WISDOM OF EARLY CHURCH OLD USAGES ADAPTED For many -hundreds of. years 25th Der comber has been accepted ihronghout Christendom as the date of the Nativity, but before the' fifth century there was no consensus of opinion on the subject/ In the early churches,there was no, uniformity about .observing Christmas, some holding the festival in April or ..May, and'others in January, in con. junction witlr the Kpiphany. After this long' lapsii of time it is hardly likely :that the real' date of the Nativity can bo fixed beyond.all dispute.; Attempts have, 'been made on astronomical- reckonings in order to account for the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem; and it ;has'.been .argued that 25th December was an,■unlikely'date,"if the story, of the. shepherds is' accepted, as i t would be the height .of ; tho rainy .season iv Judea, and therefore not the time of year when shepherds ■ would be watching their (locks'by night im.th/'o'pcii. ■However, it 'was not casually or arbi-trarily-that: 25th' December was, chosen as' the .date-. ..One -principal cause; for fixing.this date was" that practically all tl j heathen nations regarded the winter solstice as the- turning pt.ii)t of the year, when there was a- beginning of renewed life and. activity on the1 part of the rowers of Nature and of the gods who1- were merely ':personifications of, these powers. .For instance, the Norsemen at this time of year had their Yule feast,.a name which still survives, in-connection":.^ith: Christmas,; and for twelve '. nights,. from ; .2sth 'December to. Oth January,' they, traced, the 'personal interference of? their gods, Odin and. others, in the. affairs of „the:.' world...ln Britain, long before Christianity reach-ed-its "shores,- 25th December was an ■importantl date.- Writing ■on this>tthe Venerable Bede.says:. "The ,- ancient ■peoples of :the Angli began = the year on 25th December, when we now celebrate ■the ..birthday ■ of,'our Lord, aiid the ■very night- which/is now so holy, to us they called -'mothers', night' by reason,, we .suspect-,1-, of-the ceremonies'which in -that; night-long-.vigil they But the. Venerable Bedc, with his usual reticence as. regards things pagan; or non-orthodox, omits to inform posterity what -those' ceremonies were.: -;; „: . . [;■ The early Church in- her wisdom, did not endeavour „to;\ banish •,altogether .deep-rooted'.•■■•heathen., customs,;-, '.eking, rather to purify- the pagan customs and feasts 'which she retained.,-, adding to them dts.grandly.;dcviscd liturgy besides dramatic- representations. Hence 115 th • D.tcember-.was chosen, as 'Christmas Day, and .Christmas became the parent of many Inter festivals,' gathering round it ■!-■, cycle of festivals which surpassed ■other groups of /Christian holidays in manifold richness i of: festal usages.: Hence carols, Christmas dramas, reciprocal presents, special dishes-.for the feast,- and special., decorations. These were all .pagan .'customs,' transformed or adapted to Christian ends/"; The mistletoe, for instance, was to Me old Druids thomost sacred:of. all plants, .arid played a-very important part in their cere-, monies. It still-plays an important part in Christmas festivities: where the young and hopeful ■are.concerned. : , ; -iThe 'custom -of giving presents at Christmas, tinie is not "found, outside Teutonic.', countries^; Latin countries making.'tho' New Year the "gift season.The New Year-in'antiquity-was always a great 'holiday^- therefore 'Christians until Hate i-in''the'" fourth in order; to' show .their 'disapproval , of heathen festivities,.treated.it as a day for, fasting?-and gloom;:, . The same treatment .was,- once meted out to Christmas'; the English Puritans, in 1644 by: Act 0f..-Parliament forbade aiiy.ni.er--.riment'or 'religious, service;on .that day. Although Charles-:the-Second' revived Christinas. festivities,.the.:Seqts,still adhered .to tbe.-PuritaTT^ view; tho New Year, with .■'them:, being -a bigger season of ■ rejoicing: than. Christmas;-.-. ;, . , RECOGNJSABLiE 'SURVIVALS. \ Many.Qustbms:qf .ancient origin have come, to •■ be. incorporated' with Christmas celebrations.,.:.-Thp .Christinas.'tree, is almost certainly „a.: survival from the. Roman Saturnalia,':,having '■ boon Adopted by-Germany.and, thence spread, oy.cr Europe. \ 'Father; Christmas, so belov«ed by unsophisticatedI"'childrcn,..or Santa O'aus, is of, course St. Nicholas, the patron saint of; children. I His ,day: in the calendar: is really' 6th December, but; : ,what'.could,' be more natural than to postpone: hisVactivities, for. a few days 'so as'to .coincide'with the major festival? '"Christmas'.pantomimes really have a religious origin, but /'."that has, long been' lost and- : they have become children's "enteriainnients.:,fThe .practice of sending Christmas cards originated in 1846 or. thereabouts, and grew very: rapidly ■in popular favour. Inseparably' .connected with Christ-' mas Day is the,: following, day, .Boxing Day;\ I.'¥his l:l'atter:holiday:\derived,its; nanie sfr'oin.thei practice of' giving on that- day gifts "of -money :(Christmas boxes) -to of,inferior rank!, presents; on Christmas .day, ! being.giyen. ; to; one's .friends and equals... But in the imiddle.'.of;:last; centui-y this jcustoni.'. became a [nuisance) and decreased !as self--respect increased.;. Theeustonl.has now entirely'died out,-but the; name: remains and so.does the, holiday. ' : .' :,- Tho : fcast v of" the .Epiphany, the twelfth.day-after Christmas, used to be an exceedingly popular festival,- being designed "to .'honour'-'the three Mogi or Kings, i ■ .Its: popularity, however, has. waned somewhat, 'but-it has left its mark in the. universal custom of putting, smalls trinkets:' in 'the. Christmas cakes and'puddings/.this coming about iit the' following way.- A feature of tho '.''Twelfth -Night "/. , '.celebrations used to bo tlie choosing of a King to 'preside over'the., feast. ,A bean was hidden! in the/.'Twelfth'. Cake, "...which' was cut.and distributed on the eve of the feast.:", He .'."in '; wlib.se portion the bean . was found . becamo the. "Beaii King, "an honour practically unknown in these days; when the. bean is replaced by the threepenny: bit, a thimble, or other small object to be: discovered during rthe Christmas.feast. :.-, ;