Old Christmas Customs by J. M. Wheeler 1890
As Christmas comes round, bringing delight, let us hope, to at least the younger portion of the community, some few may be curious to know the origin and meaning of our annual customs. Fashion is the most fluctuating, but custom is the most conservative of things. Students of comparative religion, that is, comparative mythology, are beginning to see that ritual is more enduring than legend, and that ancient customs gave rise to the stories rather than the stories to the customs. The Passover, for instance, did not arise from God having determined to kill all the firstborn of Egypt and pass over the Jews who sprinkled their doorposts with blood; but this legend was told because the old sacrifice of lambs at the spring season was called Passover, whether from the passing over of the sun or from the substitution, as a sacrifice, of first-born lambs instead of first-born children, or from whatever reason. So Christmas was not instituted to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Palestine at a time when shepherds could not watch their flocks by night; but Christ was said to have been born at this time ot the year because this was the old Pagan season for celebrating the rebirth of the sun.
There is little apparent connection between Jesus Christ and kissing under the mistletoe, or between indulging in goose and plum-pudding and partaking of the sacrament. The Puritans may be excused for denouncing Christmas as a Pagan custom opposed to the Christian conception of life, and more worthy of the worship of Bacchus than of Jesus. But Christmas endures as a Christian festival despite the Puritans, just because it goes back to the elements which Christianity has in common with paganism; because indeed, the religion that made its way under the name of Christianity was but a modified paganism.
To illustrate this fully is impossible in our limited space. One or two points may suffice. The custom of decorating houses with evergreens, evident symbols of life continued through the dead of winter, prevailed long anterior to Christianity. The Christian Father Tertullian, early in the third century affirmed it be "rank idolatry" to deck their doors "with garlands or flowers on festival days according to the custom of the heathen." Polydore-Virgil says, "the decorating of temples with hangings of flowers, boughs, and garlands, was adopted from the pagan nations, who decked their houses and temples in a similar manner." The Christmas tree, derived from our Scandinavian forefathers, with its fruit of good things for the little ones, is another sign of faith in returning spring and harvest. The mistletoe — I have recently given my opinion (Freethinker, Nov. 2)— was regarded by the Druids as the seed which carried over vegetable life from the old year to the new. Hence, to kiss and pluck a seed was a sign of union and fertility.
Mr. Foote points out that Christmas occurs at the period of the Roman Saturnalia. The Emperor Julian says in his fourth oration, "When the last month, which is sacred to Saturn, is nearly out, just before the beginning of the new year, we celebrate the most magnificent sports dedicated to Sol Invictus." The Saturnalia was a period of universal license and merrymaking. Temporary freedom was given to slaves. Everyone feasted, and presents were interchanged by friends. In the now extinct Lord of Misrule and schoolboys "barring out" may be traced a remnant of the Saturnalia.
But where does Jesus Christ come in? Just here. The infant Christ is as much a symbol of the returning year as the holly or the Christmas tree. The birthday of Christ is the birthday of the new year. Just as they now sing carols to the new-born king, so, in ancient times, they sang carols to the vegetation itself, of which Shakespeare's "Heigh-ho the holly" is a remnant. In the North they carry round the Christmas tree, so the southern Catholics carry round the infant Christ with his mother. In English villages this used to be the custom. In Yorkshire, girls carried a wax-doll in a box surrounded with evergreen and fruits. Whoever gave them money took a leaf which, carefully preserved, brought luck. This was good tidings of great joy, so that there was a proverb, "As unhappy as the man who has seen no advent images." So bakers would bake Yule-doughs or little images, with currants for eyes, which were presented to their customers. And this brings us to the great sacrament or feast, the central feature of Christmas, the dinner.
Man early learnt that a good feast was a capital thing to tide over tho wintry weather. In early religions we find feasting was as much a part of the religion as fasting—indeed more so, for the gods could also partake of the sacrifice and thus enter into the true communion of food with their worshippers. The word "holyday" had a real meaning. It was consecrated to the deities.
Formerly in England the Christmas dinner was opened with a boar's head, a sacred Scandinavian dish. The boar, with the lemon in his mouth, probably represented the spirit of vegetation. Mr. J. G. Frazer says:
"In Sweden and Denmark at Yule (Christmas) it is the custom to bake a loaf in the form of a boar-pig. This is called the Yule Boar. The corn of the last sheaf is often used to make it. All through Yule the Yule Boar stands on the table. Often it is kept till the sowing time in spring, when part of it is mixed with the seed-corn and part given to the ploughmen and plough-horses or plough-oxen to eat in expectation of a good harvest."
The plum-pudding, like the earlier Christmas pie, is a compound of all good things originally taken sacramentally — that is, it was supposed to contain the spirit of the past year's products, partaking which would ensure prosperity for the ensuing year. Hence the saying, as many pieces of pudding or mince-pie are partaken, so many happy months. As the communion was originally taken by all the clan, to this may be traced the family re-unions at the present day.
Christmas, then, symbolising the re-birth of the sun, the entrance of a new year, the return of light and vegetation, is one of the old-world customs the new world will not willingly let die. Each fresh generation will delight in cheering the depth of winter with festivity, in twining the holly and kissing under the pearl-eyed mistletoe. Let, then, the older ones join the youngsters in celebrating the old pagan festival in its true spirit of sociality, hope and delight.
As Christmas comes round, bringing delight, let us hope, to at least the younger portion of the community, some few may be curious to know the origin and meaning of our annual customs. Fashion is the most fluctuating, but custom is the most conservative of things. Students of comparative religion, that is, comparative mythology, are beginning to see that ritual is more enduring than legend, and that ancient customs gave rise to the stories rather than the stories to the customs. The Passover, for instance, did not arise from God having determined to kill all the firstborn of Egypt and pass over the Jews who sprinkled their doorposts with blood; but this legend was told because the old sacrifice of lambs at the spring season was called Passover, whether from the passing over of the sun or from the substitution, as a sacrifice, of first-born lambs instead of first-born children, or from whatever reason. So Christmas was not instituted to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Palestine at a time when shepherds could not watch their flocks by night; but Christ was said to have been born at this time ot the year because this was the old Pagan season for celebrating the rebirth of the sun.
There is little apparent connection between Jesus Christ and kissing under the mistletoe, or between indulging in goose and plum-pudding and partaking of the sacrament. The Puritans may be excused for denouncing Christmas as a Pagan custom opposed to the Christian conception of life, and more worthy of the worship of Bacchus than of Jesus. But Christmas endures as a Christian festival despite the Puritans, just because it goes back to the elements which Christianity has in common with paganism; because indeed, the religion that made its way under the name of Christianity was but a modified paganism.
To illustrate this fully is impossible in our limited space. One or two points may suffice. The custom of decorating houses with evergreens, evident symbols of life continued through the dead of winter, prevailed long anterior to Christianity. The Christian Father Tertullian, early in the third century affirmed it be "rank idolatry" to deck their doors "with garlands or flowers on festival days according to the custom of the heathen." Polydore-Virgil says, "the decorating of temples with hangings of flowers, boughs, and garlands, was adopted from the pagan nations, who decked their houses and temples in a similar manner." The Christmas tree, derived from our Scandinavian forefathers, with its fruit of good things for the little ones, is another sign of faith in returning spring and harvest. The mistletoe — I have recently given my opinion (Freethinker, Nov. 2)— was regarded by the Druids as the seed which carried over vegetable life from the old year to the new. Hence, to kiss and pluck a seed was a sign of union and fertility.
Mr. Foote points out that Christmas occurs at the period of the Roman Saturnalia. The Emperor Julian says in his fourth oration, "When the last month, which is sacred to Saturn, is nearly out, just before the beginning of the new year, we celebrate the most magnificent sports dedicated to Sol Invictus." The Saturnalia was a period of universal license and merrymaking. Temporary freedom was given to slaves. Everyone feasted, and presents were interchanged by friends. In the now extinct Lord of Misrule and schoolboys "barring out" may be traced a remnant of the Saturnalia.
But where does Jesus Christ come in? Just here. The infant Christ is as much a symbol of the returning year as the holly or the Christmas tree. The birthday of Christ is the birthday of the new year. Just as they now sing carols to the new-born king, so, in ancient times, they sang carols to the vegetation itself, of which Shakespeare's "Heigh-ho the holly" is a remnant. In the North they carry round the Christmas tree, so the southern Catholics carry round the infant Christ with his mother. In English villages this used to be the custom. In Yorkshire, girls carried a wax-doll in a box surrounded with evergreen and fruits. Whoever gave them money took a leaf which, carefully preserved, brought luck. This was good tidings of great joy, so that there was a proverb, "As unhappy as the man who has seen no advent images." So bakers would bake Yule-doughs or little images, with currants for eyes, which were presented to their customers. And this brings us to the great sacrament or feast, the central feature of Christmas, the dinner.
Man early learnt that a good feast was a capital thing to tide over tho wintry weather. In early religions we find feasting was as much a part of the religion as fasting—indeed more so, for the gods could also partake of the sacrifice and thus enter into the true communion of food with their worshippers. The word "holyday" had a real meaning. It was consecrated to the deities.
Formerly in England the Christmas dinner was opened with a boar's head, a sacred Scandinavian dish. The boar, with the lemon in his mouth, probably represented the spirit of vegetation. Mr. J. G. Frazer says:
"In Sweden and Denmark at Yule (Christmas) it is the custom to bake a loaf in the form of a boar-pig. This is called the Yule Boar. The corn of the last sheaf is often used to make it. All through Yule the Yule Boar stands on the table. Often it is kept till the sowing time in spring, when part of it is mixed with the seed-corn and part given to the ploughmen and plough-horses or plough-oxen to eat in expectation of a good harvest."
The plum-pudding, like the earlier Christmas pie, is a compound of all good things originally taken sacramentally — that is, it was supposed to contain the spirit of the past year's products, partaking which would ensure prosperity for the ensuing year. Hence the saying, as many pieces of pudding or mince-pie are partaken, so many happy months. As the communion was originally taken by all the clan, to this may be traced the family re-unions at the present day.
Christmas, then, symbolising the re-birth of the sun, the entrance of a new year, the return of light and vegetation, is one of the old-world customs the new world will not willingly let die. Each fresh generation will delight in cheering the depth of winter with festivity, in twining the holly and kissing under the pearl-eyed mistletoe. Let, then, the older ones join the youngsters in celebrating the old pagan festival in its true spirit of sociality, hope and delight.
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