Trying to Jesusify Christmas
This Christmas, Christians are still going to complain that the holidays have become too commercial, and that we should go back to the essential - Jesus. This is usually accompanied of a diatribe against commercialism, and an apology of universal love and the joy of giving.
They are, of course, liars. Christmas has never been about Jesus.
The origins of the holiday are actually Celtic, and have their roots in the Winter Solstice. It was called Yule (in modern language, descended from Germanic Yula), and celebrated the birth of the Sun God. This is where the tradition of burning the Yule Log, now no longer practiced, came from. Druidic priests decorated outdoor trees with apples and lit candles, to glorify Odin. After the Winter Solstice, Druids held a ceremony in which they cut Mistletoe with a golden sickle, with care so that it not touch the ground, and distributed it to villagers in sign of protection.
This tradition was perpetuated by the Greeks - the Halcyon Days - and by the Romans - the Saturnalia, on December 17th. The Romans also put candles on trees, to celebrate Saturnus, god of agriculture.
Due to these pagan origins, the celebration of Christmas was long considered rebellious. The Puritans in England banned the celebration of Christmas in 1642, although King Charles II repelled that ban 18 years later. In 1659, a law was passed in Massachusetts banning the holiday also. But reverence for Christmas stayed in Europe, especially in Germany, and came to America by immigration (and became a federal holiday in 1870). So did the custom of giving gifts, which came from the Dutch.
The Mistletoe was equally hated, and it was forbidden for centuries to place it on a Christian altar. It came back into acceptance with the Victorians, who created the custom of kissing under the Mistletoe.
The myth around Santa Claus is even more obscure. Despite a common myth, Coca-Cola did not fabricate the image of the fat, jolly Santa Claus with a white beard and red garments (although the company certainly popularized the notion around the world). By the twenties, the image of Santa Claus was pretty much what we know it today.
As far as we know, Santa Claus evolved from two mythical characters : St. Nicholas and "Kriss Kringle". St. Nicholas was originally a bishop from the Middle East who lived in the 4th century who, as legend has it, loved children. "Kriss Kringle" was a figure of German stories, and its name evolved from "Christkindlein" (Christ-child).
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