BY LAIRD GOODMAN
Merry Saturnalia
A little history on the holidays.
E
vergreen trees sparkle with decora-
tions and candy. Smiling people
are out and about, visiting friends
and relatives, exchanging presents. You
wave at your neighbors in their bright togas
as they pass in front of bold Corinthian
columns supported by graceful statues. Yes,
it’s Christmas time again.
Huh?
Well, this is Christmas as it was a thou-
sand years before Jesus was born. Our pres-
ent celebrations, complete with trees, food
and gift giving, are an exact replica of the
great Roman festival of Saturnalia. This
festival honored the god Saturn, the god of
agriculture. In fact, they bundled up the
birthdays of a whole crowd of gods and
called the season Dies Natalis Invicto Solis
(the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun).
The
Romans
weren’t the first peo-
ple to want a few
days off of work
around Christmas-
time. The ancient
Egyptians got into the
act, too. They ate,
drank and made
merry to celebrate the
birth of the son of Isis
and Osiris. Have you
noticed how the word
“son” and “sun” keep
cropping up? The
Egyptians believed
that King Osiris, who
had been chopped to
pieces, turned into a
tree overnight, and so
their celebrations even
included a Christmas tree (well, palm).
In northern Europe, this solstice was
commemorated by the ancient Celtic fire
festival of Alban Arthuan (the Light of
Arthur). This is also known as the yule sea-
son, from the Anglo-Saxon word hweol
meaning wheel, which was the symbol of
the sun-god. To help bring on the sun, giant
yule fires were lit on the hills at night, and
the young men would show their prowess
by jumping over them. Evergreens were
revered in most cultures because they didn’t
appear to die in the winter. People would
cut sprigs and branches and place them in
their homes for good luck. The Druids even
hung golden apples (Christmas tree orna-
ments) from the boughs of live trees.
So what has all this got to do with Jesus
and holy lights? Nothing much, really. Dec.
24th wasn’t a Christian holiday until the
year 350, when Pope Julius I (or Emperor
Constantine) finally thought that if you
can’t beat them, join them, and tacked
Christ’s birthday onto the date that every-
one was celebrating anyway.
What about the other Man of the Hour?
The man with the plan with the presents in
his hand? Kriss Kringle, Santa Claus,
Father Christmas — Saint Nick! St.
Nikolaus was a real person, a fourth centu-
ry bishop in Asia Minor. He’s most famous
for helping out the daughters of a local
man, who, through bad investments, lost his
money. In those days, no money meant no
marriage, and probably having to go into
the world’s oldest profession for a living.
And so the kindly saint tossed money down
their chimney when the family was sleep-
ing to help them out, which landed in the
stockings they had hanging by the fire.
Aside from helping unmarried women,
Nikolaus was also the patron saint of all
sea-faring men, and Belgium happened to
have a lot of them. Legend has it that they
were the first northerners to bring the story
of Saint Nikolaus (or Sinter Klass in Dutch)
back to their homelands. Their Father
Christmas developed European characteris-
tics — rather well-fed, wearing short
breeches and smoking a pipe.
He didn’t exhibit all of his familiar features
until he was described in 1822 by Clement
Clarke Moore in A
Visit
from
St.
Nicholas, and it was-
n’t until the 1850s
that an illustration of
the Santa we know
today first appeared
in print, drawn by
Thomas Nast, and
another century after
that when the Coca
Cola company com-
missioned the thor-
oughly American
Santa we all recog-
nize now. Notice
how his color themes
of red and white
match those of
Coke?
Other Christmas
traditions with ancient pasts include mistle-
toe, which was revered by the Celts for its
supposed power to heal, render poison
harmless, bring protection from witchcraft
and give fertility.
Holly has long been associated with reli-
gious practices, going back once again to
ancient Rome (where it was associated with
Saturn) and also the Druids, who revered it
because it remained green all winter. In some
pagan households, it was considered a kindly
gesture to place leaves and branches from the
plant around the home so that fairies and other
magical beings would be enticed to enter the
dwellings and use the holly as shelter.
Much of the entire Christmas tradition
(along with Easter) comes from the ancient
past. The traditions resurfaced in the 18th
and 19th centuries, when families longed to
recapture the innocence of bygone times,
just as we try to today.
So, this Christmas, look around. See the
sparkling lights, the trees, the gifts and
food. Feel the spirit of celebration. This
winter festival is just one thread in a string
that goes back thousands of years to when
the first farmers looked up at the sun and
knew that the days would start to get longer.
This was a day to feast, and be merry.
This was Christmas.
ew
Kent Goodman, aka Laird Camster, is EW’s calendar
editor, and is the author of several books on ancient
English history that he wrote while living in the UK.
SIN
CE
198
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