These are Christian greetings that are shared by millions of people in the USA around Christmas time. The second greeting above is from the lore of our 50th state, Hawaii. The third greeting is often used in Puerto Rico where both English and Spanish are official languages. The first state to recognize Christmas was Alabama in 1836; Oklahoma was the last in 1907. Christmas was declared a national holiday on June 26, 1870.
Christmas is taken from the name of the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Christians believe that God is the Father of all mankind and that God sent Jesus into the world. The New Testament of the Holy Bible says in the gospel according to Matthew 1:20-21, “And she shall bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” Various interpretations of the Bible have allowed many sects and denominations to develop their own distinctive dogma. The birth of Jesus is a shared belief among most Christians.
Christmas has been a deeply religious holiday but has morphed into a powerful secular celebration as well through the creativity of charitable organizations, poets, retailers, moviemakers and songwriters. The celebration of Christmas has been diminished in some locations where complaints have prompted removal of religious displays on public property because of the objections of some persons or groups.
Pope Julius I, Bishop of Rome in 350 A.D. proclaimed December 25 as the birthday of Christ. Three colors often considered appropriate to the Christmas season are green, red and gold; green representing rebirth, red the Blood of Jesus and gold symbolizing light, wealth and regal deity. In Bolivia, SA, worshippers at the Christmas Eve ‘Misa del Gallo’ or Mass of the Rooster often bring roosters to church in the belief that the rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Christ. The Polish trim their Christmas trees with spiders because of the legend that a spider wove the blanket for the Christ Child.
The name Santa Claus is thought to have evolved from the Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas; the name was first used in print media in 1773. It is also said that Santa Claus was probably based on a real person in the fourth century named Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, located in modern Turkey. There is a legend that the Bishop descended the chimney of three poor sisters and filled their stockings with gold coins, thus the tradition of hanging stockings on Christmas Eve.
Other traditions include mistletoe from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘misteltan’ that means, “little dung twig” because of its spreading by birds. The Druids used mistletoe because it is green and bears fruit during winter and is thought to have medicinal qualities. Mistletoe was attached to doorways and openings and not allowed to touch the ground.
Since ancient days, evergreen trees have been symbols of growth and eternal life. The first ‘Christmas’ trees probably evolved from the Old English ‘aefie’ (always) and ‘gowan’ (grows). Legend has it that Martin Luther the religious reformer (1483-1546) was the first to decorate a tree by fastening candles to the boughs. John Callcott Horsley (1817-1903) of Britain is credited with creating the first Christmas card in 1843.
Whether you are a Christian, a person of another faith or have no religious belief, the winter solstice is a good time to replace regret with resolve, retribution with rehabilitation, feuding with friendship, retreat with renewal, and loathing with love. Find inner peace in spite of turmoil throughout the world.
Oops, I almost forgot. One of the more contemporary Christmas characters is ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.’ Norwegian scientists have determined that Rudolph’s red nose was probably caused by a parasitic infection. We do know that Rudolph remains in the song, but his physical whereabouts are unknown. Merry Christmas.
– Dick Baynton
