Yuletide’s Lights
By Staff Writer: Paganus Greybeard
This is the Season of the Celebration - for the “Christians” of
the “birth” of the “Christ Child". This is - for all practical intents
and purposes - the primary underlaying “religious” reason for this
Winter Season holiday. For the vast mass of modern civilization -
it is the season of sales, shopping and retailer’s worrying about their
“sales figures” and “cash flow bottom lines".
The lights are up on the house here. The tree is up. In fact -
the tree has been up since the day after “Thanksgiving". It is
going to be a very quiet holiday this year - as it has been for
several years.
It’s Sanctus. It was a warm day outside. But the weather
report says that in my part of Southern California we may be getting
some high winds. House is quiet. Nothing is happening. Cat’s are
snugged in together and Penny-pup is in the bean-bag.
This “season” of the “yuletide” is far more than just an excuse
for the wholesalers and retailers to sell their products. It is
an ancient and honourable “religious” holiday.
It is both Pagan and “Christian". The “Christians” - in very large
form and measure - co-opted this holiday for their own purposes. This is
NOT the actual “season” of the “Christ Child’s” birth. The holiday - as we now know
it and celebrate it - was moved to the Pagan’s Winter Solstice holiday to
directly co-opt that celebration. Celebrants of the Eastern Orthodox faith
celebrate on January 6th - the Feast of the Epiphany. Many of the traditional
trappings and seasonal celebratory festivities are directly descended from
ancient Pagan roots such as the tree, wreath, candles and feasts.
Ancient pre-"Christian” Romans celebrated Saturnalia on December 17.
When the Germanic and Celtic tribal cultures blended with the Romanic
cultures the Germanic and Celtic Paganistic traditions of food, fellowship, yule log,
“Christmas” tree and the exchange of gifts were added to the holiday’s
celebration. Even many of the carols that are sung in this season are
very ancient and very pagan. As with the holiday itself - the carols
were co-opted and re-cycled by the early “Christian Church” for their
own uses and purposes.
Who then - in all of this commercialized retail mayhem - is the
symbol of the season? Santa Claus. A fat man in a red suit who
lives at the North Pole with elves. Sounds more than slightly
Pagan to me! How does he travel? Flying reindeer. By whom is
he guided? Rudolph with his “red nose".
But even this has a historical basis. St. Nicholas - or “Sinter
Klaus” in the original Dutch. Nicholas was a fifth century priest
in Asia Minor was said to have performed various “good deeds". Perhaps
the best known of these deeds involved three young women who were about
to be forced into prostitution because of poverty. Nicholas - or so the legend goes
- secretly entered their home through their chimney, and left gold in
their stocking which were left over the fire’s embers to dry. This
“legend” was subsequently brought from Asia Minor to New Amsterdam and
the other Dutch colonies in the New World where they were combined with
ancient Celtic and Nordic legends about a Yuletide gift-giving figure
who would only leave gifts for “good little boys and girls".
As an inevitable result of these inter-cultural and
cross-cultural meldings and blendings there is a gift-giving figure in many
societies and cultures. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland the
figure is known as Christkindl or Kris Kringle. Some of the figures
are blatantly Pagan and decidedly non-Christian as in the Scandinavian
countries were the gift-bearers are a trio of gnomes. Poland
celebrates with a blending of the two traditions - the Star Man, thought to be
called so because of a connection to the Star of Bethlehem. In France the figure
is Pere Noel {Father Noel}, in England it’s Father Christmas, and it’s
Grandfather Frost in Russia. Even into the far-eastern realm of Japan
this figure is found. There the person is their deity Hoteiosho.
The tradition and practice of gift-giving at the Yule is ancient
and apparently very much pre-"Christian". There are written and
confirmed accounts of at least four (4) pre-"Christian” Pagan and
Roman festivals that “Christmas” came to supplant and replace.
Two of these festivals - the Kalends and the Roman “Saturnalia”
were characterized by feasting and revelry. A third festival is
that of Libanius where the focus is upon gift-giving.
The fourth - the Roman festival of Deus Sol Inviticus - was held and
celebrated on December 25th and is often considered to be the
date co-opted by the early “Christians” for their “Christ’s Mass".
So - with all of this in mind - how does this particular Paganus
and Family savor this season? We spend time with each other - as
much we can and as much we can stand each other. We set up the
tree just after “Thanksgiving” and will leave it up till just
after “New Year’s". The lights are up on the house and the the
electric candles are in the window. The “Christmas” cards are on
the mantle over the fireplace.
Blessings Be to All & Every One..