Origins of Holiday Traditions Part 2

by Tanya Davis

Holly Wreaths
The very first wreaths were actually circlets that were worn on the head, called diadems. These garlands were started hundreds of years before Christ was born. An evergreen wreath was originally used as a sign of eternal life, because it does not die in the winter. Holly in Roman times was said to represent the return of the sun after winter – it was used to honor Saturn. And Christians believe that the crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus’ head was made from holly; its berries were white, but they turned to red from his blood. Wreaths are now hung on the wall or laid on tables as decorations.

Mistletoe
Kissing under the mistletoe is actually a custom derived from the Druids. They considered mistletoe and the tree it grew on to be sacred. They believed that the plant would dilute all poisons, and that it could make barren animals able to bear offspring. Since mistletoe was considered a divine branch, which came from heaven, it was only natural that it be a symbol of the Messiah “branch”. It became the sign of Divine reconciliation. The kiss underneath it was a symbol between two people of pardon and reconciliation –and now it’s simply fun.

Caroling
Christmas caroling is another tradition that has roots in many pagan beliefs. However, the most popular story about caroling is that it started in the 13th century in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi led songs of praise. He wrote joyful Latin church hymns that were in stark contrast to the earlier solemn liturgical hymns.
English Puritans outlawed caroling in 1649 for a number of years because it was considered sacrilegious. Some people say that the very first Christmas carol was given in Bethlehem by the angels who sang in unison to announce the birth of the Christ child. Their words were: Gloria in excelsis deo, et in terrapax hominibus bonaie voluntatis. The word carol is derived from a Greek dance that is called a choraulein. The dance became especially popular in France, where the accompaniment -- flute music -- was replaced with singing.
It is said that you must offer carolers food, drink, or even money – or you’ll have bad luck. It is also unlucky to sing Christmas carols at any other time of year.

Santa’s Reindeer
The first time Americans ever saw evidence of Santa’s reindeer was in a poem, “A Visit From Saint Nicholas,” which you probably know as “The Night Before Christmas.” This poem was written in 1822 by an Episcopal minister named Clement Clark Moore. His poem was meant for his family, and it depicted a fat, jolly Santa Clause who flew through the air with many reindeer.
There were other pagan religions that depicted gods who flew through the air riding horses or chariots pulled by goats, so Moore’s poem was simply a fun, silly takeoff on ancient legends.

 Rudolph
Rudolph, the most famous of all the reindeer, was actually an invention of a copywriter for Montgomery Ward. In 1930, the company asked Robert L. May to create a Christmas story that they could hand out to customers during the holidays. Hence, Rudolph was born!

Christmas Cards
The distribution of pre-made Christmas cards is said to have begun in earnest around 1840, when Sir Henry Cole, the first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, was said to have been too busy to write out Christmas greetings to his friends. He commissioned John C. Horsley to illustrate a tri-paneled card, which showed a family enjoying Christmas and carried the message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You."

The Penny Post postal service’s creation in 1840 combined with the industrialization of the printing industry led to the popularity of sending such Christmas cards.  By 1846, one thousand cards were sold for a price of one shilling apiece. If you were willing to send your card in an unsealed envelope, you could post it for half a penny. By 1874, one shop was said to have sold more than 5 million cards a year.

EGGNOG
Eggnog seems to have been derived from a popular drink in 17th century Britain called “nog.” It was a holiday concoction made from beer, sugar, egg yolks, lemon rinds and cinnamon. In the 19th century, North Americans grasped the French version of the drink, which was called ‘Lait de Poule’, and added liqour – either brandy, sherry, or rum. Lait de Poule consisted of milk, sugar, and egg yolks. This is one recipe that has not changed much over time.

Candy Canes
Europeans began using Christmas trees and quickly began to decorate them with candies and cookies. The candy sticks were originally straight, but were made into crooks, according to legend, in 1670. That’s when a director at the Cologne Cathedral gave the children’s choir sugar ‘shepherd’s crooks’ to keep them quiet during the service.

In 1847 a German immigrant in Ohio used the candy cane to decorate his Christmas tree. His name was August Imgard. Fifty years later another man, Bob McCormack, who lived in Georgia made candy cane treats for his family and friends. He must have commented that making them was a slow process, because in the 1950s his brother-in-law Gregory Keller invented a machine to make them faster. Bob’s Candies, Inc. grew to be the biggest candy cane supplier in the world.

Christians claim that there is symbolism in the candy cane. The color white represents Christ’s purity, the red his blood, and the three red stripes the Holy Trinity. Whichever background is believable to you, candy canes are a favorite at Christmas both for eating and decorating.