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Christmas
FireFlyz ~ 15
and half million copies in 1939 and three
and half million in 1946. Thus, Rudolph
was born.
BoxingDay
BoxingDay gets its name fromthe
practice of Churches and parishes who
opened up alms and charity boxes inviting
contributions for the less fortunate. Also,
on this day, the servants and domestic
helpers were given the day off for having
worked hard for Christmas. The organisa-
tion of car or horse races and other
sporting events that happen on Boxing
Day is a very recent tradition.
KissingUnder TheMistletoe
Surprising enough, kissing under the
mistletoe is not an American tradition.
Nor is it remotely Christian. In ancient
Greece, during the festival of Saturnalia,
men kissed their partners under the
mistletoe.
This was done because it was believed
to have brought virility. In Scandinavia,
themistletoe is believed to bring peace
betweenwarring people and clans.
Husbands andwives kissed under it to
help end their disagreements.
Another famous chapter inmistletoe
folklore comes fromNorsemythology. As
the story goes, when the godOdin’s son
Baldur was prophesied to die, hismother
Frigg, the goddess of love, went to all the
animals and plants of the natural world
to secure an oath that they would not
harmhim. But Frigg neglected to consult
Twelve Days
Of Christmas is
probably one of
the commonest
Christmas songs sung
across theworld.
Kissing under the
mistletoe is not an
American tradition.
Nor is it remotely
Christian. In ancient
Greece, during the
festival of Saturnalia,
men kissed their
partners under the
mistletoe.
St. Nicolas, Sinterklaas inDutch,
became Santa Claus when the
early Dutch settlers of America
started to celebrate his feast as
late as the 18th century.
SantaClausOr St.Nicholas–Sinter-
klaas?
Prettymuch everyone knows Santa Claus,
that jolly oldmanwho hands out gifts.
This bearded figure is nowan integral part
of Christmas. Children all over theworld
believe Santa rides a reindeer sleigh and
delivers gifts and goodies filling up their
stockings on Christmas night.
Many leave cookies andmilk for Santa.
If you thought that Santa Claus was of
American origin, youwould bemistaken.
The legend of Santa Clausmay be traced
to St. Nicolas of Myra
(present day Turkey). St. Nicolas lived
in around 280AD andwas well-known
for his generosity. It is said that St. Nicolas
gave away all his wealth anonymously,
most of it dropped into the homes of the
poor wrapped in stockings. St. Nicolas,
Sinterklaas inDutch, became Santa Claus
when the early Dutch settlers of America
started to celebrate his feast as late as the
18th century.
IsRudolphTurkishOrDutchAs
Well?
If Santa Claus was fromMyra, does that
mean that Rudolph is Turkish? Perhaps
Dutch?Wrong. Rudolph - Santa Claus’
famous and beloved red nosed reindeer -
is a very recent all-American creation.
In 1939, a copywriter at theMontgomery
Ward department store - Robert L.
May -wrote a poemabout Christmas with
an intention to attractmore shoppers to
the store. In it he described a shy reindeer
with a large red nose assuming the lead
in Santa’s sleigh. The poemturned out to
be extremely popular, selling about two
with the unassumingmistletoe, so the
scheming god Loki made an arrow from
the plant and saw that it was used to kill
the otherwise invincible Baldur.
According to one happier version of
themyth, the gods were able to resurrect
Baldur fromthe dead. Delighted, Frigg
then declaredmistletoe a symbol of love
and vowed to plant a kiss on all thosewho
passed beneath it.
Mistletoe’s associations with fertility
and vitality continued through theMiddle
Ages, and by the 18th century it had
becomewidely incorporated into Christ-
mas celebrations. The kissing tradition
appears to have first caught on among
servants in England before spreading to
themiddle classes. As part of the early
custom,menwere allowed to steal a kiss
fromany woman caught standing under
themistletoe, and refusingwas viewed as
bad luck.