CHRISTIAN FEASTS AND CUSTOMS
by Francis Weiser
ADVENT
HISTORY
Origin •
The celebration of Christ's nativity on December 25 was introduced as a special
feast in Rome about the middle of the fourth century. It quickly spread through
the Roman Empire of the West, and by the fifth century was already established
in Gaul and Spain. Since it was one of the main feasts of the Christian year,
a spiritual preparation soon began to be held.
(DID YOU NOTICE IT? RIGHT FROM THE WORD GO, WEISER TELLS YOU THE
CELEBRATION OF CHRIST'S BIRTH DID NOT ***START*** UNTIL ABOUT THE
MIDDLE OF THE FOURTH CENTURY. FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS EVEN THE ROMAN
CHURCH KNEW NOTHING ABOUT OBSERVING JESUS'
BIRTH - Keith Hunt)
From the Church in Gaul comes the first news about a definite period prescribed
for this preparation. Bishop Perpetuus of Tours (490) issued the regulation that
a fast should be held on three days, of every week from the Feast of Saint Martin
(November 11) to Christmas.1 The name Advent was not yet used for this preparatory
period; it was called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Forty Days' Fast of Saint Martin's).2
This practice of keeping a penitential season before Christmas spread all through France,
Spain, and later also to Germany. The fast, however, was started at different times
(September 24, November 1 or 11 or 14, December 1). For Mass texts on the weekdays of
Advent the Church in Gaul simply used the Masses of Lent.3 In Rome the celebration of
Advent originated considerably later, during the sixth century. There the season comprised
only four or five Sundays. Pope Gregory the Great (604) preached a number of homilies on
Advent.4 Unlike the Gallic Church, Rome had no established fast (except, of course, in
Ember week). Advent in Rome was a festive and joyful time of preparation for the Feast
of the Lord's Nativity, without penitential character.5 When, in the eighth century,
the Frankish Church accepted the Roman liturgy, the nonpenitential Advent of Rome clashed
with the penitential observance of the much longer Gallic Advent. After a few centuries of
vacillation there emerged a final structure of Advent celebration which combined features
of both traditions. Rome adopted the fast and penitential character from the Gallic observance,
while the Roman tradition of a four weeks' Advent and the Roman liturgical texts prevailed
over the ancient Gallic custom of a seven or nine weeks' celebration. This compromise was
completed in the thirteenth century. From that time, the liturgical observance of Advent
has remained practically unchanged.6 Fast • The law of Advent fast was never as strict as
that of Lent. It varied widely in different sections, both in content and in time. In most
cases people were obliged to fast three days a week and to abstain from certain foods. Bishop
Burchard of Worms (1025), for instance, issued the following regulation: "In the Quadragesima
before Christmas you must abstain from wine, ale, honey-beer, meats, fats, cheese, and from
fat fish."7 According to the penitential practice of those centuries, the faithful were also
bound to abstain from weddings, amusements, pleasure travel, and from conjugal relations during
the time of fasting.8
(DO YOU SEE WHY PAUL WROTE TO THE COLOSSIANS IN CHAPTER TWO, ABOUT "BEWARE
LEST ANY MAN SPOIL YOU THROUGH PHILOSOPHY AND VAIN DECEIT, AFTER THE TRADITION
OF MEN, AFTER THE RUDIMNENTS OF THE WORLD AND NOT AFTER CHRIST.....WHEREFORE IF
YOU BE DEAD WITH CHRIST FROM THE RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD....ARE YOU SUBJECT TO
ORDINANCES [TOUCH NOT; TASTE NOT; HANDLE NOT] .... AFTER THE ***COMMANDMENTS AND
DOCTRINES OF MEN***" - SEE MY FULL INDEPTH STUDY OF COL.2:16 ON
THIS WEBSITE - Keith Hunt)
This observance of Advent fasting came from the North to Rome at the end of the first millennium.
There it was quickly adopted by most monasteries, later also by the authorities of the Church,
and finally prescribed for all the faithful. A letter of Pope Innocent III (1216) shows that in
his time it already was a traditional part of the Advent celebration in Rome.9 In subsequent
centuries the obligation was gradually lessened by papal indults, the fast usually being
restricted to two days a week (for example, Friday and Saturday in Italy, Wednesday and Friday
in Austria), until the new Code of Canon Law (1918) completely abrogated it and only kept the
fast of Ember week and of the Christmas vigil (and, lately, the vigil fast of the Immaculate
Conception, December 7). Oriental Churches • The Eastern Churches do not keep a liturgical
season in preparation for Christmas, but they observe a fast. In the Byzantine Rite this fast
has been customary from the eighth century. It begins on November 15 and lasts till Christmas.
Its name is "Quadragesima of Saint Philip" (Tessaran-ihemeron Philippou) because it starts on
the day after the Feast of the Apostle Philip. The Syrians of the Antiochene Rite also have a
fast of forty days before Christmas, but the Catholic Syrians keep it, by papal indult, only
for the last nine days before the Nativity. The Armenians now celebrate a fast of three weeks
(instead of the original seven weeks), at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of Advent.
(Their Advent starts at the middle of November and runs until Epiphany.) The Copts, too, observe
a fast, which is very strict, from November 24 (in upper Egypt) or from December 9 (in lower
Egypt) until the Feast of the Nativity (which they celebrate on Epiphany). The Syro-Chaldeans
begin their "Fast of the Nativity" or "Fast of the Annunciation" at the middle of November or,
in some dioceses, on the Sunday nearest to December l.10
(REMEMBER WEISER WAS WRITING THIS IN 1952; WHO KNOWS TODAY WHAT THE CHURCH OF
ROME IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD OBSERVE - Keith Hunt)
LITURGY
Seasonal Character •
The liturgy of Advent is wanting in that harmony and unity which characterize the other seasons
of the ecclesiastical year. Its features present a somewhat confused and unfinished aspect.
Three factors are responsible for this. First, Gregory the Great, who had shaped the basic
structure of the Roman Advent with the sure hand of an inspired leader, did not fill out the
details himself.11 Second, the original form of the Roman celebration was mixed and molded with
the Gallic features into a "unit" that contained two somewhat opposite trends of thought
(a season of joy and, at the same time, a season of penance). Finally, after the combination
was made, no master appeared who could have shaped these elements into a celebration of unified
harmony. Instead, the structure was prevented from further growth and development and preserved
without change through the past centuries up to the present.12 Thus, to give but a few examples,
Advent has no ferial Masses, as Lent has, but on "free" days the Sunday Mass is repeated. It has
no preface of its own, but must continue (on Sundays) the preface of the Holy Trinity, which does
not actually fit the season. (Lent, on the other hand, has two fitting seasonal prefaces.) In Advent
the liturgy of the season must bow on most days to feasts of saints, while in Lent only March 19
and 25 take obligatory precedence. The orations in Advent express vari- ous trends and perspectives.
Some of them speak of the coming of the Saviour at His birth, others of His coming at the end of time,
and others again of a coming into the hearts of the faithful. Similarly, some lessons and Gospels
clearly reveal the purpose of joyful preparation for Christmas, while others treat of the end of
the world and the second coming of the Lord, not in the apostolic sense of jubilant expectation,
but with the note of salutary fear and admonition to penance. In the Masses of the season (Sundays)
the Gloria is omitted, and so is the Te Deum in the Divine Office; but the Alleluia is retained,
and the third Sunday (Gaudete) bears a special character of joy.13
Joy and Penance •
In Rome, for almost a thousand years Advent was celebrated as a season of joyous preparation for
the Feast of the Lord's Nativity.14 The Gospel of the first Sunday in Advent (Luke 21:25-33),
speaking of the end of the world, did not pertain to the original liturgy of Advent. Gregory the
Great used it on a certain occasion when, at the end of November, a great storm had devastated
Rome and killed many people. (Its descriptions read like modern reports of a hurricane.)16 The
pope wanted to console the people and explain to them the meaning of such natural catastrophes,
hence he took the Gospel text that begins "And there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars,
and upon earth distress of nations." After the reading of this Gospel, he preached a homily on it.
Now the fact that the pope had used this particular passage on a Sunday around the beginning of
December was duly noted in the manual of the Roman Church. In later times it was mistakenly
assumed that Gregory had intended it as a regular Advent text, and thus it appeared in the Roman
Missal as Gospel of an Advent Mass.16 As late as the beginning of the twelfth century the liturgical
books of St. Peter's in Rome show the use of festive vestments, of the Gloria in the Mass and the
Te Deum in the Divine Office for Advent. By the middle of the same century, however, the Frankish
influence had caused the Roman authorities to make the change from a season of joy to one of penance:
Gloria and Te Deum were dropped, and Advent soon acquired the traditional marks of a season of
penance, similar to Lent. The color of liturgical vestments then was black (later changed to purple),
the dalmatic (deacon's vestment) was prohibited because it represented a "gown of joy," celebration
of weddings and organ playing in church were forbidden, and various penitential features were
introduced into the Divine Office. In some places the sacred images were even veiled with purple
cloth as they were in Lent.17 On the other hand, all these changes toward a penitential aspect
remained more or less on the surface, for its innermost liturgical character distinguishes Advent
very sharply from Lent. The texts of the Roman Missal, despite occasional motives of fear, penance,
and trembling (which had been added from the Frankish liturgy), kept its basic note of joyful
expectation of Christ's birth. Thus the liturgists, from the twelfth century on, have found no
simple unity in the celebration of Advent, but have had to explain its character by a diversity
of purposes. William Duranti (1296), Archbishop of Ravenna, one of the first to analyze the
liturgical significance of Advent, expressed it in a formula which since then has been repeated
in many books: Advent is partly a time of joy (in expectation of the Saviour's nativity) and partly
a season of mourning and penance (in expectation of the judgment on the Last Day).18
Significance •
The name Advent (Coming) originally was used for the coming of Christ in His birth and was thus
applied to Christmas only. After the sixth century various preachers and writers expanded its meaning
to include the whole preparatory season, in the sense in which the word is now used. In the twelfth
century it came to be interpreted as representing a two or threefold "Advent" of Christ: His past
coming, in Bethlehem; His future coming, at the end of time; and His present coming, through grace
in the hearts of men.19 The present penitential character of Advent, although not consonant with the
original celebration in Rome, still usefully fits the purpose of the season. By a spirit of humble
penance and contrition we should prepare ourselves for a worthy and fruitful celebration of the
great Feast of the Nativity. This penance is not as harsh as that of Lent — there is no prescribed
fast — and the joyful note of the season helps people to perform penitential exercises in a mood of
happy spiritual toil, to "make ready the way of the Lord" (Matthew 3:3).20
The Second Coming •
There actually is a season of the year in which the Church draws our minds and hearts to the second
coming of Christ. This season extends over the end of the ecclesiastical year through Advent and up
to Epiphany. After having celebrated the events of the Lord's life on earth, His birth, Passion,
resurrection, and ascension, and also the descent of the Holy Spirit and the life of Christ in His
Mystical Body, the Church finally puts before our eyes a magnificent vision of eternal glory and reward:
in the Lord Himself (Feast of Christ, the King), in His members who have already passed from this world
(All Saints and All Souls), and in the events at the end of time when the remaining elect will be
gathered into their glory (Gospel of the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost; Matthew 24:15-35).21
Thus the ecclesiastical year, like a majestic symphony, ends on the powerful and triumphant strains of
a final victory, not yet obtained by all, but assured and certain for those who remain "faithful unto
death" (Apocalypse 2, 10). Then follows, in Advent, the thought of our own spiritual preparation for
this glorious coming of the Lord at the end of time, and the humble security of our hope that His last
coming will be consoling and joyful, just as His coming and His manifestation was in the first
Christmas and the first Epiphany at Bethlehem.
(YES NOTICE IT: THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES THE ***SECOND COMING OF
CHRIST*** SOMETHING MOST RELIGIOUS PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE; THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH ITSELF DOES NOT GIVE IT GREAT MENTION PER SE IN ITS DAY TO DAY WORKINGS
AND CHURCH SERVICES - Keith Hunt)
FOLKLORE
The Advent Wreath •
The Advent wreath originated a few hundred years ago among the Lutherans of eastern Germany.22
It probably was suggested by one of the many light symbols which were used in folklore at the end
of November and beginning of December. At that season of the year our pre-Christian forefathers began
to celebrate the month of Yule (December) with the burning of lights and fires.23 The Christians in
medieval times kept many of these light and fire symbols alive as popular traditions of ancient folklore.
In the sixteenth century the custom started of using such lights as a religious symbol of Advent in the
houses of the faithful. This practice quickly spread among the Protestants of eastern Germany and was
soon accepted by Protestants and Catholics in other parts of the country.24 Recently it has not only
found its way to America, but has been spreading so rapidly that it is already a cherished custom in
many homes.
(MORE CUSTOMS FROM THE PAGANS ADOPTED INTO CHRISTIANITY - Keith Hunt).
The Advent wreath is exactly what the word implies, a wreath of evergreens (yew or fir or laurel),
made in various sizes.
It is either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table, usually in front of the family shrine.
Fastened to the wreath are four candles standing upright, at equal distances. These candles represent
the four weeks of Advent.25 Daily at a certain time (usually in the evening), the family gathers for
a short religious exercise. Every Sunday of Advent one more candle is lit, until all four candles shed
their cheerful light to announce the approaching birthday of the Lord. All other lights are extinguished
in the room, and only the gentle glow of the live candles illuminates the darkness. After some prayers,
which are recited for the grace of a good and holy preparation for Christmas, the family sings one of
the traditional Advent hymns or a song in honor of Mary. The traditional symbolism of the Advent wreath
reminds the faithful of the Old Testament, when humanity was "sitting in darkness and in the shadow of
death" (Luke 2:79); when the prophets, illumined by God, announced the Redeemer; and when the hearts of
men glowed with the desire for the Messiah. The wreath — an ancient symbol of victory and glory —
symbolizes the "fulfillment of time" in the coming of Christ and the glory of His birth. (THE WREATH -
AGAIN FROM THE PAGANS OF LONG AGO - Keith Hunt) In some sections of Europe it is customary for persons
with the name of John or Joan to have the first right to light the candles on Advent wreath and Christmas
tree, because John the Evangelist starts his Gospel by calling Christ the "Light of the World," and John
the Baptist was the first one to see the light of divinity shining about the Lord at His baptism in the
Jordan.28
(IT'S NOT HARD TO ADAPT PAGAN CUSTOMS TO THE BIBLE IF ONE IS REALLY WANTING TO DO SO;
AS SOME PEOPLE SAY "YOU CAN MAKE THE BIBLE SAY ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO SAY" - YOU CAN
IF YOU TAKE VERSES OUT OF CONTEXT AND WANT TO FIND THIS OR THAT TO FIT IN WITH PAGAN
CUSTOMS YOU WANT TO ADOPT INTO THE CHURCH -
Keith Hunt)
Children's Letters •
This is an ancient Advent custom, widespread in Europe, Canada, and South America. When the children go
to bed on the eve of St. Nicholas's Day (December 5), they put upon the window sills little notes which
they have written or dictated, addressed to the Child Jesus. These letters, containing lists of desired
Christmas presents, are supposed to be taken to heaven by Saint Nicholas or by angels. In South America
the children write their notes to the "little Jesus" during the days from December 16 to 24 and put them
in front of the crib, whence, they believe, angels take them to Heaven during the night.
Preparing the Manger •
This custom originated in France but spread to many other countries. It is the practice of having children
prepare a soft bedding in the manger by using little wisps of straw as tokens of prayers and good works.
Every night the child is allowed to put in the crib one token for each act of devotion or virtue performed.
Thus the Christ Child, coming on Christmas Day, finds an ample supply of tender straw to keep Him warm
and to soften the hardness of the manger's boards.
Advent Calendars •
Originating in Germany
Has of late been spreading widely in other countries. A colored scene of the "Christmas House" printed
on a large piece of cardboard is put up at the beginning of December. Every day one "window" of the house
is opened by the children, revealing a picture or symbol that points toward the coming Feast of Christmas.
Finally, on December 24, the "door" is opened, showing the Nativity scene. These calendars are a useful
means of keeping the children's minds pleasantly occupied with the expectation of Christmas and with the
spiritual task of preparing their souls for the feast.
Novena *
In Central and South America, the nine days before Christmas are devoted to a popular novena in honor of
the Holy Child (La Novena del Nino).
In the decorated church, the crib is ready, set up for Christmas; the only figure missing is that of the
Child, since the manger is always kept empty until Holy Night. The novena service consists of prayers and
carol singing accompanied by popular instruments of the castanet type. After the novena service, the
children roam through the streets of the cities and towns, throwing firecrackers and rockets, expressing
their delight over the approach of Christmas.27 In central Europe the nine days before Christmas are kept
in many places as a festive season. Since most of the religious observances were held after dark or before
sunrise, people began to call this season the "Golden Nights." In the Alpine sections it is the custom to
take a picture of the Blessed Virgin from house to house on these nine evenings (Carrying the Virgin).
Every night the family and servants gather before the image, which stands on a table between flowers and
burning candles. There they pray and sing hymns in honor of Mary the Expectant Mother. After the devotion,
the picture is carried by a young man to a neighboring farm. The whole family, with torches and lanterns,
accompanies the image, which is devoutly received and welcomed by its new hosts in front of their house.28
Meanwhile, schoolboys carry a statue of Saint Joseph every night to one of their homes. Kneeling before it,
they say prayers in honor of the saint. On the first night, only the boy who carried the statue and the
one to whose home it was brought perform this devotion. The following nights, as the statue is taken from
house to house, the number of boys increases, since all youngsters who had it in their home previously
take part in the devotion. On the evening of December 24 all nine of them, accompanied by nine schoolgirls
dressed in white, take the image in procession through the town to the church, where they put it up at the
Christmas crib. This custom is called Joseph-stragen (Carrying Saint Joseph).29
Advent Plays •
A type of Advent play is the German Herbergsuchen (Search for an Inn). It is a dramatic rendition of the Holy
Family's fruitless efforts to find a shelter in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary, tired and weary, knock at door
after door, humbly asking for a place to stay. Realizing that they are poor, the owners refuse their request
with harsh words, until they finally decide to seek shelter in a stable.30 Usually the whole performance
is sung, and often it is followed by a "happy ending" showing a tableau of the cave with the Nativity scene.
There are scores of different versions, depending on the various songs and sketches provided in the text.
A similar custom is the Spanish Posada (the Inn), traditional in South American countries, especially Mexico.
On an evening between December 16 and 24, several neighboring families gather in one house, where they
prepare a shrine, and beside it a crib with all its traditional figures, but the manger is empty. After a
procession through the house, pictures of Joseph and Mary are put on the shrine, venerated with prayer and
incense, and all present are blessed by a priest. The religious part of the Posada is followed by a gay party
for the adults, while the children are entertained with the Pinata. This is a fragile clay jar, suspended
from the ceiling and filled with candy. The children, blindfolded, try to break the jar with a stick so the
contents will spill, and everybody then rushes for some of its treasures.31
Rorate Mass •
In the early mornings of the "Golden Nights," long before sunrise, a special Mass is celebrated in many places
of central Europe. It is the votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin for Advent, called Rorate from the first words of
its text (Rorate coeli desuper: Dew of Heaven, shed the Just One). By a special permission of Rome, this
Mass may be sung every morning before dawn during the nine days preceding Christmas provided the custom
existed in a place from ancient times.32 The faithful come to the Rorate Mass in large numbers, carrying
their lanterns through the dark of the winter morning.33
Saint Thomas's Day •
In some parts of central Europe ancient customs of "driving demons aways" are practiced on the Feast of Saint
Thomas the Apostle (December 21) and during the following nights (Rough Nights), with much noise, cracking of
whips, ringing of hand bells, and parades of figures in horrible masks.34 In a Christianized version of this
custom farmers will walk through the buildings and around the farmyard, accompanied by a son or one of the farm
hands. They carry incense and holy water, which they sprinkle around as they walk. Meanwhile, the rest of the
family and servants are gathered in the living room reciting the rosary. This rite is to sanctify and bless the
whole farm in preparation for Christmas, to keep all evil spirits away on the festive days, and to obtain God's
special protection for the coming year.35
Christmas Eve •
Christmas Eve, the last one of the "Golden Nights," is the feast day of our first parents, Adam and Eve.
They are commemorated as saints in the calendars of the Eastern Churches (Greeks, Syrians, Copts).36
Under the influence of this Oriental practice, their veneration spread also in the West and became very
popular toward the end of the first millennium of the Christian era. The Latin Church has never officially
introduced their feast, though it did not prohibit their popular veneration. In many old churches
of Europe their statues may still be seen among the images of saints. Boys and girls who bore the names of
Adam and Eve (quite popular names in past centuries) celebrated their "Name Day" with great rejoicing.
In Germany the custom began in the sixteenth century of putting up a "Paradise tree" in the homes in honor
of the first parents. This was a fir tree laden with apples, and from it developed our modern Christmas tree.37
..........
AND THERE AGAIN YOU HAVE MANY MANY CUSTOMS EITHER ADOPTED DIRECTLY FROM THE PAGANS,
OR RELIGIOUS RITES MADE UP AND ADDED TO GOD'S WORD. THE PLAIN TRUTH IS THAT GOD DOES
NOT GIVE US THE RIGHT TO MAKE-UP OUR OWN RELIGION AS TO HOW WE WILL WORSHIP HIM. IT IS
HE WHO TELLS US IN HIS WORD THE WAY TO WORSHIP HIM, AND IT IS HE WHO HAS
GIVEN US HIS FEASTS, NOT MAN'S FEASTS, BUT HIS FESTIVALS - Keith Hunt
To be continued
CHRISTIAN FEASTS AND CUSTOMS
by Francis Weiser
Feast of the Nativity HISTORY
Origins • In the Roman Empire it was a general custom to celebrate the birthdays of rulers (see Matthew 14, 6) and of other outstanding persons. Such birthdays often were publicly honored even after the death of the individual. The day of the celebration did not always coincide with the actual date of birth. The birthday of Plato, for instance, used to be celebrated on a feast of the god Apollo.1
The early Christians, who attributed to Christ not only the title (Kyrios) but also many other honors that the pagans paid to their "divine" emperors, naturally felt inclined to honor the birth of the Saviour. In most places the commemoration of Christ's birth was included in the Feast of the Epiphany (Manifestations) on January 6, one of the oldest annual feasts.
Soon after the end of the last great persecution, about the year 330, the Church in Rome definitely assigned December 25 for the celebration of the birth of Christ. For a while, many Eastern Churches continued to keep other dates, but toward the end of the fourth century the Roman custom became universal.2 No official reason has been handed down in ecclesiastical documents for the choice of this date. Consequently, various explanations have been given to justify the celebration of the Lord's nativity on this particular day. Some early Fathers and writers claimed that December 25 was the actual date of Christ's birth, and that the authorities in Rome established this fact from the official records of the Roman census that- had been taken at the time of the Saviour's birth. Saint John Chrysostom held this opinion and used it to argue for the introduction of the Roman date in the Eastern Church.3 He was mistaken, however, for nobody in Rome ever claimed that the records of the census of Cyrinus were extant there in the fourth century, and much less that Christ's birthday was registered in the lists.4 In fact, it was expressly stated in Rome that the actual date of the Saviour's birth was unknown and that different traditions prevailed in different parts of the world.5
A second explanation was of theological-symbolic character. Since the Bible calls the Messiah the "Sun of Justice" (Malachi 4, 2), it was argued that His birth had to coincide with the beginning of a new solar cycle, that is, He had to be born at the time of the winter solstice. A Confirmation of this opinion was sought in the Bible, by way of reckoning six months from the annunciation of John the Baptist (which was assumed to have happened on September 24) and thus arriving at March 25 as the day of the Incarnation. Nine months later, on December 25, would then be the birthday of the Lord. This explanation, though attractive in itself, depends on too many assumptions that cannot be proved and lacks any basis of historical certitude.6
There remains then this explanation, which is the most probable one, and held by most scholars in our time: the choice of December 25 was influenced by the fact that the Romans, from the time of Emperor Aurelian (275), had celebrated the feast of the sun god (Sol Inoictus: the Unconquered Sun) on that day.T December 25 was called the "Birthday of the Sun," and great pagan religious celebrations of the Mithras cult were held all through the empire.8
What was more natural than that the Christians celebrate the birth of Him Who was the "Light of the World" and the true "Sun of Justice" on this very day? The popes seem to have chosen December 25 precisely for the purpose of inspiring the people to turn from the worship of a material sun to the adoration of Christ the Lord. This thought b indicated in various writings of contemporary authors.9 It has sometimes been said that the Nativity is only a "Christianized pagan festival." However, the Christians of those early centuries were keenly aware of the difference between the two festivals—one pagan and one Christian—on the same day. The coincidence in the date, even if intended, does not make the two celebrations identical. Some newly converted Christians who thoughtlessly retained external symbols of the sun worship on Christmas Day were immediately and sternly reproved by their religious superiors, and those abuses were suppressed.10 Proof of this are the many examples of warnings in the writings of Tertullian (third century) and the Christian authors of the fourth and fifth centuries, especially the sermons of Saint Augustine (430) and Pope Leo I (461).1 1 The error of confusing Yule (solstice) and Christmas (the "Mass of Christ"), as if both celebrations had a common origin, occurs even in our time. Expressions like "Christmas originated four thousand years ago," "the pagan origins of Christmas," and similar misleading phrases have only added to the confusion. While it is certainly true that some popular features and symbols of our Christmas celebration in the home had their origin in pre-Christian Yuletide customs, Christmas itself—the feast, its meaning and message—is in no way connected with any pagan mythology or Yule rite.
Christmas soon became a feast of such great importance that from the fifth century on it marked the beginning of the ecclesiastical year. After the tenth century, however, the season of Advent came to form an integral part of the Christmas cycle; thus the beginning of the ecclesiastical year was advanced to the first Sunday of Advent.12
Emperor Theodosius, in 425, forbade the cruel circus games on Christmas Day, and Emperor Justinian, in 529, prohibited work and public business by declaring Christmas a civic holiday. The Council of Agde (506) urged all Christians to receive Holy Communion on the feast.13 The Council of Tours (567) proclaimed the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred and festive season, and established the duty of Advent fasting in preparation for the feast.14 The Council of Braga (563) forbade fasting on Christmas Day.15 Thus the groundwork was laid for a joyful celebration of the Lord's nativity, not only in the house of God but also in the hearts and homes of the people.
Middle Ages •
The great religious pioneers and missionaries who brought Christianity to the pagan tribes of Europe also introduced the celebration of Christmas. It came to Ireland through Saint Patrick (461), to England through Saint Augustine of Canterbury (604), to Germany through Saint Boniface (754). The Irish monks Saint Columban (615) and Saint Gall (646) introduced it into Switzerland and western Austria; the Scandinavians received it through Saint Ansgar (865). To the Slavic tribes it was brought by their apostles, the brothers Saint Cyril (869) and Saint Methodius (885); to Hungary by Saint Adalbert (997).
Most of these saints were the first bishops of the countries they converted and as such they established and regulated the celebration of the Nativity. In England, Saint Augustine observed it with great solemnity. On Christmas Day in 598, he baptized more than ten thousand Britons.18 In Germany, the observance of Christmas festivities was officially regulated by a synod in Mainz in 813.1T
By about the year 1100, all the nations of Europe had accepted Christianity, and Christmas was celebrated everywhere with great devotion and joy. The period from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries was the peak of a general Christian celebration of the Nativity, not only in churches and monasteries, but in homes as well. It was a time of inspiring and colorful religious services. Carols and Christmas plays were written. It was at this period, too, that most of the delightful Christmas customs of each country were introduced. Some have since died out; others have changed slightly through the ages; many have survived to our day. A few practices had to be suppressed as being improper and scandalous, such as the customs of dancing and mumming in church, the "Boy Bishop's Feast," the "Feast of the Ass," New Year's fires, superstitious (pagan) meals, impersonations of the Devil, and irreverent carols.18 Decline • With the Reformation in the sixteenth century there naturally came a sharp change in the Christmas celebration for many countries in Europe. The Sacrifice of the Mass—the very soul of the feast—was suppressed. The Holy Eucharist, the liturgy of the Divine Office, the sacramentals and ceremonies all disappeared. So did the colorful and inspiring processions, the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints. In many countries all that remained of the once rich and glorious religious festival was a sermon and a prayer service on Christmas Day.19 Although the people kept many of their customs alive, the deep religious inspiration was missing, and consequently the "new" Christmas turned more and more into a feast of good-natured reveling.
On the other hand, some groups, including the German Lutherans, preserved a tender devotion to the Christ Child and celebrated Christinas in a deeply spiritual way within their churches, hearts, and homes.20
In England the Puritans condemned even the reduced religious celebration that was held in the Anglican Church after the separation from Rome. They were determined to abolish Christmas altogether, both as a religious and as a popular feast. It was their contention that no feast of human institution should ever outrank the Sabbath (Sunday); and as Christmas was the most important of the non-Sunday festivals, they directed against it all their attacks of fierce indignation. Pamphlets were published denouncing Christmas as pagan, and its observance was declared to be sinful. In this anti-Christmas campaign these English sects were much encouraged by the example of similar groups in Scotland, where the celebration of the feast was forbidden as early as 1583, and punishment inflicted on all persons observing it.21
When the Puritans finally came to political power in England, they immediately proceeded to outlaw Christmas. The year 1642 saw the first ordinances issued forbidding church services and civic festivities on Christmas Day. In 1644, the monthly day of fast and penance was appointed for December 25.22 The people, however, paid scant attention to these orders, and continued' their celebrations. There was thus inaugurated a great campaign of two years' duration (1645-1647). Speeches, pamphlets and other publications, sermons and discussions were directed against the celebration of Christmas, calling it "antichrist-Mass, idolatry, abomination," and similar names. Following this barrage of propaganda, Parliament on June 3,1647, ordained that the Feast of Christmas (and other holidays) should no longer be observed under pain of punishment. On December 24, 1652, an act of Parliament again reminded the public that "no observance shall - be had on the five-and-twentieth of December, commonly called Christmas day; nor any solemnity used or exercised in churches in respect thereof." 23
Each year, by order of Parliament, town criers went through the streets a few days before Christmas, reminding their fellow citizens that "Christmas day and all other superstitious festivals" should not be observed, that market should be kept and stores remain open on December 25.
During the year 1647 popular riots broke out in various places against the law suppressing Christmas, especially in London, Oxford, Ipswich, Canterbury, and the whole county of Kent. In Oxford there was a "world of skull-breaking"; in Ipswich the festival was celebrated "with some loss of life"; in Canterbury "the mob mauled the mayor, broke all his windows as well as his bones, and put fire to his doorsteps."25 An ominous note was sounded against the republican Commonwealth at a meeting of ten thousand men from Kent and Canterbury who passed a solemn resolution saying that • "if they could not have their Christmas day, they would have the King back on his throne again."26
The government, however, stood firm and proceeded to break up Christmas celebrations by force of arms. People were arrested in many instances but were not punished beyond a few hours in jail.27 Anglican ministers who decorated their churches and held service on Christmas Day were removed from their posts and replaced by men of softer fiber.28 Slowly and relentlessly, the external observance of Christmas was extinguished. December 25 became a common workday, and business went on as usual. But in spite of these repressive measures many people still celebrated the day with festive meals and merriment in the privacy of their homes. Revival in England • When the old Christmas eventually returned with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, it was actually a "new" Christmas. The spiritual aspect of the feast was now left mostly to the care of the ministers in the church service on Christmas Day. What was observed in. the home consisted of a more shallow celebration in the form of various nonreligious amusements and of general reveling.29 Instead of the old carols in praise of the Child of Bethlehem, the English people observed Christmas with rollicking songs in praise of "plum pudding, goose, capon, minced pie and roast beef."30 However, a spirit of good will to all and of generosity to the poor ennobled these more worldly celebrations of the great rehgious feast Two famous descriptions of this kind of popular celebration are found in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and in Washington Irving's Sketch Book.
The singing of hymns and carols, which had been suppressed by the Puritans, found only a slow and restricted revival in England. Even as late as 1823, an English collector of Christmas lore, William Hone (1842), wrote in his Ancient Mysteries that carols were considered as "something past" and had no place in the nineteenth century.31 Meanwhile, a few rehgious carols had been written and soon became favorites among the English-speaking people. The most famous of these are "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" (Nahum Tate, 1715) and "Hark the herald angels sing" (Charles Wesley, 1788).
Christmas in America •
To the North American continent the Christmas celebration was brought by the missionaries and settlers from the various European nations. The Spaniards established it in their possessions in the sixteenth century, the French in Canada in the seventeenth century. The feast was celebrated with all the splendor of liturgical solemnity and with the traditional customs of the respective nationalities in Florida, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, in Canada, and in the territory of the present State of Michigan. In the colonies of New England, however, the unfortunate and misdirected zeal of the Puritans against Christmas persisted far into the nineteenth century. Christmas remained outlawed until the second half of the last century.32
The Pilgrim fathers worked as usual on their first Christmas Day in America (1620), although they observed the most rigid Sabbath rest on the preceding day, which was Sunday.33 December 25 until 1856 was a common workday in Boston, and those who refused to go to work on Christmas Day were often dismissed. In New England, factory owners would change the starting hours on Christmas Day to five o'clock in order that workers who wanted to attend a church service would have to forego it or else be dismissed for being late for work. As late as 1870, classes were held in the public schools of Boston on Christ-mas Day, and any pupil who stayed at home to observe the feast was gravely punished, even shamed by public dismissal.34
It was not until immigrants from Ireland and from continental Europe arrived in large numbers toward the middle of the last century that Christmas in America began to flourish. The Germans brought the Christmas tree. They were soon joined by the Irish, who contributed the ancient Gaelic custom of putting lights in the windows. All Catholic immigrants, of course, brought the crib, their native carols and hymns, the three Masses on Christmas Day, and the religious obligation of attending Mass and abstaining from work on the Feast of the Nativity.35
Very soon their neighbors, charmed by these unusual but attractive innovations, followed their example and made many of these customs their own. For some years, however, many clergymen continued to warn their congregations against celebrating Christmas with these "new" customs. But eventually a powerful surge of enthusiasm from people of all faiths swept resistance away. New Englanders especially were so won over by this friendly, charming way of celebrating Christmas that a revival of deeper and richer observance followed in many of their churches. One by one, the best of the old traditions were lovingly studied, revived, and became again common practice. Catholics and Protestants co-operated, uniting in a sincere effort to restore the beauties of a truly Christian celebration of the Nativity.
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To be continued
WE SEE AGAIN ADOPTION AND ADAPTION FROM PAGANISM AND A MAN MADE RELIGION - Keith Hunt |
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