CHRISTMAS AND SANTA CLAUS FOLKLORE

Author: (American) Bonhoeffer
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: In the early days of Christianity, there was another religion competing with it. Many Romans worshipped Mithras—the Persian savior. People celebrated his birth on December 25th, a festival known as "The Birthday of the Unconquerable God." Mithras shared many similarities with Christ. In the 4th century, Christians adopted December 25th as the birthday of Christ. The reason for this was sound. Like early winter solstice celebrations, the birth of Christ was also associated with light. The angel who appeared before the shepherds was surrounded by a halo, it was he who told the shepherds about the good news of Christ's birth, and it was also a particularly bright star that guided the Three Wise Men on their long journey to worship the newly born Lord. Today, the burning candles of Christmas symbolize Christ, the "Light of the World." On Christmas Eve, many churches hold candlelight ceremonies; people light candles in shop windows and on tables; even the bright lights decorating indoor trees and outdoor trees symbolize the sacred light that has come to the world. Today, people often claim that we have "lost the true meaning of Christmas." They naively look back on their childhood Christmases, believing that their youth was more "authentic" and more traditional. But in fact, our modern society also has its own traditions, some of which may differ from those experienced by our parents or grandparents, but no matter what, they are closely linked to the customs and beliefs associated with the birth of Christ long ago. Our contemporary society is not a society that struggles to remember the spirit of Christmas. The halo of generosity and holy love is often easily overshadowed by human greed and selfishness. However, this light continues to burn, generation after generation, unceasingly. In the Middle Ages, people were not much different from today. They enjoyed the festive atmosphere of Christmas but were easily forgetful of the meaning behind the celebration. An old folk tale tells of St. Francis of Assisi, who was deeply committed to ensuring that people never forgot the story of Christmas. Although he was born into a wealthy Italian merchant family, he abandoned his leisurely life to help the poor. He was famous for his preaching, and people often came from far away to hear him speak. P14-15