It's Over...Again!

" Hope you had a good Christmas? What did you get?"

Christmas is over. Once again, we have memories of family gatherings, happy faces, gifts given and received

 and now,family visitors who have left for their homes.

Time to get the vacuum cleaner out, take off all those ornaments and put away the artificial tree . It’s over, again. Stores and shops have been enjoying their seasonal upsurge in business and now it’s time to check the ‘bottom line’. It’s a great time of the year!

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The secular sideshow of modern Christmas represents a time of joy, gift-giving. Early history credits the first gift-giving and travel to that of the three wise-men visiting the new-born baby Jesus.
Christmas in the Christian tradition honors the birth of Christ – though the commercial side outshouts the sacred in our modern society. History accounts of ‘Christmas’, as we know it, evolved out of the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, a festival honoring their god of agriculture, Saturn, on the winter solstice. Currently, the commercial side of the holiday season heavily outweighs the sacred meaning of Christmas.

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Many of our traditional practices of Christmas have evolved from the past. December is cold, damp with long, dark nights.Christmas in Scandinavia is an antidote to darkness, a way to break winter's hold. From lighting the candles during Advent to following the ritual of burning the Yule Log, Scandinavian Christmas traditions are the highlight of the festive season.

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Advent, for Christians everywhere opens the joyful activities. A candle is lit in each of the four Sundays in prepare for the anticipated event celebrated in US churches.

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 December 6th is an important date for today’s children. Saint Nicolas has been known to bring rewards to the young.

A fourth century bishop named Nicolas was concerned with the people living in poverty in his area.

He gave what he could in homemade food, clothes, and furniture. The bishop even gave out oranges, which would have been very rare and expensive in Lycia, where he lived. The problem: ‘Where to leave these gifts so that the children would find them?’..Everyone would go the early-morning fireplace to get warm! Many people believe Saint Nicholas was the basis of Santa Claus, but the practice of stocking-stuffing can be traced back to his charitable donations in the 4th century. Nicholas believed that childhood should be savored and enjoyed – but in a time where boys and girls younger than 10 had to work to support their families, this wasn’t always possible.

　

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A Famous Swedish saint coincides with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year before calendar reforms, so her feast day has

become a festival of light. Lussinatta, the Lussi Night, was marked in Sweden, December 13 . According to the traditional story, Lucia was born of rich and noble parents around the year 283. It is believed that a Sicilian Saint called Lucia was killed for her Christian faith in 304 AD.

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Scandinavia is known to be the birthplace of Yuletide traditions. The dark, cold winters inspired the development of these customs that would go on to become one of the most important traditions in Christmas around the world.

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Since Scandinavia experiences little natural light for a large amount of the year, the sun has become extremely important to the Scandinavian people. In ancient times, it was believed that the gods controlled the return of the sun and if they were not  worshipped properly , the sun would not return. Because of these superstitions, many Scandinavian holidays, such as Midsummer,Santa Lucia Day, and Christmas, revolve around  the celebration of the sun and light.
   

The high point of the Scandinavian season is not Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve. This part of Scandinavian Christmas traditions  may also have to do with darkness. Coming to dinner through streets wrapped in darkness, having the door of welcome opened and yellow light suddenly streaming out into the dark  must create a warm and friendly atmosphere.

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  Not Santa, but the' Julenisse' puts presents under the Christmas tree at night. According to customs, children leave a bowl of porridge outside for the gnome, in the hope that the gnome gets impressed and leaves presents. At times , the Julenissen can be seen in a small sleigh pulled by a goat!

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In Scandinavia, a small gnome called 'Straw Goats', also known as the'Yule Goat' are

probably the most famous Scandinavian Christmas characters. Typically made out of straw,  these goats are associated with the custom of 'wassailing', sometimes referred to as 'going Yule Goat' in Scandinavia. This can be traced back to sagas recalling two goats pulling the wagon of Thor, the powerful mystic-being who made thunder and lightning by throwing his hammer in the sky. The straw comes from the last bundle of grain harvested earlier to honor a successful harvest season.

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Possible, we may be able to 'spice up' our caroling fun next year! Between Christmas and New  Year’s Day, Scandinavians don masks and costumes and go door to door. Neighbors receiving them attempt to identify who is at their door because the visitors  often disguise their voices and body language to further the masquerade. Offering the visiting people holiday treats and something to drink is customary. Once identities are known and the food is eaten, the Julebukkers,  continue to the next home. This custom has been borrowed and enjoyed by American youth in our Halloween Eve every year.

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The Yule season remains a time for feasting, drinking, gift-giving, and gatherings, but, in the past, it was also  the season of awareness and fear of the forces of the dark.

-In the words of Thor Heyerdahl -

"We use our holidays to celebrate the sun. We celebrate the arrival of the sun, the summer

solstice, we journey to the mountains in search of the sun, and on the days we miss it the

most, because it is farthest away, we cheer ourselves with a grand Christmas fest".
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Now that the Christmas festivities have ended ,  we  expect a long winter. But first, we take some time to reflect on the 'Old Year' , and make our plans for the days yet to come!  Hopefully, an even better year  ahead.

Happy New Year!