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History of the holidays - History of the holidays |
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Written by Dan England
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Friday, 21 December 2007 |
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Page 2 of 3
OH CHRISTMAS TREE, WHERE DID YOU (AND ALL THAT OTHER FUN HOLIDAY STUFF) COME FROM?
CANDY CANES
Why do we eat candy canes at Christmas time?
Plenty of sources will tell you the candy cane was created by an Indiana candy maker as a tribute to Jesus. White for purity, red for the blood shed on the cross, shaped into a “J” for Jesus.
It’s a great story; it’s just not true.
Researchers disagree on the true history. Some think that the candy cane dates to the 17th century and that the shape was made to resemble a shepherd’s crook, says “The Encyclopedia of Christmas.”
Another tradition traces the candy’s origin to a cathedral in Cologne, Germany, where clerics used it to keep children quiet during Christmas services.
EGGNOG
The drink evolved from “grog,” a mix of alcohol and spices, and is reputed to be made popular by George Washington, who enjoyed a stiff version of drinks combined with milk, cream and eggs. It also has roots in the English drink wassail, which uses fruits as a base instead of eggs and inspired the caroling classic “Here We Go a Wassailing.”
FRUITCAKE
This Christmas tradition began shortly after an influx of cheap sugar arrived in European colonies in the 1500s.
Or, as Robert Sietsema groused in the Village Voice, “Some goon discovered that fruit could be preserved by soaking it in successively greater concentrations of sugar.”
The sugared fruit was then baked into a fruitcake, or plum cake as it was originally called. It became popular, especially around Christmas.
It has become a holiday tradition to humorously disparage the fruitcake, which too often becomes dry and dense.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The first known illuminated tree was by Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, in 1882. By 1900, businesses started stringing up Christmas lights behind their windows. Lights were too expensive, so candles remained the light of choice until 1930.
MISTLETOE
Mistletoe traditions go back many years to many cultures. In most places mistletoe is considered a sign of love, peace and goodwill. In fact, mistletoe is a parasitic plant on the branches of a tree or shrub. Some research show the custom to kiss under a hanging of mistletoe as English. Some hung it in their house year-round to protect it from fire. The tradition is largely unknown throughout the rest of Europe.
Another explanation is this, as recounted in “How Christmas Works”: Frigga is the Scandinavian goddess of love and beauty. One day, according to tradition, Frigga’s son, Balder, was killed by a poison dart that his enemy, Loki, made from mistletoe. Frigga’s tears changed the red mistletoe berries to white and raised Balder from the dead.
In gratitude for getting her son back, Frigga reversed mistletoe’s bad reputation and kissed everyone who walked underneath it.
CHRISTMAS TREES
The Christmas tree originated in Germany.
Most researchers say the earliest reference to a decorated tree dates to the 16th century (although some place its origins much earlier).
By 1561 the custom of bringing a tree inside at Christmas was so common that deforestation was becoming a problem. As a result a region in Western Germany limited trees to one per home. Some families lighted the trees with candles. Through German immigrants, the tradition traveled to England, and then to America.
While the Christmas tree first made its appearance in the U.S. in the middle of the 18th century, 100 years later it was still controversial. The New York Times editorialized against the Christmas tree in the 1880s. And President Teddy Roosevelt, a conservationist, denounced the practice of cutting down trees as a waste of good wood. Another story traces the orgins to St. Boniface 1,000 years ago when St. Boniface cut down an oak tree after he saw pagans worshipping it. To his amazement, a young fir tree sprung up in its place, and Boniface took that as a sign of the Christian faith.
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