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In 336 A.D, the Roman Emperor Constantine decided to honor the birth and teachings of Jesus Christ as Romans honored the God Saturn during the pagan feast of Saturnalia. This feast day had been celebrated long before the birth of Christ. By the first century B.C. it was an annual rite which took place from Dec. 17-23 and by 217 B.C. it had become a major holiday. During this celebration people exchanged gifts of candles, food and money. They played games and gambled, held great feasts offering food and drink both in private and public. It was also a time of year when masters and servants could switch roles and, for a brief period, pretend to be someone they were not.
“The Adoration of the Shepherds” by Giorgione.
It is unknown why Constantine chose this time to honor Jesus, but it may have been tied to the “suffering servant passages” from Isaiah (45:52-53) which detailed a “righteous servant” who suffered, died, and then was resurrected by God to share his throne. With this new decree Constantine hoped to reunite the people of Rome at a time when the empire was falling apart. While his military was devoted to the Sun god Mithras, his mother Helen was devoted to the teachings of Christ. By 337 A.D. the new Bishop of Rome Julius I gave the newly decreed holiday its own date of Dec. 25.
The most common theory for choosing this date was because it was known as the dies solis invicti nati (day of the birth of the unconquered sun), when the Romans feted the resurgence of the sun, the casting away of winter and the impending rebirth of spring and summer. Christian chronographers of the 3rd century believed that the creation of the world took place at the spring equinox, then thought to be on March 25. They used this date to conclude this was the day of Jesus’ conception. Therefore, his birth would have been nine months later on Dec. 25. For centuries, the celebration of Jesus’ birth was also observed in conjunction with his baptism on Jan. 6.
“Il Ceppo di Natale” from “The Book of Days” (1864) by Robert Chambers.
Numerous pagan customs became associated with Christmas. Christian stories replaced those favored by pagans, but other practices hung on. Candles continued to be lit. Kissing under the mistletoe remained common and the feasts and merriment continued.
During the Middle Ages, Christmas became extremely popular and this period of history saw a broadening elaboration and expansion of the liturgical life of Christians. These rituals developed around the ancient ceremonies of Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, and Epiphany which were expanded upon with a detailed calendar full of celebrations and of commemorations and feasts of saints. The practice of exchanging gifts began by the 15th century and became connected with the name of St. Nicholas, a real but legendary figure of 4th century Lycia in the province of Asia. Nicholas was considered a charitable man who threw gifts into homes.
La Piramide Natalizie Fiorentino.
In Italy during the Middle Ages, it was customary for children to receive their gifts from La Befana. Some scholars speculated La Befana actually originated from pagan winter solstice festivals dating to the 10 th – to 6th centuries B.C. During the span of 12 nights which followed the solstice, mysterious female figures were believed to fly over the fields on broomsticks to bless future harvests. This is just one theory regarding her origins. We will never know for sure where she came from but we do know that she is truly loved!
Medieval festivities began on the eve before Christmas and continued for 12 days until Jan. 5. During this time, the people enjoyed a long break from their agricultural labor. They gathered ivy, holly leaves and mistletoe. These greens were believed to be symbols of fertility as well as protection from evil spirits.
One of the oldest Christmas traditions in Italy (and across Europe) is the Ceppo di Natale, or Yule log. It dates to ancient Rome when the male head of a household would place a log in the fireplace on Christmas Eve to burn from Christmas until Epiphany. It was not recognized as a symbol of Christmas until the beginning of the 10th century. In Christian practice it symbolized the twigs the shepherds used to keep the baby Jesus warm, and the fire symbolizes the redemption of Christ and the light of Christ entering the world.
Il tronchetto di Natale, or Yule log, is a cherished part of Christmas for many. | WIKIMEDIA
In Tuscany, during the 18th century, the log was sometimes impersonated by a large, masked man with a huge head full of thick, ruffled hair. The block of wood was selected carefully, usually from where the roots of the tree fused with the trunk as it represented the connection between the earth and the sky and the unity of family.
The tradition of building a wooden pyramid to hold gifts began in Germany but then spread to other countries. They placed gifts inside, some small and others larger depending on the wealth of the family. In Italy this became known as La Piramide Natalizie but was also sometimes referred to as Il Ceppo di Natale. While some pyramids held gifts others would have Nativity scenes placed inside as well.
In some rural villages a straw-filled rag doll with a basket would be hung outside the home and left there until a knock on the door was heard during the evening meal. Family members would ask “Who’s there?” with a reply of “the log.” Someone would open the door and pull in the doll which was now filled with presents.
The tradition of creating a crib or Nativity scene has been traced to St. Francis of Assisi, who in 1223 constructed one in a cave in the town of Greccio where he held a Christmas Eve mass and a Nativity pageant. Up to the 16th century, the presepi would consist of three figures – the baby in the crib and two beasts who kept him warm. By the end of the Middle Ages the figures of Mary and Joseph were introduced, and gradually the Nativity scene became more complex by adding the adoration of the shepherds, making some of the figures moveable and adding music.
La Befana” by James Lewicki, from “The Golden Book of Christmas Tales” 1956.
During the period of 1558-1603 in the Elizabethan era, holy days became the main focus of the Christmas season, but other non-religious mores came into place. While advent had once been a period of fasting prior to Christmas it now became more of a period of waiting. With more children attending school, the two weeks they had off offered a time of celebration and anticipation.
Food had now become a main focus of the holiday and required much more time to prepare. Because of this, the start of the holiday season was moved to Dec. 24 and Christmas had now replaced the 12th night as the most important as far as celebrations.
By the Victorian era, between 1837 and 1901, holy days were still prominent as part of the season, but people also began to show great nostalgia for the more festive non-religious activities of the Middle Ages. Christmas morning mass was important but great feasts, games, gifts, musical shows and plays also came back into vogue. Mistletoe was still an important decoration, but the Christmas tree now became a central focus. It was decorated with candles and small gifts which could be small toys, sweets, good luck charms and candied fruit hanging from its branches. These were given out to guests whose name was written on an attached tag.
Christmas carols, which became part of the holiday in the 13th century, were sung around a piano or outside homes where participants were often offered a cup of cheer, or a Christmas treat. It is generally recognized that one of the first carols ever to be recorded by history was the 129 A.D. “Angels Hymn.” One of the oldest printed carols is the “Boar’s Head Carol,” which dates from 1521. It was traditionally heard annually at Queen’s College, Oxford as Christmas lunch was carried** One of the first documented Christmas hymns in Italy is “Veni, Redemptor Gentium,” (Come, Redeemer of the Gentiles) composed by Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan.
It was also during this time that Santa Claus, or Babbo Natale, became an important figure of the holiday. In some areas of Italy, mostly in the north, children received presents from him on the night the saint is celebrated on Dec. 6. However, in southern regions it remained common for children to receive gifts from La Befana on Jan. 6.
Music played by zampognari is another custom which existed prior to the official creation of Christmas. On the 8th of December, when Italy officially gets ready for Christmas, people in many parts of the country will be eagerly awaiting the appearance of the zampognari or bagpipe players. These men were originally shepherds who came down from the hills at Christmas to celebrate with their families and entertain people at various shrines. Today they are often men who work in cities but whose families have a zampognaro tradition. One can still enjoy this ancient musical custom, particularly in the North, but also in Rome and the mountains in Abruzzo and Molise.
These customs, from ancient Rome through the late 1800s, have influenced the celebrations we hold dear today. Christmas has become very commercialized but that can’t change the faith, joy, and treasured traditions many of us still cherish from our earliest memories.
A blessed Christmas to all. Un Santo Natale a tutti.
**From Oxford Dictionaries.
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