User:EronMain/Christmas - History
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[edit] History
Intro para
From a Christian religious point of view, Christmas is less significant than Easter and other holidays, and the early church strongly opposed the celebration of birthdays.
[edit] Pre-Christian era
Prior to the Christian era, many cultures and religions celebrated winter festivals. As Christmas developed, those who celebrated it incorporated traditions from many of these earlier observations. The Roman winter festival of Saturnalia, a time of relaxation, feasting, and merry-making, included gift-giving.[1] The Germanic pagan winter festival of Yule, included the Yule log and feasting for up to twelve days.[2] Traces of these and other pre-Christian festivals can still be seen in modern Christmas traditions.
[edit] Origin of the Christian holiday
The idea that December 25 is Jesus' date of birth was popularized by Sextus Julius Africanus in Chronographiai (AD 221), an early reference book for Christians.[3] It is both nine months after the Festival of Annunciation (March 25) as well as the date that the Romans marked as the winter solstice, which they called bruma.[1] When Julius Caesar introduced the Julian Calendar in 45 BC, December 25 was approximately the date of the solstice. (In modern times, the solstice falls on December 21 or 22.)
Earlier, around AD 220, the theologian Tertullian declared that Jesus died on March 25, 29. By AD 240, a list of significant events was being assigned to March 25, partly because it was believed to be the date of the vernal equinox. These events include creation, The Fall of Adam and Eve, and, most relevantly, the Incarnation.[4] The view that the Incarnation occurred on the same date as crucifixion is consistent with a Jewish belief that prophets died at an "integral age," either an anniversary of their birth or of their conception.[5][6]
The identification of December 25 as the birthdate of Jesus did not at first inspire feasting or celebration. In 245, the theologian Origen denounced the idea of celebrating the birthday of Jesus "as if he were a king pharaoh." Only sinners, not saints, celebrate their birthdays, Origen contended.
The earliest reference to the celebration of Christmas is in the Calendar of Filocalus, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome in 354.[7][8] A reference from 360 indicates that Christmas was well-established in Rome by that time. Christmas was promoted in the east as part of the revival of Trinitarian Christianity[7] which followed the death of pro-Arian Emperor Valens in the Battle of Adrianople (378). It was introduced to Constantinople in 379, to Antioch about 380, and to Alexandria about 430.[7] Christmas was especially controversial in Constantinople, the "fortress of Arianism," as Edward Gibbon described it. The feast disappeared after Gregory of Nazianzus resigned as bishop (381), although it was reintroduced by John Chrysostom about 400.[7]
[edit] Medieval Christmas
In the Early Middle Ages, Christmas Day was overshadowed by Epiphany (January 6), which celebrates both the baptism of Jesus and the visit of Magi. But the Medieval calendar was dominated by Christmas-related holidays. The forty days before Christmas became the "forty days of St. Martin," now Advent.[9] In Italy, former Saturnalian traditions were attached to Advent.[9] Around the 12th century, these traditions transferred again to the "twelve days of Christmas" (i.e. Christmas to Epiphany).[9] The fortieth day after Christmas was Candlemas. The prominence of Christmas Day increased gradually after Charlemagne was crowned on Christmas Day in AD 800. King William I of England was crowned on Christmas Day 1066.
By the High Middle Ages, the holiday had become so prominent that chroniclers routinely noted where various magnates celebrated Christmas. King Richard II of England hosted a Christmas feast in 1377 at which twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep were eaten.[9] The Yule boar was a common feature of medieval Christmas feasts. Caroling also became popular, and was originally a group of dancers who sang. The group was composed of a lead singer and a ring of dancers that provided the chorus. Various writers of the time condemned caroling as lewd, indicating that the unruly traditions of Saturnalia and Yule may have continued in this form.[9] "Misrule" — drunkenness, promiscuity, gambling — was also an important aspect of the festival. In England, gifts were exchanged on New Year's Day, and there was special Christmas ale.[9]
[edit] The Reformation and the 1800s
During the Reformation, Protestants condemned Christmas celebration as "trappings of popery" and the "rags of the Beast". The Catholic Church responded by promoting the festival in a more religiously oriented form. When a Puritan parliament triumphed over the King, Charles I of England (1644), Christmas was officially banned (1647). Pro-Christmas rioting broke out in several cities. For several weeks, Canterbury was controlled by the rioters, who decorated doorways with holly and shouted royalist slogans.[10] The Restoration (1660) ended the ban, but Christmas celebration was still disapproved of by the Anglican clergy.
By the 1820s, sectarian tension had eased and British writers began to worry that Christmas was dying out. They imagined Tudor Christmas as a time of heartfelt celebration, and efforts were made to revive the holiday. The book A Christmas Carol (1843) by Charles Dickens played a major role in reinventing Christmas as a holiday emphasizing family, goodwill, and compassion (as opposed to communal celebration and hedonistic excess).[11]
The Puritans of New England disapproved of Christmas and celebration was outlawed in Boston (1659-81). Meanwhile, Virginia and New York celebrated freely. Christmas fell out of favor in the U.S. after the American Revolution, when it was considered an "English custom".
Interest was revived by several short stories by Washington Irving in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (1819) and by "Old Christmas" (1850) which depict harmonous warm-hearted holiday traditions Irving claimed to have observed in England. Although some argue that Irving invented the traditions he describes, they were imitated by his American readers.[12] German immigrants and the homecomings of the Civil War helped promote the holiday. Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the U.S. in 1870.
Irving writes of Saint Nicholas "riding over the tops of the trees, in that selfsame waggon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children."[13] The connection between Santa Claus and Christmas was popularized by the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (1822) by Clement Clarke Moore, which depicts Santa driving a sleigh pulled by reindeer and distributing gifts to children. His image was created by German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902), who drew a new image annually beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. The image was standardized by advertisers in the 1920s.[14]
[edit] Modern times
In the midst of World War I, there was an unofficial Christmas truce between German and British troops in France (1914). Soldiers on both sides spontaneously began to sing Christmas carols and stopped fighting. The truce began on Christmas Day and continued for some time afterward.[15] (Although many stories about the truce include a soccer game between the trench lines (often reported as a 3-2 victory for the Germans) there is no evidence that this event actually occurred.)
In modern times, the United States has experienced some controversy over the nature of Christmas, and whether it is a religious or a secular holiday. Because the US government recognizes Christmas as an official holiday, some have thought that this violates separation of church and state. This has been brought to trial several times, including Lynch v. Donnelly (1984)[16] and Ganulin v. United States (1999).[17] On December 6, 1999, the verdict for Ganulin v. United States (1999). declared that "the establishment of Christmas Day as a legal public holiday does not violate the Establishment Clause because it has a valid secular purpose." This decision was appealed, and upheld by the Supreme Court on December 19, 2000.
More recently, some Christians have protested against what they see as a secularization of Christmas. Some believe that the holiday is under attack from a general secular trend or from persons and organizations with a deliberate or unconscious anti-Christian agenda. The perceived trend has also been blamed on political correctness.[18]
[edit] References
- ^ a b The festival of Sol Invictus was celebrated on December 25 to mark the birthdays of two related solar deities<ref> [http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2000/dec08.html Why December 25?] Christian History and Biography magazine</li> <li id="cite_note-Yule_HC-1">'''[[#cite_ref-Yule_HC_1-0|^]]''' [http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=1252&display_order=1&sub_display_order=1&mini_id=1290 An Ancient Holiday] History Channel</li> <li id="cite_note-2">'''[[#cite_ref-2|^]]''' "Christmas." ''Encyclopædia Britannica.'' Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006.</li> <li id="cite_note-CathAnnun-3">'''[[#cite_ref-CathAnnun_3-0|^]]''' [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01542a.htm "The Feast of the Annunciation"], ''Catholic Encyclopedia,'' 1998.</li> <li id="cite_note-Duchesne-4">'''[[#cite_ref-Duchesne_4-0|^]]''' [[Louis Duchesne|Duchesne, Louis]], ''Les origines du culte chrétien: Etude sur la liturgie latine avant Charlemagne''. Paris, 1889.</li> <li id="cite_note-Talley-5">'''[[#cite_ref-Talley_5-0|^]]''' Talley, Thomas J., ''Origins of the Liturgical Year''. Pueblo Publishing Company, New York, 1986.</li> <li id="cite_note-CathChrit">'''[[#cite_ref-CathChrit_3|^]]''' <strong class="error">Cite error: Invalid <code><ref></code> tag; no text was provided for refs named <code>CathChrit</code></strong></li> <li id="cite_note-7">'''[[#cite_ref-7|^]]''' This document was prepared privately for an aristocrat and is named after an artist who illuminated part of it. The reference to Christmas states, "VIII kal. ian. natus Christus in Betleem Iudeæ". The date of this reference is sometimes given as 336 because the book is based on an earlier manuscript of that date. But the compiler added material and it is not known if this particular item is from the earlier manuscript.</li> <li id="cite_note-Murray-8">^ [[#cite_ref-Murray_8-0|<sup>'''''a'''''</sup>]] [[#cite_ref-Murray_8-1|<sup>'''''b'''''</sup>]] [[#cite_ref-Murray_8-2|<sup>'''''c'''''</sup>]] [[#cite_ref-Murray_8-3|<sup>'''''d'''''</sup>]] [[#cite_ref-Murray_8-4|<sup>'''''e'''''</sup>]] [[#cite_ref-Murray_8-5|<sup>'''''f'''''</sup>]] Murray, Alexander, [http://www.historytoday.com/dt_main_allatonce.asp?gid=13022&aid=&tgid=&amid=13022&g13022=x&g9142=x&g30026=x&g20991=x&g21010=x&g19965=x&g19963=x&e=true "Medieval Christmas"], ''History Today'', December 1986, '''36''' (12), pp. 31 - 39.</li> <li id="cite_note-Durston-9">'''[[#cite_ref-Durston_9-0|^]]''' Durston, Chris, [http://www.historytoday.com/dt_main_allatonce.asp?gid=12890&aid=&tgid=&amid=12890&g12890=x&g9130=x&g30026=x&g20991=x&g21010=x&g19965=x&g19963=x "Lords of Misrule: The Puritan War on Christmas 1642-60"], ''History Today'', December 1985, '''35''' (12) pp. 7 - 14.</li> <li id="cite_note-Rowell-10">'''[[#cite_ref-Rowell_10-0|^]]''' Rowell, Geoffrey, [http://www.historytoday.com/dt_main_allatonce.asp?gid=9784&aid=&tgid=&amid=9784&g9784=x&g9777=x&g30026=x&g20991=x&g21010=x&g19965=x&g19963=x "Dickens and the Construction of Christmas"], ''History Today,'' December 1993, '''43''' (12), pp. 17 - 24.</li> <li id="cite_note-11">'''[[#cite_ref-11|^]]''' [http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/ch/in_america.htm ''The history of Christmas: Christmas history in America''], 2006</li> <li id="cite_note-Irving-12">'''[[#cite_ref-Irving_12-0|^]]''' Irving, Washington, ''History of New York'', 1812.</li> <li id="cite_note-Mikkelson-13">'''[[#cite_ref-Mikkelson_13-0|^]]''' Mikkelson, Barbara and David P., [http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp "The Claus That Refreshes"], ''Snopes.com,'' 2006.</li> <li id="cite_note-14">'''[[#cite_ref-14|^]]''' Baker, Chris, [http://www.1914-1918.net/truce.htm The Christmas Truce of 1914], 1996</li> <li id="cite_note-Lynch-15">'''[[#cite_ref-Lynch_15-0|^]]''' [http://www.belcherfoundation.org/lynch_v_donnelly.htm ''Lynch vs. Donnelly] (1984)</li> <li id="cite_note-Ganulin-16">'''[[#cite_ref-Ganulin_16-0|^]]''' [http://www.becketfund.org/index.php/case/25.html ''Ganulin v. United States''] (1999)</li> <li id="cite_note-17">'''[[#cite_ref-17|^]]''' Cohen, Adam. [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/opinion/04sun3.html?ex=1291352400&en=a1c102d8260b92e3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss This season's war cry: Commercialize Christmas, or else.] ''The New York Times,'' December 4, 2005.</li></ol></ref>
