Yule history is replete with holiday iconography such as mistletoe, holly, and the yule log. There is a singular icon, however, that is associated with the winter solstice by pagans and non-pagans alike. That icon is the familiar image of Santa Claus.
The history of Santa Claus usually starts with the legend of St. Nicholas, a kindly Christian saint born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra, in modern-day Turkey. Although this is where the "official" history begins, dig a little further into the past and you will discover that the icon of St. Nick was around quite earlier.
Odin
The Vikings worshipped Odin (from Old Norse Óðinn, "The Furious One" ), son of father Borr and mother Bestla, the all-father, the chief of the Aesir gods and the ruler of Asgard, the home of the gods. Odin originated, most probably, as a shamanistic warrior god who practiced Seiðr, a type of sorcery. Odin rode a horse named Sleipnir, who was rumored to have eight legs and rode through the sky on the winter solstice in celebration of Yule. In some traditions of Odin's solstice ride, children placed boots near the chimney filled with treats for Sleipnir. Odin would reward the children for their kindness with candy, food, or gifts.
The Viking ideology spread to other cultures as they expanded their territories. This ideology began to merge with those of the existing cultures.
The Vikings worshipped Odin (from Old Norse Óðinn, "The Furious One" ), son of father Borr and mother Bestla, the all-father, the chief of the Aesir gods and the ruler of Asgard, the home of the gods. Odin originated, most probably, as a shamanistic warrior god who practiced Seiðr, a type of sorcery. Odin rode a horse named Sleipnir, who was rumored to have eight legs and rode through the sky on the winter solstice in celebration of Yule. In some traditions of Odin's solstice ride, children placed boots near the chimney filled with treats for Sleipnir. Odin would reward the children for their kindness with candy, food, or gifts.
The Viking ideology spread to other cultures as they expanded their territories. This ideology began to merge with those of the existing cultures.
The Holly King
The Celts, meanwhile, had their own midwinter iconography. The Holly King was one of the sacrificial gods of the ancient Celtic cultures. Representing the dark half of the year, the Holly King was defeated at the winter solstice (Yule) by his twin, the Oak King. Both are aspects of the Horned God. Sprigs from Christmas holly trees were worn in the hair during the mistletoe rituals performed by the priests of the Celts, the Druids, at the summer and winter solstice observances. The pointy leaves of holly trees were thought to afford magical protection against evil spirits. Holly tree sprigs were also brought into their dwellings during the cold-weather months in the belief that they afforded shelter to the fairies, those tiny spirits of the forest. |
The Holly King lived in the North, surviving in the cold during the reign of the Oak King in the spring and summer. The Oak King needed warmth to survive, and lived in the the south, sleeping, while his brother of the cold reigns over the world during the fall and winter months.
Presents are given to children or young families to represent abundance and fertility. This is the time of the rebirth of the Sun. To honor that rebirth, and to give wishes or hopes to the person receiving the gift for abundance and fertility in the coming year. Now don't assume that 'fertility' means giving birth to a child. Remember these people had to live off the earth and the crops they grew. They didn't have grocery stores on the corner to trot down to and buy food for their families. So in most cases the fertility was for the coming growing season.
Presents are given to children or young families to represent abundance and fertility. This is the time of the rebirth of the Sun. To honor that rebirth, and to give wishes or hopes to the person receiving the gift for abundance and fertility in the coming year. Now don't assume that 'fertility' means giving birth to a child. Remember these people had to live off the earth and the crops they grew. They didn't have grocery stores on the corner to trot down to and buy food for their families. So in most cases the fertility was for the coming growing season.
Santa Claus
The modern legend of Santa Claus is said to be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas, who was a Bishop. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety, kindness, and gift-giving, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends.
However, the true origin of Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical St. Nicholas, the British figure of Father Christmas, the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself based on St. Nicholas), the German figure of the Christkind (a fabulized Christ Child), and the holidays of Twelfth Night and Epiphany and their associated figures of the Three Kings (based on the gift-giving Magi of the Nativity) and Befana.
Father Christmas dates back as far as 16th century in England during the reign of Henry VIII, when he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry. As England no longer kept the feast day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December, the Father Christmas celebration was moved to 25 December to coincide with Christmas Day.
In the Netherlands and Belgium the character of Santa Claus has to compete with that of Sinterklaas, Santa's presumed progenitor. Santa Claus is known as de Kerstman in Dutch ("the Christmas man") and Père Noël ("Father Christmas") in French. But for children in the Netherlands Sinterklaas remains the predominant gift-giver in December; 36% of the Dutch only give presents on Sinterklaas day, whereas Christmas is used by another 21% to give presents. Some 26% of the Dutch population gives presents on both days. In Belgium, Sinterklaas day presents are offered exclusively to children, whereas on Christmas Day, all ages may receive presents. Sinterklaas' assistants are called "Zwarte Pieten" (in Dutch, "Pères Fouettard" in French), so they are not elves.
The Christkind (sometimes known affectionately as Christkindl) is a traditional giver of gifts at Christmas time, mainly in European countries including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland. The word Christkind translates to 'Christ Child'.
In Washington Irving's History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" (a name first used in the American press in 1773) but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention.
In 1821, the book A New-year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve was published in New York. It contained Old Santeclaus with Much Delight, an anonymous poem describing Santeclaus on a reindeer sleigh, bringing presents to children. Some modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the anonymous publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on 23 December 1823; the poem was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. St. Nick is described as being "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" with "a little round belly", that "shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly", in spite of which the "miniature sleigh" and "tiny reindeer" still indicate that he is physically diminutive. The reindeer were also named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem (Dunder and Blixem came from the old Dutch words for thunder and lightning, which were later changed to the more German sounding Donner and Blitzen).
A magazine article from 1853, describing American Christmas customs to British readers, refers to children hanging up their stockings on Christmas Eve for 'a fabulous personage' whose name varies: in Pennsylvania he is usually called 'Krishkinkle' but in New York he is 'St. Nicholas' or 'Santa Claus'.
The modern legend of Santa Claus is said to be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas, who was a Bishop. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety, kindness, and gift-giving, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends.
However, the true origin of Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical St. Nicholas, the British figure of Father Christmas, the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself based on St. Nicholas), the German figure of the Christkind (a fabulized Christ Child), and the holidays of Twelfth Night and Epiphany and their associated figures of the Three Kings (based on the gift-giving Magi of the Nativity) and Befana.
Father Christmas dates back as far as 16th century in England during the reign of Henry VIII, when he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry. As England no longer kept the feast day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December, the Father Christmas celebration was moved to 25 December to coincide with Christmas Day.
In the Netherlands and Belgium the character of Santa Claus has to compete with that of Sinterklaas, Santa's presumed progenitor. Santa Claus is known as de Kerstman in Dutch ("the Christmas man") and Père Noël ("Father Christmas") in French. But for children in the Netherlands Sinterklaas remains the predominant gift-giver in December; 36% of the Dutch only give presents on Sinterklaas day, whereas Christmas is used by another 21% to give presents. Some 26% of the Dutch population gives presents on both days. In Belgium, Sinterklaas day presents are offered exclusively to children, whereas on Christmas Day, all ages may receive presents. Sinterklaas' assistants are called "Zwarte Pieten" (in Dutch, "Pères Fouettard" in French), so they are not elves.
The Christkind (sometimes known affectionately as Christkindl) is a traditional giver of gifts at Christmas time, mainly in European countries including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland. The word Christkind translates to 'Christ Child'.
In Washington Irving's History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Americanized into "Santa Claus" (a name first used in the American press in 1773) but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a lampoon of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention.
In 1821, the book A New-year's present, to the little ones from five to twelve was published in New York. It contained Old Santeclaus with Much Delight, an anonymous poem describing Santeclaus on a reindeer sleigh, bringing presents to children. Some modern ideas of Santa Claus seemingly became canon after the anonymous publication of the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" (better known today as "The Night Before Christmas") in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on 23 December 1823; the poem was later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. St. Nick is described as being "chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf" with "a little round belly", that "shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly", in spite of which the "miniature sleigh" and "tiny reindeer" still indicate that he is physically diminutive. The reindeer were also named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blixem (Dunder and Blixem came from the old Dutch words for thunder and lightning, which were later changed to the more German sounding Donner and Blitzen).
A magazine article from 1853, describing American Christmas customs to British readers, refers to children hanging up their stockings on Christmas Eve for 'a fabulous personage' whose name varies: in Pennsylvania he is usually called 'Krishkinkle' but in New York he is 'St. Nicholas' or 'Santa Claus'.