Christmas Traditions
Doddridge County, like most of America is deeply steeped in Christmas traditions. Did you ever wonder why we give gifts to people on Christ’s birthday? It is His birthday, not everyone else’s. Why is fruitcake considered a Christmas tradition? Where did that tradition come from anyway? You might ask yourself what is the deal with the mistletoe? Let’s look into some of these traditions.
But, before we get into these traditions, let’s have a look at the first Christmas ever celebrated in the United States. It actually took place near Tallahassee, Fla., in 1539, according to historians there. There were no Christmas trees or presents. It was a simple, but special Christmas mass to observe the birth of the baby Jesus.
According to a written chronicle from the 16th century, Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto landed at Shaw’s Point, Bradenton over 500 years ago in May 1539. They established their winter camp that same year near now Tallahassee. De Soto and other members of his expedition celebrated that first U.S. Christmas that year.
Women from that group probably would have cooked the food served on Christmas Day. During excavations pig bones were found. (Spanish were the first to bring pigs to Florida.) Though pork was likely on the menu of the first Christmas honored in America, such meat was not plentiful and there would have been plenty of local vegetables, fruits, and seafood. Turkey might have been on the menu too. We cannot know for certain.
The Spaniards learned from the Apalachee Indians how to live off the land, surviving on edible plants and avoiding the poisonous ones. Basket weaving, for example, allowed them to construct useful containers out of local plant materials.
De Soto’s settlement is home to Mission San Luis in Tallahassee. The first permanent buildings associated with the mission were erected in 1633. The buildings housed descendants of the Native Americans whose village De Soto and his men appropriated.
For three generations, more than 1,500 Apalachee Indians and Spanish colonists lived together at Mission San Luis. Interesting, Mission San Luis preceded missions in California by more than 150 years.
Christmas became an officially celebrated holiday in America in 1870.
Gifts –The act of giving dates back to the first Christmas, when the 3 Magi named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in honor of Jesus Christ’s birth. However, the tradition is not exclusive to Christianity. It dates back to even before the birth of the Christ Child.
The Pagans in Europe and the Middle East offered gifts at several winter festivals, including the Saturnalia, the agricultural god Saturn. Revelers even greeted one another with “Io Saturnalia!” This might be considered the equivalent of “Merry Christmas” today. Does this conflict with the tradition of giving during our most sacred holiday of the year? I don’t believe that it does. It simply explains why the Magi wanted to give their gifts to honor Jesus’ birth.
In America, when Christmas celebrations became legal in the 1680s, gift giving boomed. Wooden toys were carved, and the women created intricate needlework to give to their neighbors and family. By 1867 most of the handmade items gave way to the store-bought toys. It was at that time the Industrial Revolution changed Christmas forever.
Gingerbread Houses – What is gingerbread? It is actually a French word, which means “preserved ginger”. Ginger was first cultivated in ancient China, where it was discovered to be beneficial in preserving both flour and meat. Soon, ginger was baked into small crisps that became known as cookies in Western Europe. Decorated with fancy gilded edges, they would be the foundation of what we know today as the gingerbread house.
The practice of making gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 1800’s. Gingerbread was already used to create art, German bakers based their creation off the popular fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, “Hansel and Gretel” and the rest is history.
It is believed that the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2400 BC. China developed recipes during the 10th century, and by the late Middle Ages, Europeans developed their own version of gingerbread. The practice of baking gingerbread was brought to America by English colonists. So, the next time you bake, buy, or taste a ginger cookie, remember to credit your forefathers for their contribution in the history of the ginger cookie.
Fruitcakes – If you’re like many, the thought of receiving a fruitcake this Christmas is not the highlight of your holiday. The truth is I never tasted a fruitcake worth eating until my mother-in-law, Zonetta Wells Harris, asked me to just try hers one time. I conceded and was so amazed at the rich sweet-not so sweet bread-cake. It was delicious. I am honored to bake her fruitcake each year and take a moment to acknowledge her many abilities and again feel the great love and respect I had for her. May she rest in peace.
The tradition of giving fruitcakes at Christmas time has a long history, and the question has always been, “Is it cake or is it bread? It is an extremely heavy ‘cake’ filled with fruit, nuts, and gum drops with a touch of rum or other alcohol to aid in the preservation. They didn’t use just any fruit, nuts, and gum drops. The fruit and nuts have to be dried or soaked in sugar. The process of making the fruitcake is prepared, preserves it for an exceptionally long time. It has been said that there are even fruitcakes that are still okay to eat after being kept for 25 years. One family has held onto a fruitcake for over 130 years. Because it is such a family heirloom, no one is planning to eat it – I’m sure the fact that it has hardened into something like a rock is a deterrent for anyone possibly considering
tasting it.
Fruitcakes date back 2,000 years to ancient Rome. It was a mix of barley mash, dried raisins, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and honeyed wine. Fruitcakes used to be a sign of wealth because the fruit was not as plentiful in the winter. Over time, Europeans created their own version of the ‘satura’ (fruitcake). The tradition was brought to Appalachia by the Scots-Irish. Like it or not, Christmas fruitcakes are here to stay.
Mistletoe – The practice of kissing under the Mistletoe originated with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, the festival of Saturn. In England mistletoe wasn’t mentioned in literature until the 18th century after which time it flourished throughout Europe. Actual Kissing Balls were held by both the high society gentry and the common folks alike. An elaborate mistletoe ball was formed using entire branches including the berries with red ribbon. Then, it was hung from the ceiling of the danceroom. The kissing ball was considered a romantic gesture, rather than simply good will to one another.
The English tradition was that a gentleman would pluck one white berry while kissing the lady on the cheek. One kiss was permitted for each berry he could obtain. Tradition says that if the young lady did not allow for the kiss, she should not expect any marriage proposals for at least the next year.
The use of mistletoe in folk lore also dates back to the ancient Druids who believed it to be a sacred plant. It was used in many of their rituals. They thought that mistletoe had mystical powers and held the soul of the host tree.
Did you know that there are 2 types of mistletoe? The one we are so familiar with and consider to be the Christmas mistletoe is native to North America growing along the east coast and down to Florida. Oddly enough, something so endearing to most of us has a dark side. It seems the mistletoe berries found in red and pink as well as the white berries we usually find on the artificial mistletoe are poisonous to human.
Did you know that the mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant living off host plants and trees? In severe cases, a large mistletoe infestation can kill even a mighty oak tree by robbing it needed nutrients. The mistletoe shown in this photo is in North Carolina.
Reindeer – The story of the reindeer and Christmas is an interesting one. Its origins do not date back to the days of the druids or the Romans. The reindeer at Christmas is strictly an American tradition brought to life in Upstate New York nearly a century ago when a poem titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” was written regarding mystical flying chauffeurs for Santa. You may have heard of the poem. It is now one of the most read children’s storybooks at Christmas time. Today it is titled “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
The poem was first published in New York’s Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. There was no name attached to it. Later, Clement Clarke Moore, a professor and poet, was given credit for the poem. The story was that his housekeeper had, without Moore’s knowledge, sent the piece to the newspaper. It was said that he had written the poem for his kids. In 1844, the poem was officially included in an anthology of Moore’s work.
The problem was that 13 years after it was published in the newspaper, the family of Henry Livingston, Jr., claimed their father had been reciting “A Visit from St. Nicholas” to them for 15 years before it was published.
When a professor from Vassar analyzed poetry by both authors, he declared that there was virtually no possible way Moore could have written “A Visit from St. Nicholas” aka “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. According to the professor, the style of the Christmas favorite was completely different—both structurally and content-wise—than anything else Moore had ever written. But the anapestic scheme used matched up with some of Livingston’s work perfectly.
The family points out that the original names of two of the reindeer, “Dunder” and “Blixem” were the Dutch words for “thunder” and “lightning” (Names evolved to be “Donner” and “Blitzen.”). I leave the decision as to who the actual author of this great classic to the reader.
“Wizard of Oz” author, L Frank Baum named 10 reindeer of his own in his 1902 children’s book, “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.” Their names were Flossie and Glossie, Racer and Pacer, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady, Feckless and Speckless. Sadly, this reindeer team never seemed to get established. You might say, they didn’t take off. (Punt intended.)
In 1939, Montgomery Ward copy writer, Robert Lewis May, was asked to write a children’s book for the children who visited their store. May not only wrote a beautiful children’s story book. He introduced a special reindeer to the world through this children’s book. You might recognize the title of the book, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” It was then that the number of reindeer pulling Santa’s sled officially became nine. Gene Autry made Rudolph the red nosed reindeer a household name with his popular 1949 song, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
The 1964 world-famous animation movie came out and Rudolph had carved out his place in history. Though Rudolph shared the limelight with the others, Rudolph is truly the most famous reindeer of all.
God Bless and Merry Christmas
Patricia Richards Harris
