First year a Xmas tree was lit by electricity was 1882 in New York.
Did you know . . .?
How a poinsettia got its name?
Did you know . . .?
First year a Xmas tree was lit by electricity
was 1882 in New York.
Did you know . . .?
How a poinsettia got its name?
The Feast of Saint Nicholas * La Festa di San Nicola
Saint Nicholas [270-310] was once Bishop of Myra, a town in Asia Minor
(modern-day Turkey). He is supposed to have died on
December 6
[which is why his feast is celebrated on that date]. Recognized for
his
generosity, he is the patron saint of children.
One of the most famous figures of Christendom, Nicholas is the patron
saint of several countries including Russia, Greece, Germany, Austria,
Belgium, Sicily, Loraine, etc. Few people realize where "Santa Claus"
is buried. Do you know the
answer?
The feast of Saint Nicholas was abolished in some European countries
after
the Protestant reformation of the XVIth century -- but this miracle-worker
has always had his share of enthusiastic fans around the globe.
People from Eastern Orthodox religions, for instance, know of no saint more
popular than Nikolai. Similarly, Italians always made a fuss
over San Nicola,
honoring him with a major festival not on Dec. 6th, his name day, but in
the
middle of May. [Odd, eh? Okay, Italy
does not share American expectations;
for example, the masculine first name Nicholas ends in
a:
Nicola.]
But the reason that New Yorkers (and Americans) celebrate Christmas is
because of the Dutch, who had preserved this ancient Catholic custom;
Dutch children once awaited the visit of Sinter Klaas (Saint Nicholas)
and his gifts on the night of December 5.
In the 17th century, the Dutch emigrated to America, establishing
the colony of New Amsterdam which, in
1664, became New York.
As the Dutch custom of commemorating the feast of Saint Nicholas
spread throughout this nation, "Sinter Klaas" became "Santa
Claus"
in the United States.
This philanthropist, depicted as a white-bearded old man with a long
caped
coat [or sometimes in red Episcopal robes], remained, nonetheless, a
moralistic figure: rewarding good children or punishing the unruly ones.
Books of 1821 & 1833 Gave Saint
Nicholas a Make-Over
Washington Irving's - A History of New York, From the Beginning of the
World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker -
depicted Saint Nicholas as a figure in a broad-brimmed hat who smoked
a
long pipe. Irving's character was associated with the then-familiar
patron
saint of New Amsterdam.
Another significant influence was an illustrated poem produced by John
Pintart that portrayed a slim Saint Nicholas who, again, was identified with
December 6 and not with Christmas Eve.
The character of Saint Nicholas created by both Irving and Pintart occupied
a
position of authority and issued rewards for the well-behaved and punishments
for the disobedient. Moreover, the figure of Saint Nicholas was pictured
not on a donkey but guiding a sleigh drawn by just one reindeer. It
was this image of Saint Nicholas that continued to dominate the public's
conception of the holiday season
until 1821.
Based somewhat on these sources, in addition to the workings of his own
poetic imagination, another New Yorker, Reverend Clement Clark Moore
created the Santa Claus Americans know today.
In 1833, Reverend Clement Clark Moore
wrote a poem for his own children that presented a radically new benevolent
image of Saint Nicholas not seen before.
"A Visit From Saint Nicholas" introduced Santa Claus for the first time as
a kind, plump, jolly elf greeting readers with his twinkling eyes, rosy cheeks,
and dimples. Moore's Saint Nicholas smoked a pipe, navigated a miniature
sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer, and made his entrance via the chimney.
An enthusiastic house guest sent Moore's poem to a local newspaper
editor.
Overnight, verses about a jolly old elf who traveled by a reindeer-drawn
sleigh
began to be recited and memorized by families
everywhere.
[Enjoy the
"Feast of
St. Nicholas" - several outstanding events!]
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After awhile, Christian society found it more appropriate to bring this "children's festival" closer to that of the Infant Jesus. Saint Nicholas, consequently, began making his rounds of Christian families during the night of December 24. |
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Many ornaments still used to decorate houses at Christmas date back to the beginning of Christianity. [Example: Xmas candles or tapers.] On Xmas Eve, the early Christians lit a large candle -- symbolizing Christ, Light of the World -- and left it to burn the whole night to mark the Nativity. |
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This ancient custom persists in several European countries,
particularly France, England, Ireland, and Denmark where
Christmas holiday spirit prevails for almost a month.
Using small candles to light up a Christmas tree dates back to the
mid-XVIIth century. The custom was only firmly established,
however, at the beginning of the XIXth century in Germany
and soon after in the Slavic countries of Eastern Europe.
The first candles were glued with wax or pinned to the ends of
tree branches. To make putting up the tapers easier, little
lanterns and small candleholders were sold. Candleholders
with clips appeared around 1890. Glass balls and lanterns
were created between 1902 and 1914.
Candles on evergreen branches were, obviously, a fire
hazard.
The first time a Christmas tree was lit by electricity
was in 1882 in New York.
Edward Johnson, a colleague of Thomas Edison, lit a Christmas
tree with a string of 80 small electric light bulbs he'd made himself.
Strings of Xmas light began to be produced around 1890. Around
1900, large stores started to put up large illuminated evergreens to attract
customers.
Because of the risk of fire, trees were not usually put up until December
24. This technical innovation altered the custom; it was now possible
to put a tree up earlier and leave it up longer, until the day before Epiphany:
January 6th.
Preparations begin with Advent (from the Latin adventus: the
coming or the arrival) which falls around Saint Martin's Day
November 11. Children still open one box a day on their
Advent calendars to count the days until Christmas.
Christmastime closes with the Epiphany.
| Three Kings Day [Feast of the Epiphany] commemorates the announcement of "glad tidings" of Christ's birth via the Magi and shepherds. The Wise Men's narrative mixes fact and fiction. Only the Gospels according to Saint Luke and Saint Matthew mention the birth and childhood of Christ; however, there is no mention in Luke of 3 Wise Men nor of the flight into Egypt, and Matthew does not refer to either a manger or to shepherds following a bright star in the east to Bethlehem. [Question: What is a Neapolitan crèche?] |
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Beautiful large wreaths of fir boughs on doors or windows
began as a German tradition. On the first Sunday in Advent
in Austria and in the south of Germany, families braid a large
fir wreath decorated with a red ribbon and pine cones.
The habit of decorating houses for Christmas dates back to
the second half of the XIXth century. Around 1860, merchants
sold holly leaves and mistletoe balls to wealthy customers as
house decorations. Garlands woven with flowers were also
made to hang on mirror frames, over doors or mantelpieces.
Baskets of dried, wax or paper flowers decorated tables.
Later, these would be replaced by poinsettias,
introduced to
North American by an American botanist Joel Robert Poinsett
who discovered this plant in Mexico in 1825 when he was the
American ambassador to that country.
For a long time, Germany headed the list of major producers of
Xmas ornaments. From 1875 to the beginning of the World War 2,
Germany provided a hefty share of decorations for North American
holiday trees. [Other producers included Austria, the USA, Japan,
Italy, Czechoslovakia, and Canada.]
The first glass ornaments: kugels were glass balls intended to
protect houses against evil spirits. Produced at Lauscha, Germany
[1830], kugels and other Xmas balls were spherical to remind
Christians of fruit that tempted Adam & Eve on the tree of Paradise.
Few people realize where "Santa Claus" is buried. Do you know
the
answer?
Even if you're not in NYC, you can enjoy the
"Feast
of St. Nicholas" - several
traditional
recipes
are online and more are coming.
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Ultimo aggiornamento: 16 agosto 1998: last up-date.
Okay, Italy does not always share American
expectations. One
example: some masculine first names sound feminine to Americans
in Italian -- Gigi, Felice, Michele, Natale -- and some Italian names
ending in "a" are for males:
Andrea, Elia [Elias],
Giona [Jonah],
Gionata [Jonathan], Nicola,
etc.
http://members.aol.com/nonstopny/25anniv/stnicola.htm
