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Highly recommended:
Folklore of World Holidays
by Margaret
Read MacDonald
Author
Unknown
(Examines authorship of 'The Night Before Christmas')
Saint Nicholas
The Real Santa Claus
The Night Before Christmas
Santa Who?
Yule
Decking the Halls
Folklore &
traditions of Christmas plants
The Winter Solstice
The Fires of Yule
A Keltelven Guide for
Celebrating the Winter Solstice
Sabbat Entertaining
The Pagan Book of Days
Eight Sabbats for Witches
Celebrate the Earth
A Year of Holidays in the Pagan
Tradition
Wheel of the Year
Be A Goddess
The Wiggles - Yule Be Wiggling
Daily Everything
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
The Book of Saints
The Encyclopedia of Saints
Brewer's
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Lord of the Rings
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Pagan
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For
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Crimes Against Nature : How George W Bush and His Corporate
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By Robert F Kennedy, Jr
The Price of Loyalty
The
Torture Debate in America
The
Culture of the New Capitalism
The God Who Wasn't There
A
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By Alfred McCoy
When Corporations Rule the World
Alternatives to Economic Globalization
Feminism Without Borders
Commercialization of Intimate Life
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The Men Who Stare at
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The Skeptic's Dictionary
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Feast
day of St
Nicholas of
Myra
(Santa Claus)
Confessor,
Archbishop of Myra
(Nestflowered heath, Erica nidiflora, is
today's plant, dedicated to this saint.)
Nicholas (Nikolaus) (c. 270 - 345/352) became a Bishop of Myra in Lycia, Asia Minor when
quite young. From this fact arose the old European tradition of Boy
Bishops, who reigned from December 6 to 28, in a parody of church
officials. More of that later.
Among
Christians,
he is also known as the 'Wonderworker'. Several acts of
kindness and miracles are attributed to him. Historical accounts
often confuse him with the later Nicholas of
Sion. He has always been a very popular saint:
in England at least 372 churches are named in
his honour.
He is
said to have been born to relatively affluent
Christian
parents in
Patara, Lycia,
Asia Minor,
Roman Empire,
where he also received his early schooling.
Nicholas's
early activities as a priest are said to have occurred during the
reign of co-ruling Roman Emperors
Diocletian (reigned 284 - 305) and Maximian (reigned 286 - 305) from which comes the
estimation of his age. Diocletian issued an edict in 303 authorizing the systematic
persecution of Christians across the Empire. Following the
abdication of the two Emperors on May 1, 305, the policies
of their successors towards Christians were different. In the
Western part of the Empire, Constantius
Chlorus
(reigned 305 - 306) put an end to the systematic
persecution upon receiving the throne. In the Eastern part, Galerius (reigned 305 - 311) continued the persecution
until 311 when, from his deathbed, he
issued a general edict of toleration. The persecution of 303 - 311 is considered to be the longest
in the history of the Empire. Nicholas survived this period, although
his activities at the time are uncertain. He was present at the Council of
Nicaea (325)
and it is said that he punched Arius on the jaw.
Enemy of the old religion
The
destruction of several
pagan
temples is also attributed to
him, among them one temple of
Artemis (also known as
Diana).
Arguing that the celebration of
Diana's birth is on
December 6, some authors have
speculated that this date was deliberately chosen for Nicholas's
feast day to overshadow or replace the pagan celebrations.
Nicholas
is also known for coming to the defence of the falsely accused,
often preventing them from being executed, and for his prayers on
behalf of sailors and other travellers. The popular worshipping of
Nicholas as a saint seems to have started relatively early
considering that
Justinian I,
Emperor of the
Eastern
Roman Empire (reigned
527
-
565) is reported to have built a
temple in Nicholas's honour in
Constantinople,
the Roman capital of the time.
But
early in the reign of Alexius I
Comnenus (reigned 1081 - 1118), Myra was overtaken by Islamic invaders. Taking advantage
of the confusion, sailors from Bari, Italy, seized the remains of the
saint over the objections of the Orthodox monks then caring for them.
Returning to Bari they brought the remains with them on May 9, 1087. Some
observers reported seeing myrrh exude from these relics, and 30 people were cured of diseases; ever
since, the tomb of Nicholas has been a favourite of pilgrims.
He compelled thieves to restore some
stolen goods to their owners, so became patron of thieves. Saint Nikolaus
or St Nicholas is celebrated in several Western European countries. His reputation for gift giving comes
partly from a story of three young women who were too poor to afford
a dowry for their marriages:
Legend of the 3 dowries
A nobleman of Patara had three daughters; he was so poor he couldn't
provide their dowries and they were going to have to go into
prostitution. St Nick had inherited a large fortune, and he resolved
to help, but secretly. As he went to their house at night, wondering
how to do this, the moon came out from behind a cloud and lit up a
window through which he threw a bag of gold, which fell at the
girls' father's feet. This enable him to provide a dowry for his
first daughter. The next night, St Nicholas threw another in, and
thus procured a dowry for the second daughter. The father wanted to
see the benefactor, so on the third night he saw St Nick coming and
grabbed his cloak, saying "O Nicholas! servant of God! why seek
to hide thyself?" The saint made him promise not to tell any
one. From this came the custom on St Nicholas's eve of putting out
presents for children. For his helping the poor, St Nicholas is the
patron saint of pawnbrokers; the three gold balls traditionally hung outside a
pawnshop are symbolic of the three sacks of gold.
People
then began to suspect that he was behind a large number of other
anonymous gifts to the poor, using the inheritance from his wealthy
parents. After he died, people in the region continued to give to
the poor anonymously, and such gifts were still often attributed to
St Nicholas. It should be noted, perhaps, that a nearly identical
story is attributed by Greek folklore to Basil of
Caesarea.
St Basil's feast day is also considered a time
of exchanging gifts.
Legend of the evil innkeeper
A gentleman of Asia sent his
two sons to Athens for education, and had them stop to see the holy
Archbishop of Myra, St Nick. They stayed in an inn where the keeper
chopped them up and salted them down like bacon. St Nick was warned
of this in a terrible vision and went and charged the landlord with
the crime. He confessed with contrition and asked the forgiveness of
Heaven. Nick did this and also restored the boys. In art, St Nick is
often shown next to a tub with naked children in it.
Santa bits
- The Gnostic followers of St Nicholas,
the Nicolaites, taught that the true way to salvation lay through
frequent copulation.
- In Northern Europe, St Nicholas gained pagan
attributes from Woden (Odin),
chief of the wild hunt, who rides through the sky with reindeer and
42 supernatural huntsmen.
- Today's Santa Claus also has elements of
Thor, traditionally depicted riding a goat and carrying a wassail
bowl.
The
German-American, Thomas Nast,
and other immigrants popularized their 'Saint Nicholas' and
other Christmas traditions in the
USA. The tall, thin European St
Nicholas gradually became a fat, jolly, red cheeked old man, with a
contracted version of 'Saint Nicholas' as his name: Santa Claus. One theory for this
unaccountable transition in appearance of St Nicholas imagery may
be the influence of Hotei, the
Laughing Buddha;
strikingly similar in nature and benevolence.
The Coca-Cola
Company featured in its advertising a Santa Claus designed by artist
Haddon Sundblom, which helped to popularise the design of Santa that
Clement Moore and Nast originated. To this day, Santa Claus still appears on
Coca-Cola products each year around Christmastime. Santa Claus was not
dressed in red and white until Coke gave him that apparel, in its
own corporate livery. In fact, St Nick was a fur-clad elf, and quite
sooty:
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack ...
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf ...
'Twas the Night Before Christmas', or Account of a Visit from
St Nicholas
Either by Clement Clarke Moore or
Major Henry Livingston,
Jr (1748 - 1828)
Popular in Greece
In the
tradition of the Greek
Orthodox Church, he is celebrated as the patron saint of sailors, fishermen, ships and sailing. As such,
over time he has become the patron saint of several cities maintaining harbours.
In centuries of Greek folklore, Nicholas was seen as
'The Lord of the Sea', often described by modern Greek scholars
as more or less a christianised version of Poseidon
(Neptune). The office of protector of sailors was
transferred from Poseidon to St Nicholas. One of Neptune's feast days
was December
3. In Roman Catholic countries, sailors hang up votive pictures
in seaside churches, and make offerings.
In
modern
Greece, he is still easily among
the most recognizable saints and
December 6
finds many cities
celebrating their patron saint.
His
feast day is presumably the date of his death.
St Nick's patronage includes:
against imprisonment,
against robberies,
against robbers,
apothecaries,
bakers,
barrel makers,
boatmen, boot blacks,
boys,
brewers,
brides,
captives,
children,
coopers,
dock workers,
druggists,
fishermen,
Greece,
grooms,
judges,
lawsuits lost unjustly, longshoremen,
maidens,
mariners, merchants,
murderers,
newlyweds, parish clerks,
paupers,
pawnbrokers,
perfumers, pharmacists,
pilgrims,
poor people, Portsmouth England,
prisoners,
Russia,
sailors, scholars,
schoolchildren,
shoe shiners,
Sicily,
spinsters,
thieves,
travellers,
watermen.
Companions of St Nicholas
The Companions of Saint Nicholas (or
Father Christmas) are a group of closely related figures who
accompany St Nicholas in many
European traditions. The tradition is particularly strong
amongst the
Germanic peoples, with some regional expression in the U.S.
(largely from European ethnic groups).
The most recognized companion, especially outside of Europe, is
Knecht Ruprecht, which translates as Farmhand Ruprecht
or Servant Ruprecht. Other companions include Krampus
(Austria,
Bavaria,
Croatia,
Slovenia,
Hungary [spelled Krampusz]), Klaubauf (Bavaria),
Bartel (Styria),
Pelzebock, Pelznickel, Belzeniggl,
Belsnickel (Pennsylvania),
Schmutzli (Switzerland),
Rumpelklas, Bellzebub, Hans Muff, Drapp
or Buzebergt (Augsburg),
Hanstrapp (Alsace,
East of France) and
Le Père Fouettard (Northern
France). In the
Czech Republic, St Nicholas or Svatý Mikuláš is
accompanied by the Čert (Devil) and Anděl (Angel).
These servants are often associated with, but are distinct from St
Nicholas's helpers in the Netherlands and Flanders (called
Zwarte Piet, meaning Black Pete(r) in English).
Sources include Wikipedia, Catholic
Forum et al
Read
Folklore of  Christmas
in
the Scriptorium
St Nicholas and pawn broking
The symbol of the balls associated with St
Nicholas was part of the coat of arms of the Medici family, who
established the Medici
trading and banking empire in Florence, Italy.
The Medicis were a family of bankers and lenders, with considerable
fame and fortune. They became so well known in the finance and
lending profession that the other lenders, wanting to share in their
success, adopted similar coats of arms, signs, shields and symbols,
with three golden balls being the most popular. The Medici family
crest bore such a device.
 The heraldic shield of the Medicis with its
three balls quite possibly derives from a family affiliation
with St Nicholas, but their own family legend explained it
otherwise. Before they were bankers, the Medicis were originally
engaged in the medical profession; Averardo de Medici, an officer
under Charlemagne,
slew a giant named Mugello, on whose mace were three gilded balls,
and Averardo adopted the three golden balls as the device of his
family. Later, other merchants involved
in monetary dealing adopted the balls as their symbol, with the
three balls coming to symbolise the entire profession.
The word 'Lombard' actually came to
mean, in English, a banker or moneylender, so called because the
first bankers were from Lombardy. The region is named for the Lombards
or Langobardi, who came to this region after the
fall of the (western) Roman Empire. During the Middle
Ages, Lombard businesses were set up in Lombard Street (London). The
business of lending money on pawns was carried on in England by
Italian merchants or bankers as early as the reign of King Richard
I.
Brewer (Evans, Ivor
H, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and
Fable, Cassell, London, 1988) tells us that the name Lombard
(according to John Stow, c. 1525 - April
6, 1605,
English
historian
and antiquarian),
is a contraction of Longobards. Among the richest of these Longobard
merchants was the Medici family. The Lombard
bankers exercised a monopoly in pawn broking till the reign of Queen
Elizabeth I.
Another
theory of the origins of the pawnbrokers' balls is that the symbol
derives from the coin known as the 'Silver Shekel' or 'Shekel
of Israel'. It was issued in 68 CE following the 66 CE Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire when the Zealots took Jerusalem and the Sicarii captured the fortress of Masada. One side of this coin depicted
three pomegranates, with a common stalk. In Europe, Jewish people
were closely associated with the pawn broking industry.
Lombard in other expressions
'Lombard Fever' is
an old expression meaning laziness because lazy people will pawn
anything rather than settle down to steady work. The expression,
'Lombard Street to a China Orange'
means long odds. To stake the Bank of England, which is situated in
Lombard St, London, against a common orange is to stake something of
great value against a mere trifle.
A
pawnbrokers' legend of St Nicholas
Pilgrimage
to Bari, Italy, for St Nicholas
As described by
Chambers in 1881, thousands of pilgrims would go
on this pilgrimage. Staves were bound with olive, pine or palm, each bearing a suspended
water-gourd. The priory gave food and shelter to many, and water
which exuded from the crypt was sold to the pilgrims. Many pilgrims
made a circuit of
the church on their knees, some pressing their foreheads to the
pavement, being led by a child with a string that the penitent
holds in his or her mouth. The foreheads of the penitents sometimes
bled on the marble.
There was a procession of sailors who
carried a wooden image of St Nicholas, from the church out to sea,
returning at nightfall under blaze of lights, fireworks and bonfires.
Another parade of town and the image was returned to the church,
with the church canons playing a subordinate role to the mariners in all this.
Chambers described the
whole festival as very serious, even anxious.
Robert
Chambers, (Ed.), The
Book of Days: A miscellany of popular antiquities in connection
with the calendar, etc, W & R Chambers, London, 1881 (1879
Edition is online and 1869
edition here
with CD-ROM available; See also The
English Year: A Personal Selection from Chambers' Book of
Days)
Boy
Bishops
On the Day of St Nicholas, a boy is chosen, called the 'boy bishop' because
the saint exhibited
marvellous indications of piety from the cradle. A custom was held
in English schools and colleges, eg, St Paul's, Eton, Winchester,
and King's College, Cambridge. A boy held office for three weeks as
'bishop'. The custom was abolished by
Henry VIII in 1541,
revived in 1552, and finally abolished by
Elizabeth I.
More recently, in church choirs, such
a boy has been chosen on December 6.
The boy bishop reigned until
Innocents' Day (Childermas, December
28), and was entitled to a monument and a bishop's funeral
should he die during his episcopal tenure. At least one monarch of
England heard mass celebrated by one of these boy bishops.
"The ceremony of the boy bishop is
supposed to have existed not only in the collegiate churches, but in
almost every parish in England."
William
Hone,
The
Every-Day Book, or a Guide to the Year, William Tegg and
Co., London, 1878; 1825-26
edition online
This was in the 13th
and 14th Centuries, still going in 1556 at least.
English
churches that still have boy bishops include
Hereford
Cathedral and
Salisbury
Cathedral.
We note that this custom, in its turning
upside-down of conventional positions in the hierarchy, bears
similarities to the Lord of Misrule and Twelfth Night
King customs.
See
January1
part II for the Christian Feast of Fools
Eton
Montem
Boy Bishop practices
continued in a form at
Eton College,
England, in the Eton Montem ceremony (Ad Montem: to the mount). Instead of
ecclesiastical garb, though, the children traditionally wore military uniforms.
Every three years, the students marched to
Salt Hill
also known as
Montem Mound, near the
Bath
Road in
Slough,
Berkshire,
where they dined
and marched back to Eton.
Certain boys (salt-bearers)
and their scouts,
traditionally extracted money from spectators. In olden days, each donor was given a bit of salt
from the salt-bearer's handkerchief.
The Eton
Montem, which was discontinued in
1844, was probably
originally some kind of initiation ceremony. About mid-18th-Century, it was a biennial
occasion; by the
19th Century, a triennial one. One custom, certainly
left over from the Boy Bishop customs, was a boy dressed as a parson
who read prayers, and kicked another boy, dressed as his clerk, down
the hill.
George III, attended the Montem with his family. Under him it was
very popular; however, the headmaster of Eton asked Queen Victoria to
discontinue the custom, due to the attendance of rough mobs of young
men who arrived by train from London in the last two years or so of
the commemoration. Originally it was held on a day between St
Nicholas's day and Holy
Innocents. It was then celebrated on the
first Tuesday in
Hilary term, which started on
January
13. After
1759, it was on Whit-Tuesday.
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