BLESSED CHRISTMASTIDE!
I was watching a ‘Special’ on TV regarding Old England’s traditions during the Twelve Days of Christmas. It reminded me that there are others in the world who begin their Christmastide celebration the day of the
Christ Mass, December 25, and not before. I was telling my brother of these traditions during our long telephone conversation. He was fascinated. His wife had given him presents for twelve days prior to Christmas day thinking that was the original tradition. Needless to say, it was a great opportunity to share Christian traditions with one I love dearly.
This twelve day interval, called Christmastide, begins December 25 and ends January 6, when we celebrate the Epiphany, that ‘aha moment’ when the Magi discover the divinity of Jesus in Bethlehem. Thus, these twelve days tie the ‘old’ year and the ‘new’ year together as we begin a new journey with the birth of Jesus, the Christ.
In the Tudor traditions of Henry VIII, there were no festivities before Christmas day. In fact, Advent, the four weeks before the Christ Mass, was a time of fasting. No eggs, no cream, no sugar (which was so expensive that even the king measured it carefully), no wine or ale, and meat only once a week. People also “fasted” from revelry, parties or even weddings, which would have to wait until after Epiphany.
So, on Christmas day there was a grand feast in the kingdom and the finest piece of meat was served, a stuffed Boar’s head. Actually, the head was hollowed out and the finest of the pork was ground, a bit like spam, and stuffed back into the head. The choir, pipers and lutes marched before the grand entrance of this fine piece of work as the parade of food entered the king’s dining room. This boar’s head was an expensive gift even for a king!
The king’s kitchen prepared so much food for the court that they had plenty of leftovers. Thus, they created a “First day of Christmas” tradition. They ’doled’ out the uneaten food to the poor, over 1/3 of the population. This enabled all to have some reason to rejoice on Christmas day after attending church. "On the DOLE" became a phrase used for centuries when the needy receive alms.
The Second day of Christmas is always set aside to remember our first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. Remember the words to the ancient song? "Good King Wenceslas went out, on the feast of Stephen . . . " He went out the day after Christmas, the day when we think of Christian martyrs who stood strong in their faith when threatened with death. This good king was known and loved for his strong faith in Christ. He also gave the leftovers, the ‘dole,' to the poor.
Although this sad day of remembrance of Stephen’s death was a 'feast' day for the poor, we are also reminded to stand firm in our Christian faith when threatened with death. Like Stephen, a deacon in the church, we are given Holy Boldness to persevere even unto death. After the festivities of Christmas day, we are brought into the reality of the challenge of remaining strong in our faith.
By the third day of Christmas we may still be enjoying the food from Christmas Day. For many, the revelry is just getting started. In fact, in the 1500s the breaking of the Advent fast meant that the people could now play games, tricks, on one another or do devilish deeds during Christmastide.
During these twelve days of Christmas neighbors would wear grotesque masks and join others as they visited their selected neighbor on these darkest nights of the year. These ‘mummers’ could not say anything but they could only ‘murmur’ or say ‘mmmmm.’ To this day groups of people all over the U.S. have a ‘Mummers’ parade, like that in Philadelphia on New Year’s Day. They dress extravagantly in ‘bling-filled’ costumes and prance through streets with brass playing in their midst.
In Tudor times this ‘parade’ of neighbors was far less extravagant. They would visit a specific neighbor and knock on their door. Upon opening the door and seeing these grotesquely clad people, this neighbor would be obligated to invite them in for a simple game, “Throw of the dice.” If the dice were thrown the exact number twice, the one who was visited was obligated to hand over a few coins. Of course the dice were weighted so the one visited would always loose. This was expected. Part of the game was to guess who was behind each mask as treats were served. This Christmas tradition soon faded as these ‘tricks and treats’ were moved to All Hallows Eve or Halloween.
This Fourth Day of Christmas we take time to remember the ‘holy innocents.’ When the Magi visited King Herod, they asked where they could find the ‘new born king.’ They fully expected this new king to be in the house of Herod. Herod knew nothing and, after securing information from his court regarding this ‘king,’ he was enraged. Finding out there was born a ‘King of kings’, Herod did not want to be usurped by any other ‘king’.
Herod estimated that this king-child would be about two years old by the time the Magi visited. So, he ordered the death of all male babies in the area who were about two years old. Some historians estimate about 250 babies were killed in Bethlehem but we do not know if Herod’s edict was followed beyond this area. Innocent babies were killed because of a deranged leader. Therefore, this day of remembrance is called Holy Innocents’ day.
The fifth day of Christmas brings glad tidings. We have become familiar with the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, but this song was written long after the Tudor period. Stories fly through the air of each day’s
Catholics all over the world celebrated this season before King Henry decided to protest the rule of a Pope and declare himself ‘ruler’ of the ‘protest’ . . . protestant. [This transition to the protestant faith is far more complex but I simplify here to keep the context of Christmastide.] Therefore, protestants retained the traditions of these twelve days, Christmastide, as they broke off from their Catholic roots.
“The fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, five golden rings!”
Indeed, this gift would be far too generous even for a king. Yet, during the seventh and eighth days of Christmastide, December 31 and January 1, the rich and powerful would woo the king with fine gifts as the king would also give gifts to them. The king might receive 20-30 shirts as he would need many. He changed his shirt as many as three times a day.
Most often, the king would receive far more than he gave away. This helped pay for that grand feast that was served on Christmas day. Everyone else in the kingdom would wait until the proper day, Epiphany, not Christmas day, to share their simple gifts with one another.
As we move through these twelve days, events blur together. Selected days still stand out such as the ninth day of Christmas. According to Jewish tradition, eight days after the birth of a male, the child is dedicated to the Lord, thus being circumcised as a sign of his faith. Mary and Joseph took their child to the temple to be blessed and circumcised on the eight day after his birth. Perhaps, in Tudor times, they counted days after Christ’s birth.
In Jewish tradition, the date of birth is the first day so circumcision is usually on the eighth day. I was told that there was a medical reason to wait eight days. It took about eight days for the baby’s body to be medically ready for this simple procedure. God’s words to His chosen people regarding what to do to honor him were totally in line with how he created us. God, our creator, created us creatively. Always amazing to me.
Christians do not consider circumcision to be necessary to show our dedication, our faith, in the Lord. However, circumcision continues to be a standard practice after birth for good health. No need for an eight day waiting period except for those who practice the Jewish tradition, a grand celebration still honored to this day.
Revelry and drinking far too much ale continued
throughout Christmastide with its culmination on Epiphany. For soldiers in the king’s army, much drinking and playing of games was illegal during the year except during these twelve days. It seems that these young men should have no time for fun and games. Any time they have outside of their daily duties should be used to maintain their archery skills. Interestingly enough, these twelve days are set aside to break all rules. I wonder if the enemies of the king realize that the kingdom would be mighty vulnerable during this festive day?
Herbs and spices were added to wine to make it last longer. Thus began the tradition of ‘mulled wine’ during these cold winter days. Honey added to ale was called Mead and was also enjoyed during these days of revelry.
Remember jousting? This was an ancient sport that turned into dancing. Instead of the bloody sport of a few chosen knights, the court would play out this tradition through complex dances. Dance told the story. Courtiers spent much time learning intricate dances where they could show their skill and, perhaps, their status, not unlike those who learned to joust.
And so we come to the end of Christmastide, Epiphany. This is the twelfth day, the most important celebration of Christmastide. This is the day, not Christmas day, in which gifts use to be shared. The ham or turkey or chicken was basted for hours. Sweets, like marzipan, were shared by the wealthy. Most of the population shared decorated cakes and biscuits (cookies). We still share these traditions but most likely before Christmas day.
On the day of the Epiphany many churches have a short pageant reminding us of the Magi’s discovery of Jesus. Our manger scene remains in place up to this day as the choir procession leads the three children dressed
as ‘Wise Ones’ walks behind bearing gifts to be placed before baby Jesus. We forget to remember that it took these Persian men well over a year to arrive in Bethlehem. They may well have taken a year of discernment before they packed up for the journey. Jesus was a toddler by now and Mary and Joseph lived in a house. Yet, this is a moment in time for us to plant in our hearts.
We celebrate that ‘aha’ moment of discovery, of wonder, of understanding. It’s a reminder to each of us to ask ourselves if we truly know the One we celebrate during Christmastide. Do we celebrate because we know and love and believe in Jesus, the incarnation from God, the One who lived among us, was crucified and resurrected from the dead?
First, REJOICE!
EnJOY these moments of celebration.
Next, REFLECT.
Ask yourself what this season of rejoicing really means to you.
Then, RECEIVE.
Ask the Lord to manifest His presence in you in new ways throughout this coming year. Seek deeper understanding of your faith in Jesus Christ.
Find new ways to grow, a new group to join or even lead, new ways to worship Him.
May God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit bring renewed JOY to you this coming year as you maintain beloved, even ancient, traditions in your adoration of Jesus, the Christ, our King of kings, our Lord of lords.
