Traditions are the memories of yesterday,
The promise of tomorrow
Mrs. Claus was first mentioned by Katherine Lee Bates who wrote the words to America the Beautiful. In one of her poems "Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride" from her book Sunshine and other Verses for Children published in 1889 she used the shortened form of "Goody" meaning the female head of the household.
Information below came from
All Things Christmas
Santa Claus
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The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 A.D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors purportedly stole his remains and removed them to Bari, Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims he that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cape, flowing white beard, and bishop's mitre. |
In Greece, he is the patron saint of sailors, in France
he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium the patron of
children and travellers. Thousands of churches across Europe
were dedicated to him and some time around the 12th century
an official church holiday was created in his honor. The Feast
of St. Nicholas was celebrated December 6 and the day was
marked by gift-giving and charity.
After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas
dwindled, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the
Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolaas was eventually transformed
to Sinterklaas. Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes
by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward good children
by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought
brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century
and here the Anglican name of Santa Claus emerged.
In 1822 Clement C. Moore composed the poem A
Visit From Saint Nicholas, published as The Night
Before Christmas as a gift for his children. In it, he
portrays Santa Claus:
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly,
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
Other countries feature different gift-bearers for the Christmas or Advent season: La Befana in Italy ~ The Three Kings in Spain, Puerto Rico, and Mexico ~ Christkindl or the Christ Child in Switzerland and Austria ~ Father Christmas in England ~ and Pere Noël, Father Christmas or the Christ Child in France. Still, the figure of Santa Claus as a jolly, benevolent, plump man in a red suit described in Moore's poem remains with us today and is recognized by children and adults alike around the world.
Christmas Trees
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In 16th-century Germany fir trees were decorated, both indoors and out, with apples, roses, gilded candies, and colored paper. In the Middle Ages, a popular religous play depicted the story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. A fir tree hung with apples was used to symbolize the Garden of Eden -- the Paradise Tree. The play ended with the prophecy of a saviour coming, and so was often performed during the Advent season. It is held that Protestant reformer Martin Luther first adorned trees with light. While coming home one December evening, the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of a fir inspired him to recreate the effect by placing candles on the branches of a small fir tree inside his home |
The Christmas Tree was brought to England by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert from his native Germany. The famous Illustrated News etching in 1848, featuring the Royal Family of Victoria, Albert and their children gathered around a Christmas tree in Windsor Castle, popularized the tree throughout Victorian England. Brought to America by the Pennsylvania Germans, the Christmas tree became by the late 19th century.
Focus on Christmas Traditions in US
The variations of the Christmas traditions of USA equal the number active cultures that have settled in the land. These cultural contributions were given a new lease of life by creative artists, authors, poets and songwriters, and it was melded together by the power of secular and commercialized media in record companies, radio stations, television, cinemas and now the internet. The unwritten law of media is the presentation of a seemingly uniform celebration of the Christmas traditions of USA. This is responsible for the world wide acceptance of a universal Christmas image which they get from the media. Nevertheless, the celebrations are peculiar to each region.
Christmas Stockings
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According to legend, a kindly nobleman
grew despondent over the death of his beloved wife and
foolishly squandered his fortune. This left his three
young daughters without dowries and thus facing a life
of spinsterhood.
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