Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Welcome to Fascinating Facts and Tantalizing Trivia

A Hartson Dowd Column

December 26, 2006

CHRISTMAS, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, is observed by Christians around the world.  As a holiday, Christmas is a strange joining of Christian and pagan traditions.  Decorating with holly, ivy and mistletoe, indulging in eating and drinking, exchanging gifts and stringing lights on trees can all be traced back to Saturnalia, or the rites of winter solstice.  The Yule log, which burned during the Christmas season, was probably part of the winter solstice rite of burning bonfires to celebrate the return of longer days.

Today, the Bache de Noel, or Yule Log, is a chocolate cake with white icing “snow” that symbolizes the Yule log of years gone by.  (see recipe below)

The custom of decorating evergreen trees is borrowed from Germany.  Martin Luther is said to have had the idea when he saw the stars twinkling over the evergreen trees while he was walking.  The lights on the tree would be symbolic of the heavens from where Christ came.  Although candles provided the early lights, most trees are now decorated with strings of electric lights.  Many cities across the country decorate an enormous evergreen tree, often at City Hall.

Kado Matsu is an old Japanese tradition that sees families go into the woods to cut down a pine tree to place near their front door in the week before New Year’s Day.  The evergreen is a symbol of strength and long life.

Christmas Day is most often a time of family get-togethers and wonderful traditional Christmas dinners.  Of course your tradition depends on your roots.  In our family we enjoy a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy.  Across our country, the traditional meal may include reindeer, roast goose, ham, tamales, gingerbread, stolen or torrone.  Whatever you choose to eat, I hope you will enjoy it in the company of family and good friends.

BOXING DAY on the 26^th gets its name from the English custom of giving Christmas boxes of food and money to family servants, trades people and others.  The boxes were usually little earthenware boxes that were carried from house to house to collect tips and year-end bonuses.  For centuries December 26^th was also known as St. Stephen’s Day.

December 26^th, is the day that Kwanzaa, a relatively new celebration, begins,  A cultural festival, Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Manlna Karenga, a college professor in California, to encourage people of African origin to celebrate their rich heritage.

Kwanzaa is a Kiswahili word meaning “the first fruits of the harvest.”  The festival is based on seven principles.  One of the seven is highlighted each day of the holiday.  A seven-branched candelabrum holds three green candles to symbolize hope for the future and one black candle, in the centre, to represent the African-American people.

Families gather each evening to light a candle and to discuss the principle of the day.  On the evening of the 31^st there is a community feast or karamu.

In Canada, Kwanzaa customs are still developing but it is becoming more important and more widely celebrated each year.

Hartson S. Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net