Lights in the Darkness...

Advent Wreath with Candles

As my 7 year old is fond of pointing out, we now get up for school in the "pitch black darkness".   Hearing her say this amidst the candles and Christmas tree lights in our house, got me thinking - where do all the traditions involving lights during this dark time of year come from? There seem to be so many different celebrations that include candles, coming from diverse backgrounds- from the Menorah (commemorating the miraculous burning of the oil for 8 days following the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks - read here for more information) to the Advent candles used by our family (used as a reminder to focus on preparing for the birth of Jesus - read here for more details) to the relatively recent Kwanzaa celebrations (focusing on the struggles and hopes of Africans in diaspora - read here for more information). While these celebrations all have a clear religious and/or cultural basis, there seem to be so many other seasonal uses for candles that have less clear or less publicized origins.

Santa Lucia Figurine

My eldest daughter has long had a fascination with "Santa Lucia" or St. Lucy - owing no doubt to our set of Holiday Celebrations around the World figurines.  Since toddlerhood she has enjoyed hearing, and then reading the story of young girls dressing as Lucia and bringing breakfast to their families in celebration of St. Lucy's feast day on Dec.13th. We never went beyond that though, to find out why St. Lucy was wearing candles and bringing food, or why an Italian, Catholic saint was so popular in predominantly Lutheran Scandinavia. Being me, this meant it was time to research, and share! The first question was easier to answer - St. Lucy was a young girl martyred in Rome, around 304 AD. She was killed because she was bringing food to the Roman Christians hiding in the catacombs and wore candles on her head to provide light to her path, as her hands were full of food - practical girl!  The answer to the second question is a bit dicier, but after reading multiple sources I would summarize it like this.... December 13th was the Winter Solstice in the old Julian calendar, and as such the darkest day of the year.  Scandinavian countries in particular have an extreme shift in their number of hours of darkness due to their closeness

St. Lucia Day at our house

to the polar region, and as such naturally had pre-Christian rituals and celebrations surrounding this transition from darkness to increasing light. When Christian missionaries from Italy arrived and brought with them stories of St. Lucia it was natural for the locals to connect that story to their traditions and she became something of a icon in that area, even following the Protestant Reformation. Also, as my daughter can attest - its fun to dress up in candles and deliver treats!



Vintage inspired candles on a tree

The tradition of tabletop candles dates to medieval times, and continues today in various formats worldwide.  In Ireland families gather around a large lit candle on Christmas Eve and pray for loved ones, In England and France, families often use a large candle with 3 wicks to honor the Holy Trinity, and in South America a candle is often placed in a paper lantern depicting scenes of the nativity. Among Eastern European nations, the candle is often blessed by the local priest before being lit at the family table. But the German tradition is perhaps most interesting of all.  Traditionally the German Christmas candle was placed atop a wooden pole decorated with evergreens or as a part of a triangular structure with other smaller candles. These traditions were replaced in the 1600's with earliest examples of our modern Christmas trees! These trees used candles as their primary source of light and decoration until the late 1800's when the earliest electric Christmas lights were used.

Window Candles

The custom of lighted candles in windows was brought to America during colonial times.  It has its roots in an old Irish custom, although it's unclear if it was brought to the colonies by the Irish or by English settlers that had adapted the tradition (which seems more likely to me for a number of reasons...)  During a time of English persecution that outlawed their religious observances, the Irish began burning candles in their windows to let the local priests know that their home was a safe haven to come in from the cold night, receive a warm welcome and celebrate the Christmas Mass. In order to justify the candles to English soldiers in the area, the candles were explained as a symbol that their home was open to the weary travelers of Christmas - Mary and Joseph. This generalized in colonial America to a tradition of lighting candles in the window to let traveling family members or other weary travelers know that they could find a place of friendship and welcome.  It also let neighbors know - during a time when houses were more widely spaced - that families were home and welcoming visitors.

Over time, the history of many of the these customs has been lost from general knowledge, but we have retained the feeling of warmth and welcome associated with candles.  I hope that you have learned something interesting, and will share it with others.  Please share in the comments if you have other holiday traditions that involve candles - I always love learning about other cultures and traditions!!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a joyous celebration of all your traditions!

Stacy

Holiday Greenery - Where It All Began

It's that time of year - the post Thanksgiving decorating binge! Our decorations are decidedly Christmas, but most likely the process is much the same if you are decorating for Hanukkah, or generic "holidays". Pull out all the boxes, look through the items that bring memories of special times and family members that have passed, decide where to put things and see if you "need" anything new.  As I (Stacy) was reflecting on our (MANY) boxes of decor, looking at some vintage ornaments that haven't been on display since pre-kids, I began to think about how all of this decorating got started. Is it an "American" thing, did our forbearers bring things from Europe when they emigrated, and is any of this related to the Christian Christmas we celebrate? Being the history nerd I am, I of course started googling... in the pre internet ages I would have lived at the library I'm sure!

After reading a variety of sources- books, websites, articles and the like - I came to the general conclusion that's there's nothing new under the sun. Most of our Christmas decorating originated in Northern Europe, where they were borrowed and adapted from the Druids and other pagan groups that resided in the area. As Christianity spread, local converts wants to keep some of their festive traditions - so they assigned Christian meanings to them. For example, holly and ivy were used to celebrate the winter solstice - they were believed to ward off evil spirits and promote new growth. In Christian cultures the Holly has been said to represent the crown of thorns worn by Christ on the cross, while the Ivy (growing only with a support structure) reminds people to cling to God for support.

Window wreaths

Wreaths have been used since ancient Roman times to celebrate victory - in wars and in sport. They were both worn on the head of the victor and hung as decoration by the victorious side in a conflict. This tradition was adapted to represent Christ's victory over death and sin.  Wreaths of many styles are now commonly found hanging throughout homes at the holidays.

Mistletoe on the other hand, draws its story from ancient Norse mythology where it became associated with romance. In England it was traditional to bring mistletoe into the house to ward off evil spirits. As the Norse stories of romance spread, the strict English social customs were relaxed to allow the servants "a kiss under the mistletoe" as long as the berries lasted... 

Tree Lighting at The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond VA

The Christmas tree itself seems to have the most history/legend surrounding it.  From ancient times, the evergreen symbolized life in midwinter. Romans decorated their houses with evergreen branches to celebrate the New Year, and pagans of Northern Europe brought cut evergreens into their houses. Early Christians were vehemently against such practices. It seems as though, by the time Germanic areas were converted to Christianity, missionaries began trying to convert pagan traditions as well.   Some stories credit German reformer Martin Luther with originating  the Christmas tree as we know it, while others tie it to "paradise trees" in medieval morality plays. What seems more certain is that the tradition was brought to the US by early German immigrants. The first family Christmas tree in Williamsburg, VA was introduced by a German scholar boarding with a local judge in 1842. They did not have access to European style ornaments, so they decorated with paper ornaments and nuts.  The family trees eventually expanded to the idea of a community tree in the early 20th Century - this tradition continues today with elaborate tree lighting celebration.

Whichever of these holiday traditions you embrace....

Happy Decorating!
-Stacy & Christine