A time for joy
Mistletoe, Messiah and mince pies: what more could anyone want? this weekend begins the season of Advent, when spine-tingling spiritual anticipation meets jolly, warming tradition in a glorious lightening of the long, dark days.
In the Bleak Midwinter, scarlet-beaded holly trees cheering barren moorland, candlelight, delicate fairy lights in village churchyards, tiny tim, twinkling harps, sounding trumpets, Christmas stamps, Christmas roses, White Christmas, wafts of pine and cloves, snatches of carol singing in the high street (not always in tune), children dressed as half a sheep—however cool it might be to groan at the fuss, most of us secretly thrill at the build-up, at each opened door of the Advent calendar.
the Advent calendar, born in 19thcentury Germany, when lutherans lit candles to count the days leading up to Christmas, is just one element of this great bringing-together of tradition from all over the world.
turkeys came from North America, imported here by a Yorkshireman; the first stockings are thought to have been Dutch clogs; the donkey, so integral to the Nativity scene, originally ran wild in North Africa; the magical text of Once in Royal David’s City was written by the wife of a clergyman in ireland.
st Nicholas was a bishop in Ancient Greece, but the natural habitat of the reindeer that pull his sledge is the Arctic tundra and, as everyone knows, elves live in scandinavia. Nazareth is in israel, Bethlehem in Palestine and the largest relic from the Holy Crib resides in Rome.
An italian, st Francis of Assisi, produced the first Nativity play; he used wooden figures for the characters to emphasise Jesus Christ’s humble beginnings and His empathy for the poor and sick.
We credit the Victorians with inventing the Christmas that we know today—a profusion of presents, baubles and relatives—but mincemeat pies, shaped like cribs, and puddings mixed with 13 ingredients for Christ and the 12 Apostles hail from medieval times.
the Anglo saxons liked to warm their insides with the wassail (a spicy drink with cloves and nutmeg) and pagans gathered for carol singing (carol meant a dance or song of praise and joy) at the Winter solstice— since time immemorial, Man has created festivities to leaven long, dark winters.
Joyeux Noël. Frohe Weihnachten. Feliz Navidad. God Jul. Buon Natale. Merry Christmas. Wherever you are in the world, the Christmas season was intended to be a time for charity, for reflection, for kindness—and for fun. in these fractious times, never has that been more important.