The Symbology of Christmas

By Kathy Bibeau

Christmas is upon us. With Christmas comes Santa and his elves, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and the Christmas tree with its' beautiful decorations and the star on top. Don't forget the holly and mistletoe, the yule log, and, of course, the gift giving and celebration. Yet with all the commercialism that surrounds Christmas we sometimes forget the true meaning behind the holiday. Of course we know that it is a celebration of the birth of Christ, but have you every asked yourself why we have Santa Claus and the Christmas tree? And why do we hang mistletoe or place holly about at Christmastime? There is an often hidden symbolism behind many of our Christmas traditions and understanding this symbolism helps us understand what we are celebrating during this most glorious of holidays.
To begin with, the word holiday means "Holy Days", as noted by the Christian church. The word Christmas itself comes from the old English term Cristes maesse, meaning "Christ mass." The abbreviation of Xmas was originally a shorthand version that was used by the church. The first letter of the word Christ in Greek is chi, which is the same as our letter X.
To truly understand the symbolism behind many of our Christmas traditions we need first be aware of how the celebration of Christmas came about. It is believed that Jesus was not actually born on December 25th. However, prior to the establishment of the Christian church pagan worship centered around the Equinoxes and Solstices. In Rome, Saturnalia was a celebration that happened at the Winter Solstice, which falls around December 21st. It was a celebration of the god Saturn, which was the god of agriculture. Beginning the week leading up to the solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a time when there was plenty of food and drink, and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters and vise versa. Everyone played, exchanged gifts and celebrated in this darkest part of the year in anticipation for the coming renewal that would happen in the spring.
When the Christian church began to claim converts it sought to absorb the old traditions into the new religion. Therefore the church chose the date of December 25th to recognize the birth of Christ. The first record of Christmas being celebrated is dated AD 336. At first it was called the Feast of the Nativity. The custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England and other parts of Europe by the end of the 6th century. However, Christmas did not gain full recognition among Christians until quite recently. As late as the last century, Christmas was not even a legal holiday.
Santa Claus, probably the most recognizable figure associated with Christmas, came upon the scene in the 4th century. The original Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, was the bishop of Myra in what is now modern day Turkey, under Constantine. He attended the Council of Nicaea in 325. Saint Nicholas was known as the patron saint of Russia, Sicily and Greece, as well as the patron saint of children, sailors, prisoners, bakers, pawnbrokers, shopkeepers and wolves. He was known for his generosity to the poor and children, and according to legend, he gave anonymous donations of gold coins to persons in need.
December 6th was the celebration of St. Nicholas, and in Europe people would give gifts in honor of this generous individual. He has been known by many names throughout history, Christindel (the Christ Child) Kriss Kringle, Father Christmas, Befana (Italy), and Babushka (Russia). Resemblances to what we now know as Santa's elves can be found in the Nisse, who are Scandinavian elves, and in Jultomten, Swedish gnomes, both of which could be found in stories centered around this time of year.
Santa Claus is dressed in the red and white suit we are all so familiar with. On a deeper level, the red of Santa’s suit represents the blood of Christ, which is His love for mankind. The white of his collar and trim, as well as of his hair and beard, represent the truth and purity that Christ brought to the world.
The reindeer which guide Santa's sleigh originated in the ancient story of the Joulupukki of Finland, which means "Yule Buck." The Christmas Buck was an ugly spirit of darkness, and symbolized the darkness of the Winter Solstice. The original story has him demanding gifts rather than being the gift giver. Over time, his image softened as people adapted the story to fit the new folklore, and we find his resemblance in the modern day reindeer, which first gained renown in the story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer in 1939.
Tree worship can be traced back to the ancient world. Evergreens and wreaths have been used as symbols of life and rebirth from ancient times. Bringing greenery into your home during the dark of winter symbolized life in the midst of death. The Romans decorated their homes with evergreens during the Kalends in January. The Germans brought living trees into their homes during the feast of Yule. It is believed that the Christmas tree originated in the Paradise Tree which was used in medieval plays about Adam and Eve, and that it symbolized the Garden of Eden. During the 15th Century Germans began to put the tree up on December 24th. They would decorate the trees with apples, which represented the fruit of sin of the Garden of Eden and homemade communion wafers, which represented the other polarity. Later, candy and other sweets were added to the tree. In addition a large candle appeared on the tree to represent Christ as the light of the world, which later become the star we now see atop many a Christmas tree, and which merged with the star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of Christ. The Christmas tree custom was brought to England by Prince Albert in 1841.
The Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They believed the plant has special healing powers. In Scandinavia it was believed that mistletoe brought peace and harmony, and it was associated with the goddess of love, who was called Frigga. It is believed that the custom of kissing under the mistletoe came from this association. The early Church banned the use of mistletoe during Christmas because of it's pagan origins, and substituted holly instead, to represent the crown of thorns worn by Jesus, with the berries symbolizing the drops of blood.
The next time you take a child to see Santa Claus, or you gaze upon your Christmas tree, consider the traditions that have been carried across the centuries to our modern day. If anything, they show the unity of belief that has been carried forth, albeit in different packaging, for years and years, and which will most likely continue for years to come.