Deck the halls with boughs of holly and embrace the Yule or Litha make believe….
The approaching season is traditionally something that we enjoy doing annually. Tales in songs of yesteryear are shared over the consumption of specially decorated cuisine that deliberates a powerful sense of belonging. Without cognisance, the spirit of Yule is then embedded in our memory to be eagerly replicated in coming generations.
There is a noticeable affinity within many cultures that celebrate the Yule fantasy. So as not to undermine any cultural interpretation, it would be wise to investigate some glaring facts that surround these Yuletide similarities.
If you decorate your home with a Yule tree, holly and candles, then you are following some very old pagan traditions. Traditionally, in the northern hemisphere, a Yule log is a branch of oak or pine set upright with holes drilled in it to hold candles and is adorned and dusted in finely ground grain. The tree is then burnt in the fireplace at the end of the festivities.
Historic pagan and current religious practices have forged together to form sentiments for the closing season of the year. Cultures have focused on either one or the other while the marketing world capitalises on the two that have confusingly become the one motivation in its festivities.
Yule and Litha are commonly used terms from ancient times given to identify the winter and summer solstice in the northern and southern hemisphere respectively, that occurs around the 20th to 23rd December. Many customs created around Yule and Litha have combined with celebrations around the 25th December which celebrate the birth of a special child in Bethlehem.
The 25th of December was the date chosen by Pope Leo the 1st, bishop of Rome (440-461 AD). His motivation was to distract his Roman congregation from worshipping, with a sacrifice, to Saturn the sun god in the darkest days of the winter season. Just as in the marketing principles of today, Pope Leo’s assertive suggestion was adopted, which had a dual purpose of the “new light” of a new day which would take place on that same day. So we now celebrate, with much ceremony, the birth of Christ on the 25th and call it Christ Mas or better known as Christmas.
Family discussions around the derivation of the Yule season finds me reflecting upon my youth. I grew up in another culture and my personal early experience in that culture around this time of the year made me realise the complexity of such a conversation and I was reminded of how important this subject matter was to advancing generations.
Being a December child, I can recall the effort that my father put into creating a memorable experience around 5th and 6th December which will remain with me forever. I grew up during the Dutch influence in Indonesia where Santa Clause was not heard of. It was Sinterklaas with his Zwarte Piets that was the norm in that part of the world during Christmas celebrations.
So who is this bloke they call Sinterklaas ? Without getting lost in too much detail, rest assured, I will return with more information on another day. Sinterklaas is the character symbolising Saint Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of children. The ruins of Myra can still be seen today. In short, this character was a child bishop who grew up to became a Roman senator (Senator Nikolaos) in the early 4th century before the 25th of December was adopted by Pope Leo as Christmas day. Pagan practices and rituals of sacrifice were the norm until Senator Nikolaos introduced the Nicean creed which was politically agreed upon by the Roman council under the then Ruler Constantine of Nicea who Called for the first ecumenical council of Bishops in the first quarter of the 3rd century, that was to reform behaviour of barbaric rituals and persecutions.
My fondest recollections are, when I was restrained from investigating the approaching sounds of squeals and screams, I caught a glimpse of a Bishop’s Mitre and Crook through the crowd. I was terrified but I would not miss this for anything. And similarly the older generation may recall the 1947 version of “Miracle On 34th Street” staring Edmund Gwenn, Maurine O’Harra and a young Natalie Wood. This Youtube link of “the little Dutch girl scene” gives the exact song that was sung to herald the visitation of Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Piets on that very day.
It is this fond memory which is void of current marketing influences that I would like to share with you as readers of the Eden Monaro Voice. Doing this will perhaps provoke the tale of similar experiences and emotions from our readers which in turn can be passed on to the next generation and will enable the true story of Santa Clause to continue to be preserved in time.
So if you have any of your own photos and stories of Sinterklaas and his helpers that you would like to share, then please send us a copy ?
