Archive for December 2008
History of the Long Year
HISTORY OF THE LONG YEAR If it seemed like a longer year than usual, that’s because it is, by a second. The scientists who control the settings on the official clocks worldwide will add a “leap second at 11:59:59 PM GMT on New Year’s Eve, December 31. Why? This is to justify the two different…
Read MoreHistory of the Feast of St. John the Apostle
HISTORY OF THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN December 27 is the day that goes back to the 5th century in the church calendar for celebrating the life of St. John the Evangelist and is known as the Feast of St. John. We’ve already mentioned that December 26 is the Feast of St. Stephen, and December…
Read MoreHistory of Boxing Day
HISTORY OF BOXING DAY Boxing Day is a holiday unfamiliar to many Americans, but it it well known among the countries of the British Commonwealth. It is celebrated on December 26 as a public holiday in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand… as well as some parts of Europe and Africa. While some believe…
Read MoreHistory of Christmas: Augustus
HISTORY OF CAESAR AUGUSTUS Perhaps it is fitting that our last article on the History of Christmas should be about the first person mentioned in St. Luke’s story of the first Christmas. He was neither Palestinian, nor Jew, nor shepherd, nor wise man. He was in fact, 1500 miles away, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus.…
Read MoreHistory of Mistletoe
HISTORY OF MISTLETOE We’ve mentioned previously that mistletoe was prominent in the traditions of the Druids and the lore of northern Europe. The Druids used the mistletoe of their sacred oak as part of their ritual five days after the new moon following the winter Solstice. In the middle ages it was hung from ceilings…
Read MoreHistory of Chanukah
HISTORY OF CHANUKAH Also spelled hanukkah, means "dedication". It begins this year at sundown, December 21. This Jewish holiday traces its roots back more than 2,000 years. At that time the Jewish people were living under the oppressive government of the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes IV, (a rather ironic name — Epiphanes means "God made…
Read MoreScience of the Winter Solstice
SCIENCE OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE As we’ve mentioned before, the Romans celebrated a holiday known as the Saturnalia beginning on the Winter Solstice. The word Solstice comes from the Latin "solstitium" meaning "Sun, standing-still." This year it will occur on December 21 at 12:04 UT (Greenwich Universal Time.) Earth enjoys different seasons because the planet…
Read MoreHistory of the 12 Days of Christmas
THE HISTORY OF THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS The Twelve Days of Christmas are the dozen days in the liturgical calendar of the Western Church between the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child (Christmas, December 25) and the coming of the Magi to visit at his house in Bethlehem (Epiphany, January 6). The…
Read MoreHistory of A Christmas Carol
HISTORY OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL This week in 1843 saw the publication of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” No other book or story by Dickens or anyone else (except the Bible) has been more enjoyed, criticized, referred to, or more frequently adapted to other media. One of my favorites was watching Patrick Stewart doing his…
Read MoreHistory of the Christmas Creche
.!. HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS CRECHE One of the most beautiful Christmas traditions is setting up a creche during the Advent season. A creche is a model of the scene at the manger on the first Christmas in the stable at Bethlehem. A creche can be a small model, set up in the home or…
Read MoreHistory of Christmas: King Herod the Great
HISTORY OF HEROD THE KING When the wise men asked Herod the King "Where is he who is born king of the Jews?" their question was not really spoken in a vacuum, for even the Roman author Suetonius wrote, "There had spread all over the East an old and established belief that it was fated…
Read MoreHistory of Santa Lucia
.!. HISTORY OF LUCIADAGEN In Sweden, December 13 is Luciadagen, or St. Lucia’s Day, or in English, St. Lucy. It is the beginning of their holiday season. The Lutheran Danes and Norwegians also celebrate this day. St. Lucia was a young woman who lived in first century Rome. She was a Christian who would not…
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