L E G E N D S and T R A D I T I O N S
There are so many legends and traditions surrounding Christmas, and many versions of many of the legends, that there are literally volumes and volumes written about them. The full discussion of any of them is beyond the scope of this booklet, but a taste of some of what is available is offered to you in the following few paragraphs.
Legends abound about the people and animals that gathered around the manger. "THE FRIENDLY BEASTS" is a particularly delightful story from the past (legend) about the night of Jesus' birth when the beasts gained the ability to speak and about how each told of his particular gift to the Baby, from the donkey "all shaggy and brown" who "carried His Mother to Bethlehem town" to the cow "all white and red" who "gave my manger for a bed" to the dove "from the rafters high" who, along with her mate, "cooed Him to sleep so He would not cry". The full text of this charming carol is available on page 227 in the United Methodist Hymnal.
Others are about the gift-bearers and still others relate to the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt to escape the horrors of Herod and his henchmen, who were ordered to slay all male children two years of age and younger.
Many of our treasured traditions have as their basis pagan festivals, and this fact is disturbing to some people. Roman celebrations of Saturnalia (Saturn was the sun god in Roman Mythology) included lighting lights, giving gifts to the poor, and taking live branches to friends as symbols of health and happiness. In other legends as well we find customs from pagan origin, which have become beautiful symbols of our faith after having been bathed in the Light of the World and washed clean by the shed blood of our Lord. They, like we, have been transformed from pagan to praiseworthy by an encounter with the Living Christ. We, therefore, need not worry about the origin of the customs, concentrating instead on present intent.
There is, for instance, a lovely legend about how the Robin came to have rust-colored feathers on its breast. The story tells that a Robin was present in the stable on the night that Jesus was born, who fanned the flames of the fire built by Joseph to keep Mary and Jesus warm, all night long, and that her breast became singed and turned red. Since that night, Robins have always had red breasts!
The Legend of the Yule Log tells us of the shepherds on the hillside as they sat around cheery campfires, possibly singing and telling stories. Suddenly, the air around them was bathed in blinding light and filled with angels singing. They hurried to the manger to worship the Christ Child. As they were leaving, they built a warm fire for the Holy Family, and cut a large stack of extra firewood so Joseph would not have to leave his family to find fuel for the fire. This is perhaps the beginning of our traditional Christmas fire in the fireplace tradition.
The Legend of the Lamb's Woolly Coat refers to the lamb that snuggled close to the Baby to keep Him warm, and had her coat suddenly transformed from wiry and scratchy to soft and cuddly (I LOVE the symbolism contained in this transformation!).
The beautiful Legend of the Christmas Rose tells of a Little Shepherdess who came to the manger to visit the Baby, and who began to cry because she had no wonderful gift to give to the Holy Child. Wherever her tears fell, according to the legend, a beautiful white blossom sprang from the ground. The Little Shepherdess gathered an armful of the beautiful blossoms and placed them near the Baby. Wherever His tiny hand touched a blossom, it turned pink, as if in thanks to the Shepherdess.
The Festival of St. Nicholas is celebrated in many cultures on December 6th. Nicholas was a Bishop in what was then Turkey. A man in town had three daughters. He was distraught as the first approached the age when she was expected to marry. He had no way to provide her with a dowry, even though she had been otherwise well prepared for the duties of a wife. He was ready to sell her into servanthood or slavery, but his wife begged him not to do so. While he slept one night, Bishop Nicholas provided a bag of gold coins (anonymously, of course) to the family with a note saying that the coins were to be used as the girl's dowry. He did the same for the second daughter, and was in the process of delivering the bag of gold for the third daughter when the father caught him. The Bishop swore the father to absolute secrecy as to the identity of the benefactor for as long as the Bishop lived. Nicholas was later canonized by the Church and became Saint Nicholas. "SANTA" is another way of spelling "SAINT," and "CLAUS" is the Dutch way of pronouncing the last part of St. Nicholas's name "CHOLAS". Sounds like "Santa Claus" when pronounced, doesn't it?
The Legend of the Christmas Candle is a favorite of mine! In ancient times, when the days began to grow shorter and shorter, and the sun disappeared from the sky earlier and earlier, the people became afraid that the sun would go away altogether and that they would then freeze. It did not take very long for the wise teachers among them to observe that the days began to grow longer once again after the beginning of winter (December 21st on our calendars!). They developed a festival surrounding the worship of Saturn called "Saturnalia". It was celebrated in what is now mid-to-late December, and featured as part of the celebration many different forms of light. Christians disapproved of the worship of any, save God Himself, and ceased participation in the festival of "Saturnalia". They turned, instead, to the worship of God in Christ Jesus, the Light of the World (John 8:12). They incorporated the celebration of lights into their worship. Now, people everywhere place candles in windows to light the way for the Christ Child who is expected on Christmas Eve. In Mexico, the faithful line the pathways to their homes with "Luminarias", bags of sand with lighted candles in them, to light the Christ Child's way. This lovely custom found its way into the United States by way of the some of the southwestern states, and has spread over the years all across the country. Neighborhoods will often choose, through their community centers or clubs, to use luminarias throughout the streets of the neighborhood for several nights before Christmas Eve, and it is indeed a captivating sight!
The use of evergreens dates back for many, many years. Mistletoe, holly, and ivy were favored because they, unlike other plants, bear fruit in winter. Holly has become a symbol of Christ's passion --- its prickly leaves symbolizing the crown of thorns, its berries reminding us of the blood of Christ which was shed for our salvation. English homes often chose ivy to symbolize human weakness clinging to divine strength.
Poinsettias naturally came to symbolize Christmas in Mexico because they bloom in huge fields and small garden alike during the Christmas season. In Mexico, they are known by their native name - "flower of the Holy Night". Legend holds that there was a small boy who had no gift to take to the Christ Child; so on his way to the manger, he picked some branches to offer to the baby. He placed them at the manger, kneeling reverently. Other children made fun of his offering and he burst into tears. As he rose to leave, he saw the branches had a brilliant red flower atop each stem and that the blooms were star-shaped. The flower's first came to the US by way of the Mexican Ambassador, Joel R. Poinsett, to his native South Carolina.
One of the most beautiful legends of all is the story of how the crèche (the nativity scene) came into being. Its origin is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi around 1223. Legend holds that Brother Francis was concerned about the inability of ordinary people to read...they could not read the story of the birth of Christ. He found a way --- an unforgettable way --- to teach them the story. Every year he set up a stable with real animals, complete with hay and a manger and people to portray the Holy Family. The story goes that the baby was always a village orphan because Brother Francis knew the child would always be well treated after that night. Many churches set up live nativity scenes on their front lawns for several nights before Christmas.
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