24 December 1521 A.D. Christmas Eve in
Wittenberg, Germany
Graves, Dan. “Christmas
Eve.” Christianity.com. Jul 2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/christmas-eve-11629927.html.
Accessed 23 Dec 2014.
For centuries, Christmas was celebrated not as a
single day, but as a whole season in parts of the world, beginning with this
day, December 24, Christmas Eve. Perhaps the practice of celebrating the
evening before the big day is an echo from ancient Jewish reckoning. Among
earlier Jews, a day began at six in the evening and ran until six the following
evening. Had not Moses written: "An evening and a morning were the first
day"?
Christmas means "Christ
mass." Although the date is a guess, the tradition of observing it goes
back to at least the fourth century. Under the influence of the church,
Christian traditions replaced pagan solstice festivals throughout Europe. Often
the more innocent pagan practices (such as bringing in a Yule log, decorating
with holly and the like) were carried over into the Christmas observance,
transfigured with new meaning.
Christmas Eve (the evening
before Christmas day) was then celebrated with roaring fires, story-telling,
feasting, drinking, dancing, and sometimes clowning. Sir Walter Scott described
its festive air in a poem:
On
Christmas Eve, the bells were rung;
On Christmas Eve, the mass was sung.
...
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen,
the hall was dressed with holly green;
...
All hail'd with uncontroll'd delight,
And general voice the happy night
That to the cottage, as the crown,
Brought tidings of salvation down.
On Christmas Eve, the mass was sung.
...
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen,
the hall was dressed with holly green;
...
All hail'd with uncontroll'd delight,
And general voice the happy night
That to the cottage, as the crown,
Brought tidings of salvation down.
Things weren't always so
pleasant, however. On Christmas Eve,
1521, with the Reformation gaining steam in Germany, crowds rioted in
Wittenberg. Against the orders of Elector Frederick, Andreas Carlstadt had
given them both the bread and wine at mass. Zealous for more "reformation,"
the mob smashed church lamps, sang ridiculous songs to drown out the choir and
intimidated the priests.
Luther is supposed to have cut
the first Christmas tree. The story may be apocryphal, but we know that on
Christmas Eve, 1538, he was in a jolly mood, singing and talking about the
incarnation. Then he sighed, saying, "Oh, we poor men, that we should be
so cold and indifferent to this great joy which has been given us."
Despite Luther's lament, others
would make warm memories on Christmas Eve. In his memoirs, Sir John Reresby
told how he invited his poor tenants for a feast on Christmas Eve, 1682. During
World War I, the famous Christmas Truce began for many
troops on Christmas Eve, 1914, demonstrating the power for good that is
inherent in the season.
Bibliography:
1. Bainton, Roland H. Here I Stand; a life of Martin Luther.
New York: Mentor, 1962.
2. Dawson, W. F. Christmas; its origin and associations.
London: Elliot Stock, 1902.
3. Hutchinson, Ruth and Adams, Ruth. Every Day's a Holiday. New York: Harper
and Brothers, 1951.
4. James, Francis G. and Hill, Miriam G. Joy to the World; two thousand years of Christmas. Portland,
Oregon: Four Courts Press, 2000.
5. Miles, Clement A. "Christmas Eve."
http://www.abcog.org/xmas2.htm
6. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.
Last updated July,
2007
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