Christmas Through The Ages

[Music] Christmas is a season of good cheer and glad tidings wherever people appreciate the significance of the Christ story their joy and gratitude find expression through myths and legends as different as the people and the cultures from which they emerge blended out of biblical history myths Legend and of customs as old as the human race here is the story of Christmas through the ages [Music] [Music] here from the classic past is a foreshadowing of the spirit of Christmas the time is 2000 years ago the place Rome the day December 17th of our calendar the first day of the festival of Saturn the oldest of the italic God good Romans senator Caius has lit the tapers before the image of Saturn to signal the beginning of the holiday now he is ready to give and receive presents and good wishes with which Romans honor one another in the spirit of Saturn this year only a small gift from me a box of sandalwood that I decorated with paints from Egypt thank you cash in my daughter thank you on this master the coppersmith of Syria made for you thank you to my faithful people and when the ceremony of the temple is over I shall return kindness with kindness and presence with presence and so two thousand years ago the months of the winter solstice it became a season of peace on earth a time of goodwill in the Roman world tapirs burning in front of the friendly idol signaled that during Saturn's week all Romans were free and equal in homes all over Rome children were making clay dolls to commemorate Saturn's love for his human children and wherever the roman empire spread the festival of saturn followed merging with customs of other people becoming a sort of christmas long before Christ was born then according to prophecy one era comes to an end and after the end a new beginning in the birth of a child and they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother and they fell down and worshiped him at opening their treasures they offered him the early Christians were too absorbed in the Lord's imminent return to be much concerned about the date of his birth their rights were religious and austere and often grew out of the ancient customs of their homeland Jonas fled to be the name of Peter down what brings you here this day my thumb my granddaughter's death gone for the local water bar wait I'd like to talk to you anyway Oh troubling you you look for days Bob Jonas it's hard to be a Roman soldier and a Christian right now the barracks are shaken with pagan celebrations remember Julius you don't have to be afraid to be gay as long as you are true to the Lord big in the burning lights in the streets because if they fear the dark you you have found your life in the Star of Bethlehem why are you burning papers in your window I know that you're a good Christian Jonas and I don't quite understand why not this is an old custom of my people a good couple the ancient custom commemorated the return of light to Jehovah's temple which the heathen invaders had thrown into darkness since then the people of Galilee had celebrated the eve of the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev which is our December as the beginning of the festival of lights as the gospel spread and gave new meaning to the Greek in Roman culture so did these lights gain new significance Christianity came to signify light to those who thirsted for faith oh and salvation it was not until the fourth century at the Church of Rome identified December 25th with the birth of Christ but once the date was officially set by Rome devoted missionaries carried it along with the gospel beyond the borders of the known world one by one the fierce tribes of northern Germany were converted to Christianity and some of their customs were assimilated into the new religion that was a great day Gunther in spite of the snow and the howling of wolves there was a moving ceremony father white people love the story of the manager especially the little ones then they can all better understand why we observe Christmas good father how am I to stop my people from celebrating you'll and worshipping the fir tree Tuareg Gunther to your people the fir tree and the holly Amin eternal life because they're always green yes and Christ means eternal life too so let them bring in their fur tree let them decorate it and then we'll all pray under it to the good Lord as the true giver of all abundance listen I think I hear them coming with the tree now [Music] from tent to tent from one German tribe to another a Yule tree in Hawley turned into the Christmas tree and the Christmas Holly [Music] but not all Germanic tribes had the same tradition those that settled in the British Isles celebrated the beginning of the new year late in December mudra night mother's night they called it and sacrifice to their gods under the mistletoe by the fire of the Yule Log [Music] by the time of Queen Elizabeth the pre-christian origins of many Christmas customs were forgotten in this old Inn many a Boar's Head many peacocks and pheasants were consumed by the light of the Yule Log [Music] and many a kiss exchanged under the mistletoe well if you don't want to be kissed you shouldn't stand above the mistletoe how do you like that but you should see what the ladies are doing in the core the Queen and the ladies are having a great time they are are they you know what my brother in the guard says the queen is dyeing her hair and the ladies dance with Max on Christmas they call him Hagen that's what I call it that's right Nathaniel Hagen it is something's got to be done yeah something ought to be done and something was done the England of Elizabeth the England of dancing and joyful court balls soon fell under the sway of the Puritans the Puritan legislature decreed this day heretofore called the Feast of Nativity to be kept as a fast with solemn humiliation calling to remembrance our sins and the sins of our forefathers business will be done and the people will no longer observe their sinful so-called Christmas while the Puritan rule against Christmas officially lasted only 12 years in England in the new world the Puritans kept the ban on Christmas celebrations alive for many years and thus the General Court of the colony of Massachusetts proclaimed in 1659 [Music] whosoever shall be found observing any such days and Christmas door delights either by all bearing of labour feasting on it earlier away and a festival shall be fine by James for some 200 years the more extreme Puritans fought against Christmas as a religious holiday by that time however most people had accepted it as a social as well as the church festival because of the close kinship to England in language and tradition English Christmas customs continued to cross to the new world small wonder that even the German Christmas tree came to America by way of England when the German Prince Albert married British Queen Victoria he introduced the Christmas tree to the British Court the English people were quick to accept this colorful custom and soon it spread to America from England immigrants also brought their carols ribbon [Music] and as people from many lands came streaming to our shores in search of freedom they brought with them their Christmas songs and their customs [Music] [Music] these songs and customs merged with our heritage and became part of the Christmas celebration as we know it today so truly composed of gifts from many lands from ancient Rome the custom of celebrating and giving presents from Palestine the story of the Nativity the Christmas lights and the time of the feast from pagan Germany the fir-tree in the Holly from England the bells and mistletoe the Yule Log the Christmas pudding and many Carol's from somewhere near Constantinople came st. Nicholas better known as Santa Claus from Holland the Christmas stocking by the fireplace and from Northern Europe's the jingle bells and the reindeer and so truly our Christmas is a celebration of the brotherhood of man growing out of his urge to see the light to find peace and forgiving and receiving forgiveness it is man's answer to his need for love that is why Christmas is a living holiday [Music]