Inside
the Legend: A Very Supernatural Christmas
We
wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas-
well, you get the idea. Christmas is the time where we
all come together and spend time with our family. Like
this Christmas nestled under a reef of beer cans and watching
my younger brother discover the hidden pleasures of skin
mags. Yep, nothing can be better than Christmas. So, I’m
betting all of you out there waking up on a bright and
early Christmas Eve ready for a full two days of familial
festivities want to know all about this holiday of ours…
how it came to be, who Santa Claus really is and all about
the superstitions that surround Christmas- not forgetting
our recent hunt of Santa Claus’ evil brother. So,
sit back and enjoy a very Supernatural Christmas brought
to you by Dean and Sam Winchester. Oh and one more thing,
if a hot babe walks by and there’s a mistletoe right
above you two- dude, you gotta make a move. It’s
a freebie.
ORIGIN
OF CHRISTMAS
Yeah,
anyways Christmas actually originated as a Pagan holiday.
Back
in ancient Rome, the Romans celebrated the god Saturn
and the Iranian god Mithra; the church later replaced
this time of celebration as a celebration of Christ’s
nativity. But many of the traditions remained the same,
such as decorating the house with lights and greenery,
giving gifts to the poor, and even replacing the birth
date of Mithra (December 25th) with Christ’s! In
fact we don’t know when Jesus was even born, for
all we know it could have been during the fall. From there
the church also added the rituals of the holiday of Yule,
which include fir trees, gifts and holiday greetings.
The
evergreen trees, later known as Christmas Trees, were
decorated with apples symbolizing the Garden of Eden.
These apples evolved into the common day ornaments that
we hang on a tree every Christmas.
Christmas
trees are mentioned in the bible, although not positively:
“Thus
saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and
be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen
are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are
vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work
of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it
with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and
with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the
palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because
they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot
do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
Jesus
Christ Sammy, what are you going to tell them next, that
the Easter Bunny's Jewish?! So, to put a lying dog to
bed- the wreaths, the yule logs, the mistletoe- all Pagan!
SANTA
CLAUS
Saint
Nicholas inspired the origins of Santa Claus, he was a
kindly bishop who gave to those more unfortunate than
him without asking for anything in return. In Holland,
he was known as Sinter Claus. Upon the eve of the anniversary
of his death on the night of December 5th, nurses in France
began to leave small treats for all the children. These
treats typically involved good things to eat such as apples,
cookies and sweets. This custom quickly spread throughout
Europe and would later inspire Clement Clark Moore when
he originated the legend of Santa Claus in 1822.
Moore
re-imagined the legend through his poem ‘The Night
Before Christmas,’ about a good natured saint named
Santa Claus who was pulled by a group of reindeer and
came down the chimney on Christmas eve; like St. Nicholas,
Santa Claus spread good cheer and gave gifts to children.
However, the look of Santa Claus was not a staple of the
legend until 1863 when a cartoonist from Harper’s
Weekly, Thomas Nash, settled the matter once and for all
with his vision of the Christmas Saint.
This
iconic image of a big fat jolly man in red and white became
standardized through Coca-Cola in the early 1930s.
The
customs and beliefs about Christmas vary depending on
where you are. Children could leave shoes, stockings,
plates or a Christmas Tree out for Santa to deliver gifts
to. The jolly red man also travels by donkey, horseback
or flying reindeer depending on who you ask.
In
Bulgeria and Greece, Saint Nicholas is noted as being
the protector of sailors and fishermen with the capability
of calming the winds and storms allowing ships safe passage
out of harms way.
In
France, Saint Nicholas is seen as the protector of children
because it is believed that he rescued children from getting
killed by a wicked butcher.
In
Russia, pilgrims make a 3 day trek from Kirov to the holy
statue of St. Nicholas in Velikoretsky; to them, Saint
Nicholas is the champion for the disadvantaged.
In
the Czech Republic it is believed that angels lower Saint
Nicholas with a basket of apples, nuts, and candies down
from heaven on a heavy golden cord; Saint Nicholas asks
the children about their behavior, an angel keeps record
and the anti-Claus threatens to carry bad children away
while the angel protects them.
In
the Netherlands presents are hidden in unique places and
contain poems that would hint to the person’s shortcomings;
for the people of the Netherlands it is not the value
of the gift that counts, it is the originality.
In
Germany, if the children are good Saint Nicholas leaves
delicious fruits, nuts, and candies for them; however,
if they’ve been bad they wake up to find potatoes,
coal, or twigs. Sometimes Saint Nicholas comes to the
children’s doors, asking them about their behavior
and gives them their presents. In Stuttgart, Germany children
dress up as the Christmas saint and go from house to house
asking for treats- much like trick-or-treating on Halloween.
To
find out more about the big guy in red be sure to visit
St. Nicholas Center.
ANTI-CLAUS
Santa
Claus is the joyful fat man, so who the hell is the anti-Claus?
Well, similarly to Christ versus the anti-Christ…
Anti-Claus is one evil son of a bitch. What you also might
not know is that we’ve actually celebrated one of
the anti-Claus’ on a yearly basis! There’s
this ancient fire god named Nimrod throughout Asia Minor
who often went by the name “Santa;” well this
fire god demanded infant sacrifices to be burned and eaten!
Nimrod’s role in the post-flood world was to lure
the government to tyranny; he also vowed revenge against
God. Oh, Nimrod’s coming to town, you better watch
out because he might burn your baby and eat it!
There
have been many various takes on the anti-Claus legends
as well, particularly Krampus, Black Peter, Knech Rupecht,
and Père Fouettard.
Krampus
is an evil fertility demon that is often represented as
having a long tail, fur, scary goat-faced mask, and a
long red tongue… Krampus carries a wooden stick,
birch branch or switches to threaten the children who
have misbehaved. He is also known to bring bad dreams
to all the bad children.
Black
Peter was Santa’s menacing assistant who would often
dole out coal and knock misbehaved children on the head.
He is notable for being the complete physical opposite
of Santa Claus, tall and extremely thin with dark beard
and hair. In Dutch, Black Peter is known as Zwarte Piet
and the legends revolving around him began in 15th century
Holland. Piet was associated with pirates and would often
stuff naughty children into a large bag and take them
to a pirate’s hide, where he would beat them, or
on a trip back to Spain. “Black Peter” was
a euphemism for the devil, and it was thought that St.
Nicholas, being a representative of God, had beaten the
devil and made him his servant. In the nineteenth century,
that literally became true when Black Peter was represented
as an African American slave to the white Santa Claus;
his job was to remove the hay and carrots from the shoes
that children had left underneath their chimneys and replace
them with candy and gifts if the children were good, and
a rod in place of a gift for the children who’ve
been bad. In parts of central Europe, Black Peter was
depicted to look like a monster with horns, long hair
and a red tongue. Today the negative associations have
left Black Peter and he has become more of an elf-like
figure, an assistant to an overloaded St. Nicholas who
helps to hand out gifts every December 5th, St. Nicholas
Day in Holland.
Knech
Rupecht began as a wild foundling whom St. Nicholas raised
from childhood. Knech often walks with a limp because
of a childhood injury. He is notable for his black clothes
and dirty face attained from the soot he collects as he
goes down the chimneys. According to some traditions,
children would be summoned to perform tricks, a dance
or a song to impress Santa and Knech; those who performed
badly enough were not just booed off the stage- they and
the misbehaved would be put into Ruprecht’s sack
and taken away to either Ruprecht’s home in the
Black Forest or tossed into a river, never to be heard
from again!
The
French’s evil Santa Claus is a little more bizarre
and disturbing from the rest, Père Fouettard, was
said to the butcher of three children. St. Nicholas discovered
the murderer and resurrected the three children. He repented
Pére and took him on his travels where he would
punish the naughty children by whipping them. So, not
only was Santa accompanied by an evil anti-Claus, a child
murderer was the one summoned to do his dirty work!
The
anti-Claus has had many names throughout the years:
Krampus
(Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary [spelled
Krampusz]), Klaubauf (Bavaria), Bartel (Styria), Pelzebock,
Pelznickel, Belzeniggl, Belsnickel (Pennsylvania), Schmutzli
(Switzerland), Rumpelklas, Bellzebub, Hans Muff, Drapp
or Buzebergt (Augsburg), Hanstrapp (Alsace, East of France),
Le Père Fouettard (Northern France), Cert, Andel
(Czech Republic) and Zwarte Piet (Netherlands, Flanders).
MEADOWSWEET
AND OLD MAN WINTER
Meadowsweet
is pretty rare and its the most powerful plant in all
of pagan lore. They used meadowsweet for human sacrifice;
it was kind of like a chum for their Gods. Gods were drawn
to it and they’d stop by and snack on whatever near
was human.
During
ancient times, pagan Vikings would worship Old Man Winter
also known as Father Christmas. This is not to be confused,
although it often is, with Santa Claus. Old Man Winter
was welcomed into all the Feasting and festivities, being
piled with mead and food to try to keep him in a good
mood in hopes that these activities would make for a mild
winter and a good spring.
CHRISTMAS
SUPERSTITIONS
Many
Christmas superstitions have appeared over the years,
some of which deal with spirits in the supernatural realm…
Evergreens
are symbolic of renewed life and the fetching in of green
branches is a magical rite to ensure vegetation at winter’s
end.
By
tradition, Christmas decorations should not be erected
prior to Christmas Eve, let this visible proof of anticipation
of a festival anger capricious forces. Evergreens especially
should never be brought into the house before this time.
Holly
is celebrated in lore for its protective powers, being
said to be especially effective against witches and lightning.
It is also important what kind of holly is brought into
the home on Christmas day; prickly holly states that the
man will rule the domain while smooth claims that women
will reign.
Mistle-toes
are rumored to have powers of conception and that a kiss
underneath the mistle-toe represents a man symbolically
offering to get her child.
In
some beliefs, from every dropped pine needle in the house
a goblin will spawn.
Christmas
lights can also tell us whether or not a person will soon
die, on Christmas night look to the shadows that are cast.
If a shadow is without a head, that person will die within
the year.
Difficulty
lighting the candles on Christmas Day is a bad sign because
it presages a bad year ahead.
The
doors of a home used to be left open at midnight on Christmas
Eve to let out any trapped evil spirits.
Dogs
that howl on Christmas Eve are fated to go mad by the
end of the year.
Those
born on Christmas Day will never encounter a ghost, nor
will they have anything to fear from spirits. They’re
also protected against death from drowning or hanging.
CHRISTMAS
SPECIALS!!!
So,
now that you what Christmas is all about, lets take a
look to the past with a couple of classic Christmas Specials!!!
At the link below you can get nestled up next to the fireplace
and watch the Christmas specials of old… ranging
from The Grinch to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to even
the vintage Frosty the Snowman! Some video links on the
site don’t work, but- hey- at least it’s something…
101
Christmas Specials
THE
NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
I
think the best way to end this special INSIDE THE LEGEND
is by looking at the poem that started it all, ‘The
Night Before Christmas’ written by Clement Clark
Moore introduced the world to a legendary figure that
would touch the hearts of parents and children alike since
1822, he gave us Santa Claus.
'Twas
the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The
stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The
children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But
a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And
then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But
I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
Sam
and Dean Winchester, Supernatural.tv, the prose virtual
series and Multus Tempestas virtual series team wishes
you a Merry Christmas. Happy holiday guys, in the words
of Arnold Schwarzenegger- “We’ll Be Back.”
Inside
the Legend by Dean5339
