The Rotary Club of Anstruther’s meeting of October 4th heard a most interesting talk by club member Eric Dewhirst on the meanings of Christmas. What was clear from the talk is that Christmas celebrations on December 25th are not uniquely Christian, and that Jesus’ birth year is very much open to debate. Christmas’s timing may well be influenced by the winter solstice and by the Roman celebrations of Saturnalia which took place during the period 17th to 23rd December. Also, the star lighting the way for the wise men may well have been the planet Venus which manifested a particular brightness some seven years before the conventional date of Jesus’ birth.
Eric explained that in Europe every historical period seemed to add something to the ritual surrounding the present-day Christmas. Medieval times saw the emphasis on fire, to ward off evil spirits, and on evergreen decorations, like holly and ivy, which signified everlasting life. For the Elizabethans ‘eat, drink and be merry’ epitomised Christmas with sugar – very expensive at the time and thought to have medicinal properties – a key ingredient of many dishes at banquetings.
The Georgian period stressed twelfth night, along with the importance of the gifts brought by the three wise men. They introduced a ‘Twelfth Cake’ not dissimilar to our Christmas cake. And the Victorians capped it all by introducing Christmas trees and Santa Claus, a figure developed from the fourth century bishop St Nicholas.
As Eric put it, quoting from Dickens, at Christmas ‘everyone opens up their hearts to everyone’. And only 82 days to go…. Club member Bill Henderson proposed the vote of thanks.
