Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan

Clement A. Miles

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• Publié par: ibbe
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 25
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Christian and Pagan, by Clement A. Miles
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Title: Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan
Author: Clement A. Miles
Release Date: August 21, 2006 [EBook #19098]
Language: English
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*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHRISTMAS IN RITUAL AND ***
Produced by David Starner, Robert Ledger and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Christmas In Ritual and Tradition,
Christian and Pagan
by Clement A. Miles
Published by
T. Fisher Unwin
1912THE ADORATION OF THE MAGI (DETAIL).
GENTILE DA FABRIANO
(Florence: Accademia)
5
PREFACE
In this volume I have tried to show how Christmas is or has been kept in various
lands and ages, and to trace as far as possible the origin of the pagan elements that
have mingled with the Church's feast of the Nativity.
In Part I. I have dealt with the festival on its distinctively Christian side. The book
has, however, been so planned that readers not interested in this aspect of
Christmas may pass over Chapters II.-V., and proceed at once from the Introduction
to Part II., which treats of pagan survivals.
The book has been written primarily for the general reader, but I venture to hope that,
with all its imperfections, it may be of some use to the more serious student, as a
rough outline map of the field of Christmas customs, and as bringing together
materials hitherto scattered through a multitude of volumes in various languages.
There is certainly room for a comprehensive English book on Christmas, taking
account of the results of modern historical and folk-lore research.
The writer of a work of this kind necessarily owes an immense debt to the labours ofothers. In my bibliographical notes I have done my best to acknowledge the sources
from which I have drawn. It is only right that I should express here my special
obligation, both for information and for suggestions, to Mr. E. K. Chambers's “The
Mediaeval Stage,” an invaluable storehouse of fact, theory, and bibliographical
references. I also owe much to the important monographs of Dr. A. Tille, “Die
Geschichte der deutschen Weihnacht” and “Yule and Christmas”; to Dr. Feilberg's
6Danish work, “Jul,” the fullest account of Christmas customs yet written; and of
course, like every student of folk-lore, to Dr. Frazer's “The Golden Bough.”
References to authorities will be found at the end of the volume, and are indicated
by small numerals in the text; notes requiring to be read in close conjunction with the
text are printed at the foot of the pages to which they relate, and are indicated by
asterisks, &c.
[Transcriber's Note: The 'small numerals' are represented in this ebook by
numbers in {curly braces}. The footnotes appear at the end of the ebook and
are indicated by numbers in [square brackets].]
I have to thank Mr. Frank Sidgwick for most kindly reading my proofs and portions of
my MS., and for some valuable suggestions.
C. A. M.
7
CONTENTS
5PREFACE
CHAPTER I
15INTRODUCTION
The Origin and Purpose of Festivals—Ideas suggested by Christmas—
Pagan and Christian Elements—The Names of the Festival—
Foundation of the Feast of the Nativity—Its Relation to the Epiphany—
December 25 and the Natalis Invicti—The Kalends of January—Yule
and Teutonic Festivals—The Church and Pagan Survivals—Two
Conflicting Types of Festival—Their Interaction—Plan of the Book.
PART I—THE CHRISTIAN FEAST
CHAPTER II
29CHRISTMAS POETRY (I)
Ancient Latin Hymns, their Dogmatic, Theological Character—
Humanizing Influence of Franciscanism—Jacopone da Todi's
Vernacular Verse—German Catholic Poetry—Mediaeval English
Carols.
CHAPTER III
53CHRISTMAS POETRY (II)
The French Noël—Latin Hymnody in Eighteenth-century France—
Spanish Christmas Verse—Traditional Carols of Many Countries—
Christmas Poetry in Protestant Germany—Post-Reformation Verse in
8England—Modern English Carols.
CHAPTER IV
87CHRISTMAS IN LITURGY AND POPULAR DEVOTION
Advent and Christmas Offices of the Roman Church—The Three
Masses of Christmas, their Origin and their Celebration in Rome—The
Midnight Mass in Many Lands—Protestant Survivals of the Night
Services—Christmas in the Greek Church—The Eastern Epiphany and
the Blessing of the Waters—The Presepio or Crib, its Supposed
Institution by St. Francis—Early Traces of the Crib—The Crib in
Germany, Tyrol, &c.—Cradle-rocking in Mediaeval Germany—
Christmas Minstrels in Italy and Sicily—The Presepio in Italy—
Ceremonies with the Culla and the Bambino in Rome—Christmas in
Italian London—The Spanish Christmas—Possible Survivals of the
Crib in England.
CHAPTER V
119CHRISTMAS DRAMA
Origins of the Mediaeval Drama—Dramatic Tendencies in the Liturgy—
Latin Liturgical Plays—The Drama becomes Laicized—Characteristics
of the Popular Drama—The Nativity in the English Miracle Cycles—
Christmas Mysteries in France—Later French Survivals of Christmas
Drama—German Christmas Plays—Mediaeval Italian Plays and
Pageants—Spanish Nativity Plays—Modern Survivals in Various
Countries—The Star Singers, &c.
155POSTSCRIPT
PART II—PAGAN SURVIVALS
CHAPTER VI
159PRE-CHRISTIAN WINTER FESTIVALS
The Church and Superstition—Nature of Pagan Survivals—Racial
Origins—Roman Festivals of the Saturnalia and Kalends—Was there a
Teutonic Midwinter Festival?—The Teutonic, Celtic, and Slav New
Year—Customs attracted to Christmas or January 1—The Winter Cycle
of Festivals—Rationale of Festival Ritual: (a) Sacrifice and Sacrament,
(b) The Cult of the Dead, (c) Omens and Charms for the New Year—
Compromise in the Later Middle Ages—The Puritans and Christmas—
9Decay of Old Traditions.
CHAPTER VII
187ALL HALLOW TIDE TO MARTINMAS
All Saints' and All Souls' Days, their Relation to a New Year Festival—
All Souls' Eve and Tendance of the Departed—Soul Cakes in England
and on the Continent—Pagan Parallels of All Souls'—Hallowe'en
Charms and Omens—Hallowe'en Fires—Guy Fawkes Day—“Old Hob,”
t h e Schimmelreiter, and other Animal Masks—Martinmas and its
Slaughter—Martinmas Drinking—St. Martin's Fires in Germany—Winter
Visitors in the Low Countries and Germany—St. Martin as Gift-
bringer—St. Martin's Rod.
CHAPTER VIII
209ST. CLEMENT TO ST. THOMAS
St. Clement's Day Quests and Processions—St. Catherine's Day as
Spinsters' Festival—St. Andrew's Eve Auguries—The Klöpfelnächte—
St. Nicholas's Day, the Saint as Gift-bringer, and his Attendants—
Election of the Boy Bishop—St. Nicholas's Day at Bari—St. Lucia's Day
in Sweden, Sicily, and Central Europe—St. Thomas's Day as School
Festival—Its Uncanny Eve—“Going a-Thomassin'.”
CHAPTER IX
227CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE TWELVE DAYS
Christkind, Santa Klaus, and Knecht Ruprecht—Talking Animals and
other Wonders of Christmas Eve—Scandinavian Beliefs about Trolls
and the Return of the Dead—Traditional Christmas Songs in Eastern
Europe—The Twelve Days, their Christian Origin and Pagan
Superstitions—The Raging Host—Hints of Supernatural Visitors in
England—The German Frauen—The Greek Kallikantzaroi.
CHAPTER X
249THE YULE LOG
The Log as Centre of the Domestic Christmas—Customs of the
Southern Slavs—The Polaznik—Origin of the Yule Log—Probable
Connection with Vegetation-cults or Ancestor-worship—The Souche de
Noël in France—Italian and German Christmas Logs—English
10Customs—The Yule Candle in England and Scandinavia.
CHAPTER XI
261THE CHRISTMAS-TREE, DECORATIONS, AND GIFTS
The Christmas-tree a German Creation—Charm of the German
Christmas—Early Christmas-trees—T