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Christmas rites and rituals

Numerous rites and rituals associated with Christmas which have been handed down through the ages have been adopted by Asians and Singaporeans in an odd mixture. Aside from Christmas trees, gift exchanging, Christmas greetings sent through cards and the inevitable presence of Santa Claus, Singaporeans have recently acquired a taste for imported mince pies and Christmas puddings to add flavour to the season.

Santa Claus
Santa Claus, the bearded jolly bearer of gifts dressed in a red robe and riding a sleigh dragged by reindeers, goes by a variety of names. There lived a Saint Nicholas who was Bishop of Myra of Lycia and was noted for giving gifts to the poor. In Holland he became known as Sinter Klaas and in Germany, Sankt Nikolaus and was often depicted as a thin man in bishop's robes. He was brought by Dutch pilgrims to America where it became mispronounced to become Santa Claus. Coca-Cola ads made Santa Claus' garb red. In the England, he went by the name Father Christmas. The Father Christmas today is not derived from the saintly St. Nicholas but comes from pagan predecessors. The Roman god, Saturn, made a brief return each year to rule over Italy, bringing good food and wine, joy and revelry for all people. He came dressed in scarlet, having a white beard with fur and boots. Children paid homage to him with letters and prayer petitions believing that he would reward the good and punish the wicked. The icon of Christmas now has become a commercial character for the Christmas of today.

In Singapore, the fully-bearded Santa usually only appears on the facades of richly decorated shopping complexes. Otherwise, the only persons dressed in Santa's reds found in the busy shopping areas are the volunteers from the Salvation Army, ringing bells and seeking donations.

Gifts
The giving of gifts is yet another relic from ancient paganism derived from the Roman Saturnalia and Kalends festivals and was initially looked down upon by the church. Later it was adopted by the Christian faith, paralleling the gift-giving by the Magi to the Christ child and symbolising Christ's gift of salvation to the world. The courts of kings regulated the exact amount spent for gift giving during Christmas. Today gift giving is an integral part of the festivity.

In Singapore, gifts are not only exchanged between family members but also at special corporate Christmas parties. Usually, staff pick out a name of a colleague and place his/her gift under the office Christmas tree. Gifts are then opened during the Christmas party held on Christmas Eve which is usually half a working day for most companies in Singapore.

Christmas tree
The use of Christmas trees during Yuletide festivities was first noted in the early 17th century, tracing its origins to pagan customs involving tree worship. Rituals involved sacrificing or decorating homes with greenery as a way to ensure a good harvest the following year. Christian association are to legends of Saint Boniface cutting down a sacred oak on Christmas Eve, beneath which human lives had been sacrificed and another is attributed to Martin Luther King who struck upon the idea of placing candles on the branches of the tree one Christmas Eve. The Christmas tree is also a symbol of Christ as the Tree of Life amongst Christians.

In Singapore, until recently, the only Christmas trees set up were plastic trees. Homes and offices would have Christmas trees decorated with bulbs of lights and baubles of ornaments, below which presents would be piled up.

The Christmas card
With the advent of the penny-postal system in Britain, the first Christmas card soon followed suit, created in 1840s. Sending good wishes for the season has become a key token exchanged during the season.

Bells
The ringing of Christmas bells is an old relic from the pagan midwinter celebrations, where the coldness and the lack of a sun was believed to be an indication that evil spirits were present and the ringing of bells was believed to have driven these spirits away. It later became incorporated into the Christmas festivities symbolising rejoicing and goodwill.

Candles
Candles are lighted everywhere during Christmas and in the modern world, replaced with fairy lights. Although a common element in the pagan festivities of the Winter Solstice, the Christian community has used the lighted candle as a concrete symbol of Jesus as the light of the world. 



Author
Suchitthra Vasu



References 
Crippen, T. G. (1971). Christmas and Christmas lore (pp. 143 -149, 150-155, 161-162). Detroit: Gale Research Co.
(Call no.: 394.268282 CRI)

Del Re, P., & Del Re, G. (1979). The Christmas almanack (pp. 55, 69, 75, 129, 140, 151). New York: Doubleday.
(Call no.: R 394.268282)


Further Readings
Buday, G. (1971). The history of the Christmas card. Detroit: Tower Books.
(Call no.: RART 741.68 BUD)

Byrd, B. K. (1989). O Christmas tree. New York: Rizzoli.
(Call no.: R 394.268282 BYR)

Krythe, M. R. (1954). All about Christmas (pp. 24-35, 36-44, 61-75, 113-119, 125-130). New York: Harper & Row.
(Call no.: R 394.268282 KRY)

Patent, D. H. (1987). Christmas trees. New York: Dodd, Mead.
(Call no.: J 635.9 PAT)

Renterghem, T. (1995). When Santa was a shaman: The ancient origins of Santa Claus & the Christmas tree. St Pual, MN, U.S.A.: Llewellyn Publications.
(Call no.: R 364.2663 REN)

Segall, B. (1995). The Christmas tree: The heart of traditional yuletide. New York: Clarkson Potter Publishers.
(Call no.: 394.268282 SEG) 

The information in this article is valid as at 1999 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Ethnic Communities>>Festivals and Celebrations
Festivals--Singapore
Food habits--Singapore
Christmas--Singapore
People and communities>>Customs>>Festivities

Librarian Recommendations
>> Sir Andrew Clarke


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