Historical Christmas truths revealed
About 47 percent of Americans attend a church for Christmas services, whereas about 80 percent put up a Christmas tree in their home, according to a religious publication survey conducted in 2010 about Christmas observances.
“Every church in every parish is loaded for Christmas services,” said the Rev. William Beckmann of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia. “You can imagine what they would be like if everyone who puts up a Christmas tree actually went to church.”
Beckmann provided that tidbit and plenty of other interesting insights during his annual Christmas Message presentation to the Tri-Cities Exchange Club last week.
He's been making these presentations since 1989, and my tradition of sharing them with Daily Herald readers is probably entering year seven or eight.
With the emphasis this year on Christmas carols, cookies and cards, the Rev. Beckmann had these interesting things to share:
Carols as tavern songs:Carols are mostly associated with the Christmas season, but these songs of praise were associated with other seasons of the church calendar in the Middle Ages.In a scene one is not likely to see in a Tri-Cities tavern, carols were often sung in taverns in the Middle Ages while patrons waited for their ale.Carols specifically related to the birth of Christ were first heard in Rome during the Fourth century, mostly in opposition to a heresy called Arianism, Beckmann noted.The very oldest carols?So which Christmas carols are we still belting out today that have been around since the first carols were heard? Beckmann believes #8220;Good King Wenceslas#8221; and #8220;The Holly and Ivy#8221; surely qualify in that category.Carols finally move to church:Beckmann said Christmas carols were not sung in church until the 1850s, when the most popular came from composer Isaac Watts, who wrote #8220;Joy to the World,#8221; and Charles Wesley, who penned #8220;Hark! How All the Welkin Rings,#8221; which we now sing as #8220;Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.#8221;Inspiring trip to Bethlehem:Philips Brooks, a well-known preacher in Philadelphia in the 1860s, did plenty of praying and preaching during the Civil War years. He was so exhausted from the war years, Beckmann said, that he took a leave of absence and traveled to the Holy Land just before Christmas in 1865. He was so inspired he wrote, #8220;O Little Town of Bethlehem,#8221; originally as a poem to read at his church. But then he gave it to his organist, Lewis Redner, who put music to it.Not Martin Luther's:#8220;Away in a Manger#8221; originally was called #8220;Luther's Cradle Hymn,#8221; but Martin Luther had nothing to do with it. The song was a lullaby anonymously published in a Lutheran book of songs for children. The editor of the book, James Ramsey Murray, likely just added Luther's name to it in an attempt to capitalize on Luther's popularity in America.As a side note, Beckmann said, the third stanza of the song indicates that baby Jesus doesn't cry much. #8220;That probably is wishful thinking,#8221; he said.Those early cookies:Christmas cookies trace their history back to medieval Europe, about the time when trade routes brought ingredients like cinnamon, ginger and almonds to the region. In the 1500s, Christmas #8220;biscuits#8221; were popular and known by different names, Beckmann said, like Lebkuchen in Germany, Papparkakor in Sweden and Krumkake in Norway.By any name, there is no doubt we love our Christmas cookies.Fruitcake's bad rap:The Christmas fruitcake has been the brunt of more jokes than any other holiday food item.#8220;Jack Benny did a great Christmas show years ago about the Christmas fruitcake being passed from one family to another, year after year,#8221; Beckmann said. Johnny Carson spent years making fun of fruitcakes, and he introduced #8220;The Fruitcake Lady#8221; to the world on #8220;The Tonight Show.#8221; She continued making appearances even after Jay Leno took over.The earliest recipes for fruitcakes originated in ancient Rome, but it wasn't until the Middle Ages when actual preserved fruits, honey and spices were added to the dough.#8220;It wasn't long before all of Europe was baking fruitcakes,#8221; Beckmann said. #8220;Eating them? I'm not so sure.#8221;Sending Christmas cardsThe practice of sending Christmas cards to family and friends originated in England, but ancient Chinese and early Egyptians were known to send greetings to celebrate a new year.In 1843, Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial cards in London. That first card featured a happy family raising a toast to the recipients. The problem? The children in the family were also raising glasses of alcohol to express cheer, so critics complained the card promoted drunkenness, Beckmann said.Greetings from your leader:President Eisenhower sent the first official White House Christmas card in 1953. In 1961 about 2,000 cards were sent from the White House, but by 2005 that number was up to 1.4 million.#8220;Our tax dollars at work,#8221; Beckmann joked.Enjoy the day:Those survey statistics noted at the start of this column reveal that 89 percent of Americans gives gifts to family and friends at Christmas, and 86 percent gather for a Christmas meal. That means a lot of us participated in those traditions last night or are doing so today.Here's to hoping you are having the best Christmas ever!#376; dheun@sbcglobal.net