When Christmas Is not a Time for Peace.

Well, I think spending your Christmas time in a quiet and secluded place with a very close community inspired by the religious feeling which, allegedly, fuels the celebration (or that way it was, once), people whom with to share a praying moment and a pious enjoyment of thy Glory could be considered, at least by a great number of people, the best possible Christmas to live.

Otherwise, it could happen that your quiet and secluded place would be under constant bombardment, with a fierce enemy at the gates, food running low, and without an army to rescue you. That would not be peaceful merriment, for sure. And it could be even worse: the army at the gates could be a rabble of heretics (that, from your point of view) and you could be a simple monk, and the keeper of your nation’s most sacred relic. Then you’re dreaming of a white Christmas would turn a complete nightmare…

I was forgetting something: there are good and bad news. The good news is that you live in a monastery that, in fact is a fortress. Enter the bad news: the enemy’s strength is ten times yours; they are a hired army of German Lutherans, hardened mercenaries, ungodly veterans; the Polish Commonwealth (your country, by the way) is losing the war, the king has exiled in Silesia, And you are, more or less, the last strong point defending the Commonwealth banner. Well, it is not as bad as it looks: your Prior, Augustyn Kordecki, a farsighted man, has let in some recruits from the local nobility and, above all, has bought muskets and ammo. But, I know you are asking yourself would all this be enough? Ah, my friend, your faith is lacking. Trust in God, Whose ways are mysterious.

So here we are: Advent came and is leaving, negotiations ended with no result. You did great at first, a successful sally brought down two cannons, Swedes and Germans got nervous, your cannon was superior and your aim more accurate. Then they brought in heavy siege artillery, 24-pounders, and seriously damaged the northern walls and a bastion. But your sorties still bore fruit and on December 14 you destroyed a 24-pounder and got some relief. Only to enrage the enemy, who doubled its efforts and resume bombardment and started digging a tunnel to undermine the old building. By this time, though, you were masters of sortie and again defeated the Swedish army on the 20, with the leadership of Stefan Zamoyski one of the noblemen helping the Commonwealth in its hour of need. This time, the result was devastating for the besiegers: two cannon destroyed and almost every miner dead. Now, all the hardships, the fear, the self-questioning is being let aside. God is among you, saving you now that the time Thy son was born is about again, helping you, giving you courage and luck, even, for sure, was God’s own hand who made another 24-pounder exploded while barraging mercilessly your tired walls. You are winning, my friend.

I can only imagine what is now crossing General Burchard Müller von der Luhnen’s mind. He is out there, beholding the walls. In silence, thinking, questioning himself too. Why? They are just some dozens of monks and a few soldiers. Why? We should have been inside for weeks now. Why am I here, at the gates, in the snow, waiting for a clue to overcome the Polish. Why are they fighting like that? He must be thinking of Divine intervention, but, no, that cannot be. He is a professional soldier. There is no space for superstition in a battlefield, or it is? It seems there is nothing more he can do now. Christmas Eve is here and still nothing gained. Soldiers are unsettled and morale is ebbing. Well, maybe a handsome ransom could be mustered, just for all the trouble. And, after all, the war is almost over, and this is just a monastery…
So a ransom was asked for. And denied. As Prior Kordecki put it, “I would have paid before the fighting began, now the monastery needs the money for repairs”. Ah, there is a leader of men if you need one, the new warrior-monk, a true Templar´s heir. And, finally, at dawning the 27th December 1655, the Swedish army started to withdraw with a last bitter look to the high walls that, with God’s help, had defeated them.

That’s how History goes. A little religious community was preparing for Christmas when war called at the door. Through the smell of powder and the sound of thunder, the hunger and the cold, they resisted a professional army and allegedly, started and gave impulse to the resistance. From then on, the Polish would gain momentum till the final defeat of the invaders. Probably the siege of Jasna Gora was not the only reason, but surely it was a sign that helped to restore national pride and, maybe, as it showed that the Swedish were in fact vulnerable gave the small guerrillas still operating and the beaten rests of the polish army a new hope of victory. And, in a longer span, the siege, and the intervention, if ever there was, of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, contributed to the Polish national spirit and is still nowadays a strong reference for all the Polish people. The Madonna was still there when Poland was quartered, and under the communist rule, and today keeps on moving every soul when on visit.

A Christmas Truce

So it’s that time of year again, we’ve all by now finished our scrumptious Christmas dinners, whether Turkey; Goose or vegetarian alternative (thankfully not banned this year as under Oliver Cromwell’s reign as lord protector in England, Scrooge), lost track of the amount of presents we’ve carefully wrapped; which are then subsequently ripped apart by excited relatives both young and old; and probably have heard enough Christmas songs and carols that we are set till next year, and although I sounds as if I’m being cynical I honestly don’t mean to be, as unsurprisingly Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. It is the time where we let go of the restraints we put on your inner kid and gaze in wonder at all the pretty lights and decorations both in our homes and outside them, it’s the time when we gather our families together tell them that we love them, and lastly it’s a time for miracles, one of the few times that the impossible becomes possible; that reindeer can fly, that father Christmas (St Nick,) whatever name you know him as, can get down your chimney and bring you presents. Which let me tell you; is no mean feat. I’ve lately seen a news report where this little boy asked the builder of his mum’s new house to make sure the chimney was Santa proof; they brought in a mathematician and an architect, just to make sure, Father Christmas wouldn’t get stuck. But I digress there are more miracles to Christmas than I could go on about in this post, of course not forgetting the main one, the miracle of Jesus’ birth, but also the miracle of changing as scrooge did and the ability to turn over a new leaf . Thus I think I’ve finally answered the question as to Christmas is all about… miracles, the one day of the year when absolutely anything is possible, even a truce in the middle of, one of the bloodiest conflicts in modern history.

As we know World War I, can be considered as 4 years of hell for its participants, what with trench warfare, and the development of modern machinery such as the use of gas, and the introduction of air force, it is rightly called the first total war as I believe no one who was a part of it would have been left unscathed. However I’m not here, to talk about horrors or to say what was right or wrong within this conflict. I’m here to talk about the series of unofficial truces that occurred in 1914 all the way the western front that year. See here is what I consider to be the true power of Christmas, its ability to turn enemies into friends if only for the night.

The week leading up to Christmas began with parties of German and British officers, approximately 100,000 soldiers were involved in, unofficial ceasefires including the Christmas truces. They begun by exchanging carols and greetings, often shouted across to the other trench, decorating trenches and Christmas trees with candles. Such was the Christmas spirit that the hostility between the opposing forces can be argued as being reduced to the extent that troops could cross into ‘No Man’s land’, where they mingled with each other’s ‘enemy’, exchanging gifts of what they had around food, i.e. cigarettes and alcohol and souvenirs, such as buttons and hats. Furthermore joint services we’re held, and the day was also used for both sides to collect and bury died. And for one, special you could almost say magical night the artillery fell silent, and it was for once all quite… well mostly on the western front’.

With stories of a ‘machine gunner, who was a bit of an amateur hair dresser cutting the unnaturally long hair of a docile Boche’ , and perhaps more famously the game of football played in the western front. This legendry game of football, is often repeated, however whether it actually occurred, or whether there was more than one game, as is now generally assumed, is something that is lost in history. With one man producing a football, which resulted in “a free-for-all; there could have been 50 on each side”, before they were ordered back, and for the football fans amongst us there are as you would expect variations of the final score, with a German officer Lieutenant Niemann, describing the final score of a match just outside Armentieres as 3-2 to the Germans.

Unfortunately whilst the Christmas spirit appeared to be with some, the ceasefires did not occur unanimously though out the conflict area, or throughout the war as the truces seem to decline as the war carried on to its bitter end. Although, there were later truces and attempts at truces on other religious days such as Easter. However the decline was in part a result of , ‘strongly worded orders from high commands on both sides’, which I Personally think it was a dreadful thing to order, whilst I understand that there was a war going on, they could have least given them Christmas. In addition fraternisation was not without its risks, as whist ‘goodwill to all men’ was the maxim in some hearts that year, which unfortunately others did not follow. Although this was the official line, there are recorded some situations of deliberate dampening of hostilities with artillery being fired at precise points to avoid any enemy causalities.

So with gun shots fired the truces were over and the war was on again. Yet from this, wonderful episode of humanity and good will, we can see the enormous power of Christmas, and its ability to do well, in this world of ours. And so in the words of John and Yoko Ono , war [this one in particular] is over, yet whilst there still remains conflict, and Christmas remains a time for reflection and good will to mankind then I hope that truces such as these continue to occur; to demonstrate and respect the fact that whilst we maybe on different sides, we are all human. Perhaps that’s the lesson we must take with us into the New Year, we are all human and as this golden episode in the history of humanity, demonstrates there are some things that bind us all together and Christmas is a special time in which we should all remember this fact.
So all that’s left for me to do is wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and a great New Year, and we shall meet again in 2012, a year of anniversaries, the sinking of the titanic and Queen Elizabeth’s II Diamond Jubilee to name a few, and also a year of exciting events such as the Olympics in England. So here’s to 2012 and all it brings.

Sophie

Sources
Watch for a great depiction of the events just talked about; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHObCL2luMw&feature=related

http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/xmas.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

The story of the little boy who asked for a Santa proof chimney;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2076172/First-Santa-friendly-chimney-Leo-Park-6-sees-Christmas-dreams-come-true.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

pictures: Google images

Christmas on the Home Front

In this week’s blog post I will be looking at what Christmas was like in Britain or the ‘Home front’ during the Second World War. From September 1939 to the May of 1945 the world was engulfed in a second global conflict that started with the expansion of Nazi Germany in Europe. The British public would therefore have to face five Christmases before the war had ended. Whilst soldiers were being deployed in Europe, one of the greatest threats that Britain faced was from the skies. The Blitz changed Christmas as it brought the conflict to the doorstep of the people of Britain and affected all ways of life. However, whilst many other festivals and events were cancelled such as Guy Fawkes Night and the Summer Holidays, Christmas remained present for everyone to celebrate.

During the War there were many changes that people would have to adapt to celebrate Christmas. Firstly there was food rationing that came into effect from late 1939/early 1940 that took away the food traditionally associated with Christmas. In 1940 bacon and butter began to be rationed, though it wouldn’t be until the Christmas of 1941/42 that turkey and many luxuries such as chocolate were in short supply or there was none available. During 1943 ‘The Ministry of Food estimated that only one family in ten would get turkey or goose for their Christmas dinner that year. A lot of Christmas food was ‘mock’ (ie fake). Christmas recipes included mock ‘goose’, ‘turkey’ (made from lamb), ‘cream’ and ‘marzipan’.’ [1] Christmas gifts were also in short supply during the war years and many presents were handmade as gifts from shops were too expensive. Knitted slippers and other handmade objects were the exchanged as well as seeds and other practical presents. Comparing this with today’s food supplies and the amounts of gifts in which we buy, it clearly shows that many of the ideas created during the war such a making do with what we had, has been forgotten through the decades. 

Families also faced a difficult Christmas once the war had started since in most cases they would be separated from one another.  Men would be fighting in Europe or wherever they would be needed and would be away from their families for many months. Women might also be with the army or continuing with the war work. Children would be absent since they would have been evacuated away from the cities and into the countryside, away from their families and into the care of foster families.  Despite this families would still try to send gifts to one another whether overseas or across the country.

Whilst the people of Britain were changed by the harshness of war, Christmas was still a time of celebration and the festivities continued in most conditions. In contrast with modern ideas of Christmas, the people of war-time Britain would have had a much more difficult time celebrating Christmas than people do today. We therefore need to take care not to complain about the problems that we faced concerning what to give friends and family, when 60-70 years they had to worry whether they or their families would still be alive the next day. To end on a more positive note, the British people during the war years made do with what they had available and proved that even in war-time, Christmas could be celebrated in some way or another. It is also worth mentioning that the Christmas Speech, which is presented by the monarch, was established at the beginning of the war and goes on today.                           

Finally Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/christmas_underfire_01.shtml

Sources:

http://www.iwm.org.uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk

 

The Meaning of Christmas

It’s this time of year again, and it seems to come round so quickly! But have you ever stopped to consider the true significance of 25^th December?

From my experience of Christmas, both the weeks leading up to it and the actual day itself have been centred on commercialisation and the anticipation of receiving our dream presents, particularly for children and teenagers. Commercialisation is a huge problem at this time of year, especially for those suffering badly from the government cuts and increased VAT. Although, I think it has always been a dark shadow, how the adverts, the sales and the shop window displays lure us in and play on are stresses over finding just the right present.

What is more, it seems that advent, a time which is supposed to prepare us for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, has been turned into a manic rush in which we are either agonising over the best size tree for the living room, calculating how much food is needed for the hordes who’ll visit over Christmas or frantically rushing through the crowds of shoppers in a mad hunt for that special something – and for what? Indeed, commercialisation is not the only problem, but also how we as individuals value Christmas and whether we conform to the norms of society, with the image of an ideal Christmas. Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment and should we not be revaluating why we go to so much trouble for one day a year?

As a Christian, I feel the true meaning of Christmas has been clouded by the stress of buying the perfect present for those we love and the preparation of all the trimmings, such as the tree and the big dinner. When it comes to the heart of Christmas; how many of us actually attend Church on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, to hear about the reason for this celebration beginning with Christ? In the past, particularly the Middle Ages and the time of the early church fathers, the story of Christmas and the giving of gifts appears to have been far more important than the receiving of gifts and the watching of television programmes. For example Boxing Day was a time when the Church would share the contents of a wooden Christmas Box with the poor[1], so they also join in the festivities.

Another element of Christmas, which I see as of particular significance is the chance to spend quality time with our families, although even this can sometimes be tainted by perfectionism and commercialism. Not only is it the type of commercialism which we experience through adverts for the latest gadgets and fashions etc., as well as the buying of presents, turkeys and trees, but also the type that we are exposed to on the television, with the introduction of Christmas specials for series such as Outnumbered, Dr Who and East Enders (to name but a few). Don’t get me wrong, viewers do generally enjoy many of these programmes and to some extent the showing of them can help make time to bring families together (in spite of the arguments, selecting what to watch can cause), but they are still a diversion from the truth of Christmas.

Additionally, with regards to festive films, the adaptation of Charles’ Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol into a film, on numerous occasions, somewhat contradicts the message he was trying to portray. Indeed, the main reason for celebrations on 25^th December is by so many aspects of modern society, in danger of becoming extinct from our consciousness. It is not what we do on the day or how well decorated our homes are etc… that matters; it is the celebration of the coming of our Saviour. In this time of economic strain Christmas is our beacon of hope, as it is the reminder of the faith that men and women have lived by for centuries.

When comparing our attitudes to Christmas with those of past societies, some aspects would almost be unrecognisable to us and others are not dissimilar from today. For example, the intended good will of the Christmas season, such as the Christmas Box given to the poor on Boxing Day, by the Church[2] is a little like the Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child campaign, whereby those in more well-off countries pack shoeboxes with goodies and ship them off to children who would otherwise not have a present at Christmas. This just shows that the true spirit of giving is still alive today, but perhaps not as prominent as it ought to be. On the other hand, the traditional medieval celebrations of Christmas featured three different masses, all celebrated on 25^th December; the Angel’s Mass at midnight, representing the coming of the light of God when ‘the light of salvation appeared at the darkest moment’[3], the Shepherd’s Mass at dawn and the Mass of the Divine Word which happened during the day.[4] Therefore, it is clear that throughout the Middle Ages, Christmas was taken very seriously as a significant time of year for Christians. However, some aspects of the Middle Ages remain in our celebrations today, such as the name: ‘Our word Christmas is derived from the Middle English usage “Christ’s Mass”’[5] Based on the three masses. What is trying to be demonstrated here is that the true spirit of Christmas is about sharing and giving, as well as acknowledging the story of Jesus and its meaning and importance to humanity.

I would like to conclude therefore, that as long as we understand why many parts of the world have either a designated day or set of days when people give and receive gifts, and we do not forget that we are buying presents in order to show our love to those in our lives, then we need not feel guilty. As, despite all those things we may be so desperate to buy or receive in order to fulfil our idea of the prefect Christmas, the key point of Jesus as light and love of the world is what’s  really important. Perhaps one of the reasons why buying (and receiving) presents has become so prominent in our celebration of Christmas, is due to the fact that, this day was originally set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the birthday of a child that was destined to save the world. Indeed, we all know from school nativity plays how the three Kings/Wise Men brought the baby Jesus precious gifts  -  but it is perhaps the meaning of these gifts that we ought to be reminded of, not merely that presents were given on the first Christmas. If we consider the gift of Gold, for example, we are reminding ourselves of Jesus’s significance as King of the Universe. Frankincense is believed to have represented that people would come to worship Jesus and Myrrh is associated with death, foreshadowing Jesus’s fate on the Cross.[6]

Although, whether Jesus was actually the Messiah and Saviour of humanity and what it is He is supposed to have saved us from is, in our society, a matter of debate. Whether we believe in the story of Jesus or not, it would be a credit to us all, as beings capable of so much love and compassion, not to expect to receive our dream presents this Christmas, but instead to give whole-heartedly, not merely material gifts to others, but also gifts of compassion, even to those we do not know. For I believe our God came to the Earth in human form, not only to save us, but to show us just how much He loves us and so wants us to share His love with the world.

---

[1] http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/boxingday.html

[2] http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/boxingday.html

[3] http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales09.htm

[4] http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales09.htm

[5] http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales09.htm

[6] http://www.whychristmas.com/story/wisemen.shtml

Christmas Traditions

The inspiration for this blog post has actually come from a quiz I took part in as part of an International Cafe. It was just a fun quiz to demonstrate the English customs at Christmas and to see how much us more local people knew, but I thought it an interesting topic; I certainly learnt something along with our international friends. To be honest, I’d never really thought about it before. How long have I been taking part in certain traditions without having a clue about the history of them or why I’m even doing it?

So I thought it’d be fun to have a look into the most common traditions we have in England. Starting with….

The Christmas Tree – It is thought that evergreen fir trees have been a staple of winter festivals before Christianity. The Romans used them for their festival of Saturnalia in honour of Saturn, which was their god of agriculture, while the Vikings thought that they had special significance for their sun-god, Balder. For Christians, the fir-tree is a symbol of everlasting life with God, and as such takes a leading role in the Christmas decorations. The Christmas tree as we know it today originated in Germany in the sixteenth century. A popular conception is that the father of the Protestant reformation, Martin Luther, was the first person to put candles on the tree. They really became popular in England when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were pictured around a tree with their children. The candles on the tree were eventually replaced with electrical lights, which although not as bright, helped to prevent the problem of trees burning down.

Mistletoe – The initial idea of hangings it in houses came from a Druid custom, and it was thought to prevent evil spirits from entering the house. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from the fact that it was a symbol of love and friendship in Norse mythology. Traditionally, people could only kiss under the mistletoe if there were still berries on it, and a berry would be plucked off for every kiss completed.

Santa Claus – Quite a few people will probably already know that Father Christmas has his origins in the form of the catholic saint, Nicholas. He was born sometime in 280 AD and was naturally renowned for his generosity and piety, and was eventually established as the protector of children. The idea of hanging up a stocking for Santa is based on one of the acts of kindness undertaken by St. Nicholas, when he sent sacks of gold down the chimney to provide a dowry for three sisters so that they could get married. These were caught in the sister’s stockings, and this is where the tradition of hanging stockings up for Santa comes from. The inspiration for the Santa that we know today comes from the poem ‘An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas’ by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822. The poem itself starts off with the immortal lines ‘’twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse’, and I know that for me personally, these lines make me think of my Christmases as a child. It was here that the image of Santa Claus as a jolly man with a large figure comes from. This was later developed by Thomas Nast with his cartoon of Santa in the Harper’s Weekly newspaper, which added the idea of Santa being dressed in red, having a white beard and being married to Mrs. Claus. Rudolf came later in 1939, and was created by Robert L. May in a story based on the poem by Moore.

Carols – Like many other Christmas traditions, the custom of singing Christmas carols come from existing traditions associated with pagan winter festivals. With the conversation of the Romans to Christianity, the focus on these carols developed into a Christian one. St Francis of Assisi is considered to be the person who started the tradition of telling a tale through carols when he started his nativity plays in 1223. Carols in their current form became popular in the Victorian era, and it was then that the custom of special carol services in churches and singing carols on the street became popular.

Christmas Pudding – This has its origins in the fourteenth century, where it was a porridge based dessert with mutton, beef, raisins and other fruits, and by the Victorian period it had been developed into the fruity desert which we now eat at Christmas. The holly decoration which is usually put atop the pudding is symbolic and is meant to represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore at the Crucifixion. The silver coin put in the pudding is also another English custom, and is meant to bring good luck to the person who finds it in their portion of the desert.

These are the top five Christmas traditions which I thought would be interesting to look in to. If you think I’ve missed your most important tradition in this post, feel drop us a comment here and tell me so!

I thought that I’d leave you with some interesting international traditions. :]

In Russia, Christmas is celebrated on the 7^th of January in accordance with the Russian Orthodox calendar.

In Venezuela, a daily service is held between the 16^th and 24^th where it is traditional for people to travel to it on roller skates. Children tie a piece of string to their big toes when they go to sleep and hang the end of out the window for passersby to tug in the morning.

In Sweden, they have Tomte the Christmas gnome instead of Santa Claus – although there are certain similarities between the two in appearance. He hands out Christmas presents on Christmas Eve while saying funny rhymes.

Merry Christmas!

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/christmas

http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-christmas-trees

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/account-of-a-visit-from-st-nicholas/

http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/sweden.html

http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/venezuela.html

http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/