The singing of Christmas carols dates back to the courtly love poems of the 15th and 16th centuries, first introduced in the rooms and halls of nobility and later popularized in the countryside. During the 17th century, chapel music conductors rearranged thousands of religious songs and consecrated others to be sung during liturgical holidays. Since the devotees tended to remember more easily the hymns composed for Christmas, the term became synonymous with the songs sung on Christmas Eve. They became so widely successful that many were printed. The level of popular acceptance becomes clear when one considers that the longest-running No. 1 song ever on the music charts (72 weeks) is Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," first sung by Bing Crosby in the movie "Holiday Inn." Until just recently, it was common to see groups of young people armed with tambourines and rustic drums, gathered outside houses singing Christmas carols and asking for gifts. This tradition still exists in some Latin American countries and in Spain.
The Christmas Tree
The idea of the Christmas tree was born sometime between 2000 B.C. and 3000 B.C., a time marked by heavy Indo-European migrations throughout Europe and Asia. The trees these people carried with them were expressions of the fertility of Mother Nature, and thus were symbols of worship. The mighty oak was often considered to be the king of trees. When the trees shed their leaves, people would often place decorations on them to offset their desolately bare appearance, believing they could reanimate the spirit of nature, which they assumed, had escaped the tree. Legend has it that one day during the first half of the 8th century, an oak tree considered sacred by pagan tribes toppled on a fir tree. Because the evergreen remained miraculously undamaged it was thereafter proclaimed the tree of the Baby Jesus. Its triangular shape represented the Holy Trinity, with God occupying its uppermost position. Today's Christmas tree is modeled after a German fir, which was first mentioned in the 16th century. It was during the 19th century that its use became popularized in Great Britain, France, the United States, Puerto Rico, China and Japan. Spain began adopting it during the first quarter of the 20th century and the tree is now well-established throughout most of Europe and Latin America.
Decorating the tree
The balls, stars and trimmings found on today's Christmas trees represent the primitive stones, apples and other items that were placed on ancient oak trees, predecessors of the modern Christmas tree. All the ornaments are attached with symbolism. For example, before the arrival of multi-colored electric lights, trees were decorated with candles, which represented purity, and their flames represented the everlasting light of Christ upon the world. Other classic decorations included charms that were thought to bring good luck. Pine cones were viewed as symbols of immortality and bells as signs of Christmas cheer. Apples or decorative colored balls, the most traditional element, first made by 18th-century Bohemian glass blowers, are propitiatory symbols of prosperity. Finally, the stars represent God's plan. According to the Bible, an angel circles every star, lending support to the ancient belief that each star in the heavens was at one time an angel. The star placed on top of the tree refers to the Star of Bethlehem.
Mistletoe and Evergreens
Because its color never fades, mistletoe was regarded during ancient times as a sacred plant, a symbol of protection capable of endowing luck and fertility. During Christmas, the winter solstice represents the time of greatest demand for divine prosperity. The custom of hanging sprigs of mistletoe on the ceiling or over doorframes and window jams is related to the plant's peculiar trait of establishing itself on other living plants and not in the soil, like most other plants do. Tradition holds that the young lady who receives a kiss under the mistletoe will find the love of her life or keep the one she has. Couples receive the gift of fertility. This element of Christmas comes from the countries of northern and central Europe. The custom was introduced in the United States around the middle of the 19th century. It is not very common in Spain and is less so in Latin America. On the other hand, the holly tree as it is known, with its bright red fruit, has achieved a similar type of symbolism as mistletoe.
The Yuletide Log
This rural tradition of ancient origin still lives on in many regions of Spain, France, England and in the Slavic countries. It consisted of lighting a log with an ember that belonged to the log from the previous year, and which had been kept all year-round as a way of protecting the home against Satan, lightning and fire. Today it takes the form of a "piñata" at children's parties, where they make believe it is a fantastic live animal which has been nurtured and nourished over time by their parents. On Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day, the little ones gather under the piñata, hitting it with sticks in the hope that it will break open and let out all the gifts inside it.
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