From branches to gifts |24 December 2014
Ipods, mobile phones, laptops and expensive perfumes are very common gifts nowadays. But have you ever wondered what was given when technology had not even been discovered?
Technology was only discovered not too long ago and many a time people wonder of what families gave each other on Christmas days and birthdays. It was a very long time ago, as long as the birth of Jesus.
New generations have developed a habit of not recognising Christmas as the birth of Christ. Instead, Christmas to them feel like another birthday filled with presents and cake. Parents no longer take the time to educate their children about the religious side of Christmas. The stories they deliver are filled with myths, most of which consists of Santa Claus and his reindeers flying all over the world on Christmas eve delivering presents under every tree in every home. Besides Santa Claus, most countries and religions have their own views of the birth of Jesus, of their respective Gods. For example, one of the other common holidays in December is Hanukkah. This occasion is celebrated by the Jewish people of the world. Christmas day is also common for the extensive meals families enjoy, consisting commonly of an enormous roasted turkey. The Christmas tree is also thought to be one the most important aspects of Christmas day, when the whole family gets together to decorate the tree with garlands and tinsels and lights. However, the story of the gifts can be seen from a whole new perspective.
Merchants regularly report that over 60% of their annual retail sales occur during the Christmas shopping season. This represents a tremendous amount of gift buying. Most people today believe that gift-giving comes from the Bible example of the “three wise men” presenting gifts to Christ in the manger on the day of his birth. There are several theories that try to uncover the origins of giving gifts. One of the earliest known customs of giving presents was during the Roman festival of the kalends, which occurred on January 1. These were known as strenae. High ranking officials were obliged to give gifts to their emperors during the kalends. Originally the gifts were in the form of branches of evergreen taken from the grove of the goddess strenia. However, the emperor lacked interest in olive branches and so the officials started to give gifts of honey and cakes, signifying that they hoped the new year would be filled with sweetness and gold that it may bring prosperity. This tradition is still common among our generation as families enjoy giving cake to friends as a gift.
The words ‘kriss kringle’ mean Christ-child and is the basis of a medieval legend, that Jesus himself gave presents. This helped to establish Christmas day as an occasion for Christians to give gifts. And so, on Christmas morning when you open all your gifts, say thank you to the Romans as they made it possible for you to receive all the goodies in the world.
Raina Nicette