Christmas Symbols

• Period of 4 Sundays before Christmas
• Advent is the beginning of the Western liturgical year.

• "Light of God"

• 4 candles (4 weeks)
  • 3 purple
  • 1 pink
• Week 1 - Purple - Hope
• Week 2 - Purple - Love
• Week 3 - Pink - Joy
• Week 4 - Purple - Peace

• Crown of Christ
• Round - Represents God's infinite love
• Evergreen - Everlasting life
• Candle - "Light of God"

• Originated 16th Century

• Germany

• Represent how people should all be tied together in bonds of unity and goodwill during the holiday season

• England

• Star of Bethlehem
• Festival of the Light (birth of Jesus)
• Light of the World (Jesus)
• Yule log

• Telling Mary and Joseph that they are invited here to rest

• The Good Shepard’s hook (crook)
• White: Purity – Red: Sacrifice
• J for Jesus

• Reenactacting the Navity story
• Keeping children quiet during Christmas Eve Mass
• St. Nicholas Day - handout

• Invented 1670, Cologne, Germany
• Brought to North America in 1837, Massachusetts, USA

• Cologne, Germany

• Roof top to drop gifts

• From where St. Nicholas would dropped down gold coins (doors were locked)

• Celebration of birth of Jesus later known as the “Christ-Mass”
• Son - Light of the World (Sun)

• Saturnlina (pagan festival)
• Northern Europe - Celebration of the return of the Sun
• Mid-winter festival - Church adopts season in 320 AD

• Apples dipped in liquid sugar (to preserve)
• Fruits dipped in liquid sugar (to preserve)

• England (Queen Victoria and Prince Albert)

• Love

• Web changed to tinsel

• Eastern Europe

• Green all year
• Unchanging
• Life renewed

• Germans coming to America (1740's) bringing custom
• Prince Albert (from Germany)
• Held in high reverence by Druids, Celts and German

• Germany is credited for the tradition 

• inspired by a medieval drink called posset, a milky drink made with eggs, milk, and sometimes figs or sherry
• "Nog" from the word "noggin", a wooden cup or Norflok variety of beers

• Green all year
• Unchanging
• Life renewed

• Ra- Triumph over death
• Saturlina - Agriculture
• Yule
• Hunters, gatherers and farmers - cycles of the seasons

• Egypt
• Romains
• Northern Europe
• Celts
• Germany

• House
• Pasteries
• Sent

• Ancient Palestine
• Germany

• Royalty
• Gifts

• Everlasting light and life
• Evergreens
• Fir trees

• Saturlina
• Yule
• Hunters, gatherers and farmers

• Family/Visitors are arriving

•  
• Used on horses to scare away mooses

• Birth

• Love
• fertility
• vitality

• Santa Claus
• Wisedom

• St. Nicholas
• Odin
• Weihnachtsmann

• Prosperity
• Seed to Harvest

• Gold coins (St. Nicholas)

• Treasure hunt

• Last fruit/vegetable decorations added to tree (Germany?)
• First child/person to find it gets an additional present.

• Germany

• Blood of Christ

• Holly berries (Saturlina)
• Cardinal (St. Nicholas)

• North Pole
• 'Twas the Night before Christmas

• Donkey - Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem
• Horse - St.Nicholas
• Goats - Thor
• Eight legged horse (Sherpin) - Odin
• Method of traval in northern Europe

• 'Twas the Night before Christmas
• Artists' Nash,
• Toy maker (Germany)

• GOD
• St. Nicholas
• Odin
• Lord of Misrule

• Shoes left beside to dry out to catch the gold coins dropped down by St. Nicholas
• Stockings – replaced shoes (colder climate)

• Light of the world
• Guidence

• Star of Bethlehem

• Icicles

• Gift (God's gift - Jesus)
• Wise Men
• Joy
• Charity

• Approximate period of time between birth of Jesus and arrival of the Wise men.

• Circular, never-ending symbol of eternal love and rebirth

• Generosity, giving, and the gathering of family
•  

• Cleansing
• Purification

• burned logs decorated with holly, ivy, and pinecones to cleanse themselves of the past year and welcome the next one
• Spreading of the ashes ashes would help protect against lightning strikes and evil spirits

Northern Europe

Celts

• Greek letter for “chi” (pronounced ‘kye’) which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ – ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos).