This story was published in the local newspaper (Pasadena Star-News) on December 10, 2000.
It’s quite interesting, but I don’t find myself believing all of it!
People through the ages have always presented one another with gifts, either to mark a special occasion or just because they want to, but the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas has much deeper cultural roots.
The Christmas tradition is generally connected to the biblical story of the gifts of the Magis, the three wise men who visited the small stable in Bethlehem where the infant Jesus was born. These wise men, who may have been kings sent by King Herod to find the newborn child whom he believed was prophesied to usurp his earthly throne, represented distant reaches of the Roman Empire. The treasures they brought had mystical qualities; gold for prosperity, frankincense and myrrh, valuable anointing oils and incense used in ritual purification. Frankincense symbolized holiness and myrrh, the pain to be endured on earth.
The eldest, Melchior, 60, was a king of Arabia. Gaspar, only 20, was from Tharsis, and Balthasar, 40, was the king of Sheeba. In Saba, Persia, (Seveh, Iran) the city from which the three began their search. The explorer Marco Polo discovered the local interpretation of the gifts given by the three wise men.
Their mission was to discover if the babe was indeed the prophet that caused Herod such unease. Lore had it that if the child accepted the gold, he would be a king. If he took the incense he would be a god, and if he took the myrrh he would be a physician. The tale further says that when each of the kings privately gazed upon the child, they saw a person their own age. When together, they saw him as he was a 13-day old child.
The miracle of these visions prompted them to present him with the gifts. This child of promise kept all offerings, which indicated to the kings that he would accept all three personas: king, god and physician.
In return he gave them a box which contained a stone. Thinking the stone of no value, they threw it down a nearby well. Immediately fire descended from heaven into the well. Suffice to say, the three wise men realized the rock had significance. They gathered some of the fire and carried it home, placing it at the altars in the finest and richest houses of worship. It burned every day and was adored as a god by the people.
When the early Christian church founders began their mission of expansion into the pagan reaches, whether conscious or not, they found it was often easier to win over the people by incorporating local traditions into the new message, a gift from God.
Virtually all ancient peoples regarded the winter solstice as a time of celebration because it meant the earth was turning away from the dark days of winter toward spring, the season of rebirth.
The feast of Saturnalia in ancient Rome was celebrated starting in mid-December when the sun was at its lowest ebb. Celebrations included festivals during which people gave each other good luck gifts called strenae. The historical record reports that the first gifts were fruits. Later there were lucky cakes and other tokens of well-wishing.
In many cases, leaders would present a boon, or small gift, to their citizens. However, the Roman Emperor Caligula—never one to miss out on a good thing—issued an edict that everyone should bring gifts to him. But he wasn’t alone in this self-centered attitude. When the old gods ruled in Germany and Scandinavia, the mortals who gave them gifts were offered blessings. Later, the Norse god Odin’s horses and elves eventually were transformed by Christians and became the accouterments of Saint Nicholas.
The real St. Nicholas, most closely tied to our contemporary holiday gift-giving, was the son of a well-to-do Christian family who lived in Asia Minor in the third century. He became the archbishop of the seaport town of Myra. He had much wealth and sought to distribute it among those in need, but heeded the biblical admonishing that anyone giving gifts to the poor not reveal themselves as the giver.
Perhaps the idea of Santa leaving gifts by coming down the chimney sprang form a story connected to St. Nicholas. Three young women wished to marry, but their father was poor and they had no dowry. Hearing of their plight, St. Nicholas dropped three bags of gold down their chimney so that each woman could marry.
Gift-giving continued into the Middle Ages and traditional offerings were modest. Fruits, cakes, nuts, dolls, toys, Bibles and useful items such as writing instruments were given. In Germany, the gifts were presented in a stocking, with an orange at the bottom and an apple at the top. A shiny new coin would be somewhere in between. There also is a story that nuns would wrap small treats in stockings for children and place them at the door of poor families.
Today, gift-giving continues full blown, but seldom do the gifts take the form of simple items such as the fruits, nuts and honey cakes of 2,500 years ago. Those would be found combined in the traditional fruit cakes. Instead, gifts more than likely are the latest toy or techno-marvel, clothing, jewelry or gift certificates to the local Roman-themed day spa. Ah, the latter a gift fit for Caligula.
Story by: Marilee Reyes, staff writer
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