Gift giving has been part of this season for hundreds of years
- but not everyone is waiting for Santa
Italy - La Befana
La Befana has been bringing gifts to the children of Italy since the 13thC.
The tale is told that La Befana had the fortune to encounter the three Magi, or Wise Men as they followed the star to the birth of the Messiah. They told her of their holy mission. The old woman was so deeply inspired, they invited her to join them. At first, she rushed home to pack, excited that she would be one of the first to see the holy child. But as she packed, she realized how old she was and imagined the difficult travel ahead. In the end, she decided not to meet the Magi when they departed for she had decided she was too old to make the trip.
The next day, she was seized with regret that she had missed her chance. She tried to reach the Magi to ask them to wait for her but they had already returned to their quest. Her opportunity was gone.
Filled with regret, she decided that she would celebrate all the good children in her community. Since then, every January 5/6, La Befana tosses a huge canvas sack, filled with gifts like toys and chocolates, across her back and climbs on her broom. She travels from home to home, placing these tokens in the stockings hung upon hearths or in shoes that children leave out for this purpose on the night of January 5.
Sweden- The Tomte
Tomte- Swedish (Tonttu-Finnish) (Nisse – Norway) (Kobold- German)
Tomten are a race of spirit or magical nature that have been part of the Northern European world for many centuries. Some believe that the Tomte is the spirit of the person who cleared the land to create the homestead. Acting as solitary guardian, the Tomte remains to keep an eye on things.
Depicted as short, old men with impressive beards and often sporting a red cap, these domestic spirits work behind the scenes for the smooth function of the household, sometimes sneaking into the house to finish tasks or to clean up the place. If the cleanliness and upkeep of the home is neglected, it is a great insult to the Tomte.
If the Tomte was to become cross, he could cause all kind of trouble from misplacing tools to maiming livestock. To show one's appreciation for the Tomte's stewardship over the homestead, custom called for the household to leave out a bowl of porridge with butter for his pleasure. A happy Tomte keeps the family farm prosperous. These little stewards bring gifts to the family in the solstice season, leaving them at the front door.
Syria- The Littlest Camel
The Littlest Camel was part of the caravan of the Three Magi
The 3 Magi traveled far to be at the birth of the holy child. Camels carried their possessions and the precious gifts they had brought to honour the new king. Among the camels was a youngster, smaller and less robust than the rest of his troop. Throughout the long journey, the littlest camel struggled to keep up, often losing faith that he would ever make it to see the divine child. But every time, the littlest camel would push himself onward, refusing to give up no matter what.
When the Magi arrived at the manger, the Christ Child looked into the soul of that little camel witnessing the loyalty and faith that had brought the beast to his side. Christ was so touched by the profound heart of the littlest camel that he granted two honours. The first was that the camel would have the delight of delivering gifts to children in celebration of the birth. The second gift was immortality, allowing the camel the privilege of bringing these gifts forever.
Children leave their shoes out, filled with hay for the littlest camel. In the morning, they find gifts in their shoes.
Germany- Das Christkind (Christ-child)
Image is a detail of "Im Lande des Christkinds" by Richard Ernst Kepler
In the 1500's, Martin Luther initiated a break with the Catholic Church to establish what would become the Lutheran branch of Christianity. Among his many arguments against the ways of the church, the German theologian argued the only basis for Christian faith and doctrine was scripture. (“sola scriptura” Scripture Alone)
Luther's disdain for the plethora of saints that distracted the Catholics, in his opinion, from a focus on Christ meant that when Christmas rolled around, there was going to be a problem with ol' Saint Nicolas. This Saint was expected to drop off presents on the eve of his own celebration. (Feast of St Nicolas- December 6)
Luther substituted the Christkind, a mythic incarnation of the infant Christ, who brought gifts to the children on the last day of Advent (Christmas Eve- December 24) The Christkind, usually depicted as a blonde, winged child, was conceptually modeled on the innocence and purity of the Christ child himself.
The Christkind has never been seen. According to legend, if the children try to catch glimpse, the Christkind will never bring their home presents again. It is believed that when the Christkind departs a home, there is a sound like a tiny, sweet bell. Festive parents will claim to have heard this or may even ring a bell in the night to create the magic for their children.
The Christkind still rings a bell in Austria, Croatia, parts of Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Slovakia, Portugal, Hungary and Switzerland.
Slavic- Ded Moroz
from the cover of "Detsky Mir" No. 1, 1915. A two-week art and literary magazine for families and schools. (wikimedia)
In Eastern Slavic countries, their seasonal evergreens are decorated for December 31 awaiting the arrival of the gift giving Ded Moroz and his granddaughter, the Snow-Maiden.
Considered to be around 2,000 yrs old, Moroz is endeared in present days with the honorfic “Ded” meaning “Grandfather”. Yet, Moroz was once a feared and ruthless incarnation of Winter said to have icy eyes, frozen words and flesh so frigid that his touch was like frost. As a folk hero he was a wise but utterly implacable wizard, able to freeze an army with a snap of his fingers. Frost flowed freely anywhere he directed the tip of his staff. Topped by an icicle or sometimes a pine cone, this staff could freeze bodies of water solid with a mere tap. Moroz was said to be the smith who chains water with frost.
Moroz is imagined as an embodiment of Winter itself, said to be deliberately unkind to anyone who complains of the cold while favouring those who embrace the snow and ice. In his winter world he has a number of companions including 'Studentsy' (meaning Freezers) which are the wee spirits what make the crunching sound so characteristic of walking in ice and snow. From November to March, Moroz is so powerful that even the sun stays out of his way.
He evolved to a benevolent nobleman traditionally dressed in (various shades of blue) a shirt and trousers woven of flax, a heel length fur coat and sporting a tall pair of traditional Russian felted boots called valenki.
On December the 6th,it is known that Ded Moroz takes a constitutional around the lands to be certain everything is well covered in snow. People leave him greetings of Kutya (ritual cereal) as well as Uzvar (a type of compote made with honey and dried fruit).
Christmas Eve, is a time to remember and honour their ancestors. Ded Moroz is invited by the head of the house, to join for Christmas dinner. The eldest man of the household takes a spoon full of Kutya (a memorial food dedicated to the dead) to the threshold or looks out the smoke hole and calls to Moroz to join the family for the meal in exchange for a merciful winter to their crops and animals, listing each by name.
On New Year's Eve, Ded Moroz and his granddaughter pass through the walls of people's homes (no chimneys for Moroz) to leave gifts under the decorated tree for the family.
The Snow Maiden
Russian: USSR greeting card "Happy New Year", artist T. Kuznetsova, 1986, obverse. Circulation 4,200,000.
Basque- Olentzero
Dressed in traditional garb, these girls are carrying Olentzero through town
Image By jakintza_ikastola - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jakintza_ikastola/8303252593, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29955682
Like the Icelandic Yule Lads and Ded Moroz, the Basque Olentzero has been Santa-tized for the season, as Christmas has seeped into their ancient traditions. Some scholars believe his original legend has been part of Basque culture since the 16th C.
A member of a tribe of giant folk known as jentilak, Olentzero was a reknowned glutton of food and drink. He and his people lived in the Pyrenees near a human village called Lesaka.
When a bright cloud appeared in the sky, the jentilak wanted to investigate but the light was so bright they could barely look upon it. An ancient man who was almost blind volunteered so was lifted to a position of viewing. The elder saw that the imminent arrival of Christianity meant their way of life would come to an end. He was so stricken by his vision that he insisted the jentilak hurl him from the mountain then and there, which the jentilak obliged. So shaken and affected by this news, the remaining jentilak made their way back down from the mountain.
It is not told how almost all of them lost their footing to tumble to their deaths (which is very suspicious for a tribe of mountain giants, if you ask me) but it came to pass that Olentzero was the only survivor. (Perhaps from what he does next, we might infer that there was some pushing involved in the deaths of the rest of his party.)
Often depicted with a bottle at hand, Olentzero was frequently drunk and famously testy
Olentzero then begins a sojourn from village to village where he slits the throats of anyone who over ate on December 24.
Over the past century there has been a shift in Olentzero's origin story and purpose, to align his character more to the traditional St Nick style of gift giver.
The new story is usually told on Christmas Eve.
Abandoned at birth, Olentzero was fostered by a forest fairy. He mastered the difficult vocation of charcoal making. He busied himself during the long hours seated by his mounds carving wooden toys for the children of the nearby village. On one visit, he came upon a house in flames where children were trapped on an upper floor. Immediately. Olentzero rushed inside where he lowered each child to the ground just before the whole structure collapsed with their hero still within. Witnesses from the watching village reported that they had seen a flash of white escape so were certain the forest fairy had arrived to witness her son's final moment. She was heard to speak in praise Olentzero's good and generous heart. Recognizing that he had sacrificed selflessly to spare the children in the burning house, she decided he should not die. She decreed that he would live forever, to carve toys for the village of Lesaka and all of Basque country.
Basque folks often create his likeness from paper mache or carve him in wood, dressed in traditional clothing of a peasant. His likeness is paraded through the streets in the company of choral singers. In almost every Basque province, this gluttonous jolly peasant arrives by wagon or cart, sometimes leading a donkey piled with presents.
On Christmas Eve, some villages enact a procession where they dress in the traditional garb of the peasants to go out into the hills and find Olentzero so they can lead him to their town. He is escorted to a sort- of nativity scene where he takes his seat to hand out gifts to all that have gathered.
