The Christm4 S Encyclopedia
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The Christm4 s Encyclopedia Second Edition William D. Crump cg McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London Frontispiece: Engraving from the 1880s after a work by an artist identified as - Min throp." From Charles Wesley, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (New York: Dutton,1889). Illustration research and selection by Linda Campbell Franklin Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Crump, William D., 1949- The Christmas encyclopedia / by William D. Crump.— 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7864-2293-9 (illustrated case binding : 50# alkaline paper) @ 1. Christmas— Encyclopedias. I. Title. GT4985.C74 2006 394.2663'03 —dc22 2005025349 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2006 William D. Crump. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover image ©2005 BananaStock Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com Rudolph's Shiny New Year 338 tainment, and Tundra Productions. DVD: (song); Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer the fate of the lit Goodtimes Home Video. 74 min. (television special); Rudolph, the Red-Nosed other superstitic See also Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys. ished the holida: in July; Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer winter solstice fo (song); Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer Russia evil lurked in ti (television special); Rudolph's Shiny New In 988, Vladimir I (956-1015), grand prince foretold the wea- Year. of Kiev, also known as Saint Vladimir and year's months, p Vladimir the Great, accepted Orthodox Chris- marry in the ne' Rudolph, the Red-Nosed tianity from the Byzantine Empire and thence assured good hei Reindeer, Shines Again introduced Byzantine culture to Russia. For ing year, and so fi See Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer nearly 1,000 years, the Russian Orthodox Midnight Mass, (character) Church, adhering to the Julian calendar, cele- until dawn, it wa brated Christmas with customs that blended families with frig Rudolph's Second Christmas Orthodoxy with Slavic agrarian customs and dinner. See Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer superstitions. In 1917, however, the Bolshevik Other custoi (character) Revolution in St. Petersburg ended czarist rule traveling about t: and set the stage for the rise of the Communist (Christmas carol Rudolph's Shiny New Year Party and the creation of the Soviet Union. ing the renewal (1976). Made-for-television animated Upon implementing its atheistic political plat- themes, these care sequel to Rudolph, the Red -Nosed Reindeer form, the new regime forbade most religious sage of the Nativ: (1964), using stop-motion puppets (Animagic). practices, closed many (but not all) churches, expected rewards Ashamed of his large ears, Happy, the and replaced the Christmas season with a sec- were not forthco: Baby New Year, has run away from Father ular "Winter Festival." Despite the govern- bestowed curses Time's castle on Christmas Night. Unless ment's adopting the present Gregorian calen- groups, "mumme Happy is found, time will stop on December 31. dar during this period, the Orthodox Church tumes as clowns, Embarking with companions Clockwork Big rejected the change and retained its ecclesias- animals and ente: Ben, a whale; One Million B.c., a caveman; tical days on the Julian calendar as before, places. (The Russ Quarter-Past-Five, a camel; and Sir Ten-To- which meant that Christmas was observed on vides a vivid des( Three, a knight, Rudolph traces Happy to the January 7 on the Gregorian calendar (see ming practices an Island of No Name, home of Aeon, the evil Christmas Old Style, Christmas New Style). passage from his buzzard, who is Happy's captor. With half an With the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991, 1869).) Christmas hour remaining before midnight on December Russia now struggles to regain its Christmas 1800s, and their ( 31, Rudolph and friends foil Aeon and, with heritage and other religious traditions, large candy dolls and Santa's help in the (St.) Nick of time, return portions of which were lost, possibly forever, figures, paper lan Happy to Father Time with a fraction of a sec- during the Communist era. tree topper. ond to spare. Prior to the Revolution, a 39-day fast pre- Russian folk Narrated and sung by Red Skelton. Fea- ceded the 12-day Christmas season and pro- have brought he turing an original musical score by Johnny hibited the consumption of any animal prod- derived from the Marks. Principal voices: Frank Gorshin, Morey ucts. This conditional fast continued into society encompass Amsterdam, Hal Peary, Paul Frees, Billie Christmas Eve with the traditional holiday To prevent this ur Richards, Don Messick, and Iris Rainer. Writ- meal for the immediate family, which com- the crops, it was ct ten by Romeo Muller. Produced and directed menced upon sighting the first star of the to supper" by set - by Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Jules Bass. evening, believed to be the Star of Bethlehem. nineteenth centur Rankin/Bass Productions. DVD: Warner Stu- Then followed 12 meatless courses honoring qualities as urban dios. 47 min. the 12 months of the year and Christ's Twelve end of D'yed Mo. This television special is further detailed Apostles. Typical cuisine included, among Residing in the R in Rick Goldschmidt's book The Enchanted other dishes, borscht (cabbage soup), assorted Frost arrived at C World of Rankin/Bass. fish, kissel (oatmeal with honey), and kutya children in a troi See also Rankin/Bass Christmas Car- (wheat porridge with honey and poppy seeds). horses abreast). Hi: toons; Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas in Some of the kutya would be tossed up to the with hat and Ion July; Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer ceiling, and the amount that stuck predicted resembled the St 339 Russia the fate of the next harvest. This and a host of Europe, whereas naughty children were threat- osed Reindeer other superstitions, now abandoned, embell- ened with punishment by St. Nicholas's demon the Red-Nosed ished the holidays (they derived from ancient antithesis, Grandfather Frost merely ignored isfit Toys. winter solstice folklore holding that danger and them. evil lurked in the winter darkness). Rituals The second spirit, Baboushka ("Grand- foretold the weather for each of the following mother"), brought gifts on Epiphany Eve. grand prince 15), year's months, predicted whether a girl would According to legend, Baboushka was sweeping Vladimir and A marry in the new year, dispelled evil spirits, her house when the three Magi passed by en )rthodox Chris- assured good health and fortune for the com- route to Bethlehem. When they invited her to wire and thence accompany them, she refused, claiming that to Russia. For ing year, and so forth. Following Christmas Eve e Midnight Mass, which frequently extended her housework precluded a long journey. Later, ssian Orthodox until dawn, it was permissible to serve meat as she repented and, upon collecting a few toys n calendar, cele- families with friends gathered for Christmas for the Christ Child, set out to overtake the ms that blended Magi. Because she found neither them nor the ian customs and dinner. Other customs included groups of people Christ Child, she returned annually on er, the Bolshevik kolyadki Epiphany Eve to examine each sleeping child, coded czarist rule traveling about their villages singing (Christmas carols). Originally commemorat- hoping to find Jesus, then left a small gift If the Communist ing the renewal of the year and other folk behind. In variations of the story, all with the le Soviet Union. themes, these carols later incorporated the mes- same conclusion, Baboushka either deceived stic political plat- the Magi or refused them lodging, or she de most religious sage of the Nativity. The carolers customarily expected rewards of confections, but if these denied asylum to the Holy Family in their flight not all) churches, were not forthcoming, the subsequent carols from King Herod's soldiers. season with a sec- bestowed curses upon the household. Other In 1699, Czar Peter the Great established spite the govern- groups, "mummers," donned outlandish cos- January 1 as New Year's Day in Russia. At the Gregorian calen- czar's command, celebrations included the Orthodox Church tumes as clowns, spirits, and especially as wild animals and entertained at homes and public lighting of bonfires on New Year's Eve. Homes tined its ecclesias- were decked with evergreen garlands, and dendar as before, places. (The Russian author Leo Tolstoy pro- vides a vivid description of Christmas mum- feasting abounded for seven additional days. s was observed on Seeking to eradicate Christmas, the Com- (see ming practices among Russian aristocrats in a ian calendar [1865- munists established a secular Winter Festival stmas New Style). passage from his novel War and Peace 1869].) Christmas trees became popular in the during the last half of December as a period 'iet empire in 1991, devoted to feasting, fantasy, fireworks, and gain its Christmas 1800s, and their decorations included fruits, candy dolls and animals, walnuts, wooden parades. During his rule (1929-1953), dictator is traditions, large Joseph Stalin declared New Year's Day as a t, possibly forever, figures, paper lanterns and chains, and a star tree topper. national family holiday instead of Christmas and replaced the Christmas tree with the New 1, a 39-day fast pre- Russian folklore holds that two spirits have brought holiday gifts. One possibly Year's tree in 1935. Grandfather Frost, now as season and pro- appearing in either blue or red, was retained to f any animal prod- derived from the "Frost," an entity of rural society encompassing all that was bitterly cold.