Were They Wise Men or Kings

by Walsh, Joseph J.

• ISBN13: 9780664223120
• ISBN10: 0664223125
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-06-01
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr

Summary

Christmas is a time of celebration, rich with ritual and detail. But more than just a season for angels and wrapping paper, Christmas has its own heritage which intersects in fascinating ways with human history and human beliefs, behaviors, and experiences. In this book of fifty Christmas questions, Joseph Walsh gives us the details behind Christmas traditions, such as Santa's origin and appearance, the story of Rudolph, holiday decorations and greenery, the nativity, Christmas tales, celebrations and rituals, gift-giving, and card-sending. He links contemporary practices and historical tradition, explaining why, for instance, we kiss under the mistletoe, and describing the time when Christmas was responsible for a truce in World War I. In this illustrated book, readers will find answers to questions they've often asked and some they've never thought about.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(4)
Santa
Who was the original St. Nick?	5	(2)
Why does Santa Claus wear that peculiar outfit?	7	(2)
Where did Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer come from?	9	(1)
Who wrote ``A Visit from St. Nicholas''?	10	(3)
Why does Santa travel by sleigh and reindeer?	13	(2)
Is Santa Claus the true founder of New York City?	15	(2)
Who wrote Santa's biography?	17	(2)
Why does Santa come down the chimney?	19	(4)
Deck the Halls
Where does the Christmas tree come from?	23	(2)
Why do holly and ivy appear at Christmas?	25	(2)
Why is mistletoe so potent?	27	(2)
Whose idea was it to display Christmas Nativity Scenes?	29	(2)
Why are candles so much a part of Christmas?	31	(4)
The Nativity
Where does the traditional Christmas narrative come from?	35	(3)
Were they wise men or kings?	38	(2)
Have modern astronomers identified the Star of Bethlehem?	40	(2)
What are frankincense and myrrh, anyway?	42	(2)
Who was Herod?	44	(2)
When was Jesus born?	46	(2)
What do the ox and ass have to do with Jesus' birth?	48	(5)
The Arts and Senses
Why did Charles Dickens write A Christmas Carol?	53	(3)
Was Ebenezer Scrooge based on anyone in particular?	56	(2)
Where did the idea for the movie It's a Wonderful Life come from?	58	(2)
What is the origin of the Christmas carol?	60	(2)
What does Bilbo Baggins have to do with Christmas?	62	(2)
What is the Magnificat?	64	(5)
Celebration
Why do we celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25?	69	(2)
What is the Epiphany?	71	(2)
What were the Saturnalia, and what do they have to do with Christmas?	73	(3)
What does Yule mean?	76	(2)
What's a wassail?	78	(5)
Naughty or Nice Christmas
Had children ``Better watch out''?	83	(2)
Has Christmas ever been suppressed in a Christian country?	85	(2)
Has children's anticipation of Christmas ever fomented rebellion?	87	(3)
Is Christmas commercialism new?	90	(2)
Is Christmas dangerous to your health?	92	(2)
How do savvy merchants convince us to spend so much at Christmas?	94	(5)
Traditions
What are the Twelve Days of Christmas?	99	(2)
What's Victorian about a ``Victorian Christmas''?	101	(2)
Why do we give gifts at Christmas?	103	(2)
Where does the custom of hanging a stocking come from?	105	(1)
Why, long ago, were children allowed to be ``Bishop for a Day'' in the Christmas season?	106	(2)
Who invented the Christmas card?	108	(2)
Why is Christmas the most important holiday in our professedly secular country?	110	(5)
Peace on Earth
How did Christmas become a time for charitable giving?	115	(3)
When did Christmas cause an improbable truce in the midst of a savage war?	118	(2)
Have guns ever been part of Christmas celebration?	120	(2)
What do Hanukkah and Christmas have to do with each other?	122	(2)
Does Kwanzaa have anything to do with Christmas?	124	(2)
Where can I learn more about Christmas?	126