Erik Østergaard - The Christmas Page (English version)

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Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho !

Christmas Page

Christmas card

This is my attempt to make a Christmas card on the Internet from me to all of you with first priority to the Danish Christmas and its customs and traditions.

Jumping Pixie (Jumping Jack)

A Jumping Pixie (Jumping Jack) is a wood- or pasteboard figure which flings it's arms and legs about when you pull in a string. The Jumping Pixie is normally hang from a nail on the wall.

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Christmas' notes

Advent

Advent: Four weeks preceding Christmas.

The English word "Advent" comes from "ad" + "ven/t" from Latin "adventus" - "a coming to" from "ad" - "to" + "ventus" form of "venire" - "to come".

The Danish word "advent (Advent)" comes from "ad" + "ven/t" from Latin "adventus" - "komme, ankomst (a coming to, arrival)" from "ad" - "til (to)" + "ventus" form of "venire" - "komme (to come)".

Advent means in Latin "Adventus Domini", that is "the Lord's Coming". The Lord, who is being referred to is of course Jesus Christ (Our Saviour).

In the Christian calendar Advent is the preparatory season for Christmas, including the four Sundays preceding December 25, beginning with the Sunday that falls nearest (before or after) November 30 (St. Andrew's Day; Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland) and continuing until the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas (December 25); First Sunday in Advent is considered the beginning of the church year. If Christmas Eve, December 24, falls on a Sunday, that day is also the 4th Sunday in Advent.

Customs and Traditions

An Advent wreath bears four candles, one of which is lighted every Sunday until the Sunday before Christmas, that is first Sunday in Advent one candle is lighted, second Sunday lights both the first and a new candle and so on. At the Sunday before Christmas all 4 candles are lighted. Often gathers the family round the Advent wreath and they sings a couple of hymns and enjoys themselves when the candles are lighted.

The Danish hymn writer Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig (September 8, 1783 - September 2, 1872) wrote (1849) the two hymns "Vær velkommen, Herrens år (We welcome our Lord's new year)" with music (1852) by the Danish composer Andreas Peter Berggren (March 2, 1801 - November 8, 1880), of which the one (Advent) version is almost an official proclamation of the new church year in Denmark and the second (New Year) version is for use at the calendar year's new year.

Christmas

The English word "Christmas" comes from the Old English term "Cristes maesse", meaning "Christ's mass". This was the name for the festival service of worship held on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

The word "X-mas" or "Xmas" is partly a Christmas brew and partly an English-American abbreviation of "Christmas".

The Danish word "jul (Christmas)" comes from common Germanic [reconstructed form] "jexwula" - "jul (Christmas)" possibly resulted from a crossing of [reconstructed form] "xwexwula" - "hjul (wheel)" and [reconstructed form] "jêra" - "år (year)"; original "årets hjul, årets kreds (the wheel of the year, the cycle of the year)".

Christmas: Christian religious holiday, observed throughout the Western world on December 25 and traditionally marked by feasting and gift-giving. In the Christian church, it is the day on which the birth of Jesus is celebrated, although the actual birth date is unknown. Many of the day's customs have a non-Christian origin and were adapted from celebrations of the winter solstice. The choice of a date near the winter solstice owed much to the missionary desire to facilitate conversion of members of older religions, which traditionally held festivals at that time of year.

post card or postcard: Also called picture post card or just card; a small, commercially printed card on cardboard generally in rectangular shape, usually having a picture on one side, to which a postage stamp must be attached for mailing and normally posted without an envelope. "Christmas card" and "New Year card" are examples of seasonal postcards.

Christmas card: A printed and often decorated card (postcard) for mailing at Christmas to express good wishes. Nowadays in Denmark a greeting sent with a Christmas card normally covers both a Christmas greeting and a New Year greeting.

New Year card: A printed and often decorated card (postcard) for mailing at New Year to express good wishes. Nowadays in Denmark a New Year greeting sent with a New Year card normally is replaced by the greeting sent with a Christmas card.

Customs and Traditions

Over the centuries a significant number of customs and traditional observances have emerged to make the Christmas season one of the most colourful and festive times of the year. Probably the most universal custom is gift giving, frequently associated with the person of Santa Claus.

Other customs have to do with...

• decoration evergreen trees (Christmas trees),
• lights,
• wreaths, and
• holly;
• hanging of mistletoe as a Christmas decoration under which one traditionally kiss each other;
• the sending of Christmas greeting cards often with something like these words "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You" written on them;
• the children getting an Advent Calendar, Almanac of days in December to Christmas, a calendar with 25 days, which goes from December 1 to December 25 and where each day can be marked with a picture behind a closed door or possibly with a small packed gift;
• good and plentiful food and drink - in Denmark on Christmas Eve, December 24, with a lavish family meal served by the evening of rice pudding and beer, followed by roast pork, roast duck or stuffed goose, caramelised potatoes, red cabbage, jelly and other good things. After the meal, but before the guests leave the table, the candles on the tree are lit, and the assembled company joins hands and dance around the tree. But the dancing would be unthinkable without carols; and
• the singing of Christmas carols such as "Silent Night, Holy Night" original title in German "Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!" composed in Austria by the Austrian primary school teacher and church organist Franz Xaver Gruber (November 25, 1787 - June 7, 1863) in the 19th century (1818) with words (1816) by the Austrian Catholic priest and author Joseph Mohr (December 11, 1792 - December 4, 1848) and translated more or less freely into all different kinds of languages (in Denmark: "Glade jul, dejlige jul / Stille nat, hellige nat" with words (1850) by the Danish author Bernhard Severin Ingemann (May 28, 1789 - February 24, 1862)) and
• other songs both sacred and nonreligious such as the popular nonreligious English tune "White Christmas" with music and words by the Russian born American composer and author of the words Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 - September 22, 1989), born Israel Isidore Baline, written for the movie "Holiday Inn", released in 1942.

Many of the Danish Christmas traditions has often been borrowed from Sweden and Germany, quickly adopted as the Danes own traditions and given their own Danish colour. The Christmas tree, a introduction of comparatively recent date from Denmark's neighbour to the south, that was slow to gain a secure place in Danish homes, was often decorated with strings of little Danish flags, red and white Christmas elves and dozens of candles. In fact in Scandinavia Christmas is a festival of light.

Since ancient times, when Christmas was a pagan feast linked to midwinter (winter solstice), the Scandinavians have, in contrast to the Anglo-Saxons and southern Europeans, celebrated on Christmas Eve, December 24.

For the sake of completeness it should be stated that when the Danes dance around the tree, more than a few have to resort to song sheets with the most popular carols, which can either be bought at the local bookshop or which often come free with packs of Christmas lights. Unlike the children of old days, few have the verses drilled into them at school and remember them when they grow up. But the Danes do sing.

People who live in the cold winter climates of North America and Europe, including Denmark, look forward to a "white Christmas", because snow is one of the features associated with the holiday season. Usually it requires a specified quantity of settled snow in the respective countries before it officially can be declared as a "white Christmas". But Christmas is also celebrated in South America, Australia, and New Zealand places where it is summer at Christmastime and also places with year-round warm climates.

The first Christmas tree in Copenhagen was lit in 1811 in the Danish National Liberal politician Orla Lehmann's (May 19, 1810 - September 13, 1870) childhood home. But on a Zealand manor they have been earlier, for already three years before there was Christmas tree at Holsteinborg situated South East for the town of Skælskør.

In Denmark the children traditionally do not receive gifts on December 25 but with the celebration, which take place in the evening of December 24, Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas. Many people in Denmark go to church on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, December 24.

Christmas Day, December 25, and also the following day December 26 are often a time for receiving guests at home.

Nowadays in Denmark it is said that the Christmas is the time, which is spent with the family and the New Year is the time for the friends.

Solstice

The English word "Solstice" comes from Latin "sõlstitium" equivalent to "sol" - "sun" + "stitium" - "to stand still".

The Danish word "solhverv (Solstice)" comes from "sol (sun)" + "hverv (rotation)" [in the original meaning "omdrejning (rotation)"] from a pan-Scandinavian word equivalent to Old Icelandic "sólhvarf" original "solvending (sun rotation)".

Solstice: Either of the days on which the Sun is farthest north or south of the celestial equator each year, and where the day is longest, respectively shortest. At the northerly celestial globe the summer solstice occurs, when the Sun is farthest north, and occurs June 21 or June 22; the winter solstice occurs December 21 or December 22.

Customs and Traditions

None in Denmark nowadays.

Christmas Subjects

• Countdown to Christmas Day
• Advent Calendar (or Advent Calendar - Select Language)
• Recipes
• Santa's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page
• NISSENS HISTORIE (The history of the Hobgoblin) in Danish.
  All to be seen from a Danish Christmas tradition's historical point of view.
  With nice old-fashioned illustrations. (A few of the pictures are coloured specially for use at these pages.)
  You can either go from page to page, or choose from the menu here.
  Originally written by Statens Arkiver (The Archives of the Danish State) - Landsarkivet (Danish Regional Archives) & Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archive). Modified by E. Østergaard. Or use the Link below to see the Pages as they are presented by Statens Arkiver (The Archives of the Danish State) - Landsarkivet (Danish Regional Archives) & Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archive) at their Christmas Pages, if they are not taken down, because it is outside the season.
• NISSENS HISTORIE (The history of the Hobgoblin)
  • Nissens historie - indledning (The history of the Hobgoblin - introduction)
  • En oldnordisk "nisse" (An Old Norse "Hobgoblin")
  • Det ældste billede af en nisse! (The oldest picture of a Hobgoblin!)
  • Hvor stor er en nisse? (How big is a Hobgoblin?)
  • Ligner nissen altid et menneske? (Does the Hobgoblin always look like a human?)
  • Hvorfor hedder nissen en nisse? (Why is a Hobgoblin called a Hobgoblin?)
  • Nissens grød (The Hobgoblin's porridge)
  • Nissehævn! (The revenge of the Hobgoblin!)
  • Nissen bliver julenisse (The Hobgoblin becomes a Christmas elf (pixie))
  • Den første nissekone (The first pixy woman)
  • Bøger om nissen (Books about the Hobgoblin)
• Nissequizzen (The Hobgoblin Quiz) 17 spørgsmål om nissens historie (17 questions of the history of the Hobgoblin) in Danish
• JULEMANDENS HISTORIE (The history of Father Christmas) in Danish.
  All to be seen from a Danish Christmas tradition's historical point of view.
  With nice old-fashioned illustrations. (A few of the pictures are coloured specially for use at these pages.)
  You can either go from page to page, or choose from the menu here.
  Originally written by Statens Arkiver (The Archives of the Danish State) - Landsarkivet (Danish Regional Archives) & Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archive). Modified by E. Østergaard. Or use the Link below to see the Pages as they are presented by Statens Arkiver (The Archives of the Danish State) - Landsarkivet (Danish Regional Archives) & Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archive) at their Christmas Pages, if they are not taken down, because it is outside the season.
• JULEMANDENS HISTORIE (The history of Father Christmas)
  • Julemandens historie - indledning (The history of Father Christmas - introduction)
  • Den Store Nikolaos (The great Nikolaos)
  • Skt. Nikolaj redder 3 jomfruer (St. Nicholas save 3 virgins)
  • Skt. Nikolaj opvækker dræbte drenge (St. Nicholas raises killed boys)
  • Skt. Nikolaj giver gaver (St. Nicholas gives presents)
  • Father Christmas (Father Christmas)
  • Der Weihnachtsmann (Der Weihnachtsmann)
  • Santa Claus (Santa Claus)
  • "Jeg glæder mig i denne tid..." ("I look forward in this time...")
  • Den Store Bastian (The Great Bastian)
  • Julemandens Bog (Father Christmas' Book)
  • Bøger om Julemanden (Books about Father Christmas)
• Julequizzen (The Christmas Quiz) 24 spørgsmål om julens kulturhistorie (24 questions of Christmas' history of civilization) in Danish
• About Nøddebo Vicarage (in Danish) - An Account about the Novel behind and the theatrical Adaptation for the Stage of that Story, which in Denmark indissoluble is connected with the Christmas.
• Snow-covered Landscape

Christmas Sounds

• Click the button in order to listen to Santa Claus' Ho Ho Ho !
• Click the button in order to listen to Santa Claus' laugh !
• Click the button in order to listen to Jingle bells or sleigh bells ! - as used at Christmas by Santa Claus on his sleigh.

Christmas Links

Links off my sites opens in a new browser window. Just close this new window and you are back.

I am not responsible for the content of any site you jump to from one of these links. If you do not accept this, then do not use any of the links.

Mail

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Notice:

I only check my e-mail about once a week.

Postcard (Christmas card)

Postcards

See also my...

Valentine's Day card

Don't miss my Valentine's Day page including among other things a Countdown to Valentine's Day and notes about Valentine's Day with first priority to the Danish Valentine's Day and its customs and traditions.

Vacation (Holiday) card

Don't miss my Vacation (Holiday) page including among other things notes about vacation (holiday) with first priority to the Danish vacation (holiday) and its customs and traditions.

Halloween card

Don't miss my Halloween page including among other things a Countdown to Halloween and notes about Halloween with first priority to the Danish Halloween and its customs and traditions.

New Year card

Don't miss my New Year Page including among other things a Countdown to New Year and notes about New Year with first priority to the Danish New Year and its customs and traditions.