01/06/2022
Today is Old Christmas in Appalachian Mountain History 🎄 ⛰
Christmas was not always celebrated on December 25. In fact, today is Old Christmas! In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII adjusted the solar imbalance of the Julian calendar by removing ten days (Oct. 5-14) of that year. When the Pope’s calendar went into effect in parts of Europe, English-people, having just achieved a reformation of religion, were in no mood to accept the papal calendar. It wasn’t until 1752 that the British Empire and American colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar, and by that time, eleven days had to be removed in order to correct the discrepancies between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. One of the most impactful results of the calendar switch was the movement of Christmas Day from January 6 to December 25. That's where we got the 12 days of Christmas from.
The year 1753, then, marked the first Old Christmas in the English speaking world. It came about primarily as a way to express distaste for the new calendar, but many communities began celebrating both New and Old Christmas. Because the date of Old Christmas coincides with Epiphany, Old Christmas also incorporated those traditions. In fact, Epiphany, which honors the arrival of the wise men visiting Jesus, goes back further than Christmas, with known celebrations as early as 194 AD. It may be that the Twelve Days of Christmas began as a way to connect the Nativity and Epiphany with an extended period of celebration.
When the Scots-Irish and English settled in the mountains of southern Appalachia, they continued to celebrate Old True Christmas. On Old Christmas Eve, young people enjoyed raucous activities, which included setting bonfires and going serenading. Old Christmas Day tended to be more sedate, with quiet church services, family meals, community Christmas trees, and stockings filled with nuts, fruit, and candy.
In some areas of southern Appalachia, Old Christmas was ushered in by the ceremonial lighting of a tree. Just before the clock announced midnight on Old Christmas Eve, the matriarch of the family would begin singing “The Cherry-Tree Carol” while other family members joined in. Then, she would hand a homemade candle to the oldest male child who would light it from a piece of burning pine wood which his father passed to him. Father would then lift son to place the lighted candle in a holder at the highest point of the tree. No other decorations would adorn the tree, and the mountain people saw the lone candle as symbolic of the star that guided the Wise Men to the manger so long ago.
As was the case with most things, the folk of southern Appalachia had plenty of superstitions when it came to Old Christmas and Epiphany. For example, on Epiphany, it was believed you should never loan anything to anybody because the lender would never get it back. Also, if the smoke on Old Christmas Day blows northward, there will be no fruit that year; if it blows southward, there will be a plentiful harvest.
Mountain folk regarded Epiphany Eve as a night when the Holy Spirit would manifest itself upon the Earth in many subtle ways. On that night, it was said, no matter how hard the ground was frozen, elder bushes would sprout up out of the ground. Older folk held that this blooming of the elders was a sign that January 6 was in fact the real Christmas.
Perhaps one of the most interesting traditions of Old Christmas was to watch the animals at prayer. To do so, you should sneak quietly out to a barn or field where cattle or sheep are kept. At exactly midnight on Old Christmas Eve, the animals will start mooing and baaing— not in the normal way, but almost as if they are crying. This tradition, of course, harkens back to Bethlehem and the animals present when Jesus was revealed to the Magi.
So, on this day of January 6, maybe you will reflect on or celebrate & honor some of the traditions of Old Christmas from the Appalachian Mountains. And remember the greatest gift of all is Jesus Christ!
