Merry Christmas!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

This blog is full of good stuff on the Joy of Christmas: Facts, Fun and Fantasy, for all those who love and can't get enough of Christmas!

There's lots here, so check the listing in the Blog Archive for the following:

- Traditions
- Story of Christ's Birth
- History of Santa
- World customs
- Scriptures
- Stories
- Prose
- Carols
- Meanings, symbols, origins
- Holiday greetings worldwide
- Facts and trivia
- Quotes
- Movie and TV clips
- Much more!

More will also be added. Let me know if there's something that should be here. Comments are appreciated!

To test your Christmas knowledge, see the trivia quiz at the bottom of this page!

12/19/12

Good King Wenceslas: The History and The Legend

History of the Carol
Good King Wenceslas is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen (the second day of Christmas, December 26). During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by the heat miraculously emanating from the king's footprints in the snow (see the full legend story below). The legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907–935), known in the Czech language as Svatý Václav.

This Christmas carol is unusual as there is no reference in the lyrics to the nativity.  

The tune is based on a 13th century spring carol "Tempus adest floridum" ("It is time for flowering") first published in the 1582 Finnish song collection Piae Cantiones. The "Wenceslas" lyrics were written much later in 1853 by the English hymnwriter John Mason Neale (1818–1866) and substituted for the original Latin (to which they bear no relation) in collaboration with his music editor Thomas Helmore.

Who Was King Wenceslas?
Wenceslas was considered a martyr and a saint immediately after his death, when a cult of Wenceslas grew up in Bohemia and in England. Within a few decades of Wenceslas's death four biographies of him were in circulation. These hagiographies had a powerful influence on the High Middle Ages conceptualization of the rex justus, or "righteous king"—that is, a monarch whose power stems mainly from his great piety, as well as from his princely vigor.

Referring approvingly to these hagiographies, the chronicler Cosmas of Prague, writing in about the year 1119, states:

But his deeds I think you know better than I could tell you; for, as is read in his Passion, no one doubts that, rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched.

Several centuries later the legend was claimed as fact by Pope Pius II, who himself also walked ten miles barefoot in the ice and snow as an act of pious thanksgiving.

Although Wenceslas was, during his lifetime, only a duke, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously "conferred on [Wenceslas] the regal dignity and title" and that is why, in the legend and song, he is referred to as a "king". The usual English spelling of Duke Wenceslas's name, Wenceslaus, is occasionally encountered in later textual variants of the carol, although it was not used by Neale in his version. Wenceslas is not to be confused with King Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, who lived over three centuries later.

The Legend of Good King Wenceslas
This beautiful version of the legend of Good King Wenceslas was narrated by actress Jane Seymour at the Christmas Concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in 2011:

The castle was brim with the blessings of Christmas - not just because festive music rang through the corridors and pine boughs trimmed every beam.  On this St. Stephen's Day the courtiers had gathered their Christmas treasures and given them to the poor.  

Now, as the Feast of St. Stephen drew to a close, seventy knights pushed back long wooden tables and offered their hands.  Seventy noble women lifted the edges of their gowns and glided to meet them.

Bathed in the glow of a well-fed fire, King Wenceslas looked out upon his court and at the signal of his benevolent smile, their Christmas revelry began.

With a nod to his page, King Wenceslas slipped behind the throne and into the darkness of his private chamber.  The page boy was hungry and weary from waiting.  "Now can we eat?" he complained, sliding to the floor.

"In time," the king answered, turning away.  The king had cared for the boy since his childhood, and soon the boy would be a man.  With a wave of sadness, he realized that the blessings of Christmas had already come to his courtiers, but not yet to his loyal page.  Was it too late? he wondered.

From a tall, narrow window, King Wenceslas watched the sun hang on crimson clouds and die away.  He studied the hedge-bound fields and rolling hills, now swallowed up in snow.  His eyes narrowed.  There against a row of spidery trees, was a dark speck - a man, perhaps, stooping and searching for wood to warm his family.

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even

Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Come quickly, lad!" he called.  As the boy struggled to his feet, King Wencelsas seized his hand and dashed up narrow steps to a turret balcony.  "Look!  Do you see him?'  The king pointed breathlessly. 

For a moment, the page boy could not speak.  Rarely had he seen the world in quite this way - asleep under a coverlet of white, glistening under a full moon.  He would have fallen asleep himself but for the wonder that was waking within him.

When the dark figure moved again, the king guided the boy's gaze.  "There in the trees! Do you see him now?"

"Yes, yes," the boy answered.

"And?" pressed the king. "Is he one of the household?  Is he one of us?"

"Oh, no, sire," said the boy.  "None of us would be out there, what with the freezing cold and heaven only knows what creatures might be lurking!"

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"

"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

King Wenceslas took comfort that the boy knew the people of the kingdom - even those who lived far from the castle.  And he rejoiced that the humble peasant, foraging in the snow, could very well be the boy's salvation.

As before, the king snatched the boy's hand and led him down a winding staircase. "Down, down is the way," the king mused as they hurried along.

In the royal pantry, he tossed the page a satchel and ordered him to fill it.  As they worked, the page noticed the king's eyes were wet, though his speaking was giddy, like laughter.  "Hurry, my boy! Hurry!"

"Bring me flesh and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."

Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

Soon the king and his page boy were following the peasant's tracks.  King Wenceslas carried a cord of split logs across his strong shoulders, wrapped tightly to keep them dry, and in each hand he clutched a heavy cloth sack.  Behind him, the page boy bravely struggled under the weight of his own satchel.

The boy wondered if he ought to watch for creatures lurking in the shadows, but in his heart he knew there were none.  Indeed, looking into the infinite expanse above, he saw snowflakes descending like concourses of angels, winging their way down to watch over him and lead him safely along.

As the sky cleared, the night air grew colder.  The soft blanket of snow that had first enticed the boy now threatened to ensnare him.  With every step, its icy surface broke into shards, trapping the boy's feet and turning them to ice.  When the boy could no longer feel his toes, he pled with the king for rest and relief.

"Sire, the night is darker now
And the wind blows stronger
Fails my heart, I know not how,
I can go no longer."

King Wenceslas answered tenderly, as one walking the same path himself.

"Mark my footsteps, my good page
Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage
Freeze thy blood less coldly."

It was a strange invitation - to walk in the king's footsteps.  At first the boy struggled to do it.  But as before, Wenceslas took his hand and helped him find the path.  Soon the boy was marching boldly behind his master.  Miraculously, with each step, his frozen feet began to warm, and the warmth rose within him and gave him strength.

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed

At the edge of the dark forest, a little cottage came into view, its golden light sparkling on the surface of an icebound spring.  With a single knock, the king and his page boy were welcomed into the circle of a large and happy family.  As guests in the house, they were invited to rest, but the boy would not be still.  With the children as his helpers, he fed the fire and set out the unexpected meal.  When all had feasted to fatness, they pushed the little table back and began to sing and dance.

From the corner of the cottage, good King Wenceslas watched the boy dance, and smiled to himself.  The boy was taking the hands of the children and leading each one, just as he had been led.  Their sweet, innocent laughter was the music of Christmas, filling the room and ringing through the forest.

In time, the king and his page boy reluctantly left the warm cottage and ventured once more across the snowy fields.  Side by side they strode, now heedless of the cold night air.  And the king knew that it was not too late.  Now the blessings of Christmas had come to all of his kingdom, because they had come to the boy.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

1 comment:

Bill_Rights said...

Well, that was great. I had never heard the story before, even though my ancestors 3 generations ago were living in the same area, a little east maybe. Thank you for posting it, Youngs.

I was most impressed by first the hint, then the revelation that the king's purpose was the conversion or salvation of the boy page. Not to say he cared nothing for the peasant family - he cared much and worked much. But the page needed to do for himself what the king had been doing, and could have kept doing without the page. But so much better to let the page do the giving. This is real leadership.

Christmas Trivia: True or False?

The answers to the following can be found within the various posts on this blog...

Holiday Names and Greetings

1. “X-mas” is an irreverent, non-Christian name for the holiday.

2. “Noel” comes from Old French, meaning “new birth”.

3. “Yule” comes from an ancient Viking celebration of the turning of the sun.

4. “Feliz Navidad” directly translated into English means “Happy Birth”.

5. “Mele Kalikimaka” is Hawaiian for “enjoy the holiday feast”.

The Nativity of Jesus

6. Modern calendar years are based on the verified year of the birth of Christ.

7. The number of visitors, known as Magi, Wise Men or Kings, was three.

8. The Wise Men, or Kings, came to see the newborn baby lying in the manger.

9. Early Christians believed Christ was born on December 25th.

10. Shepherds watched their flocks on the cold winter’s night of Christ’s birth.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

11. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 13th.

12. The gifts given on each day in the song represent items at a Christmas party.

13. The “Two Turtle Doves” represented the Old and New Testaments.

14. The last two gifts were 11 lords a leaping and 12 drummers drumming.

Santa Claus

15. St. Nicholas, who preceded Santa Claus, was born in Germany in 1622.

16. Santa’s flying sleigh and reindeer originated from stories in the 1800’s.

17. Although he’s known by many names in many places, Santa is always a man.

18. Kris Kringle was the name of an early Dutch Santa Claus figure.

19. Santa Claus is largely unknown in places like Japan and China.

Reindeer

20. Rudolph’s story was a promotional creation of Montgomery Ward stores.

21. Blixen is the name of Santa’s eighth reindeer.

22. Donner, the seventh reindeer, is sometimes incorrectly called Donder.

23. The reindeer were first named in “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

24. Instead of reindeer, in Sweden, a goat pulls Santa’s (Tomten’s) sled.

Christmas Trees

25. The custom of decorating trees for Christmas originated in Germany.

26. Before the 1500’s, Christmas trees were considered a pagan custom.

27. Martin Luther is credited with first putting candles, or lights, on the tree.

28. There is no mention of a Christmas tree in Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.”

29. Hanging the tree upside down from the ceiling used to be popular.

Miscellaneous

30. The first Christmas card was created and sent in London in 1840.

31. The most popular selling Christmas Carol of all time is “Silent Night”.

32. Mistletoe used to be hung for enemies to meet under and call a truce.

33. Poinsettias were first brought to the U.S. from Mexico by Mr. Poinsett.

34. Christmas mince pie contained rabbit, pheasant and partridge meat.

35. “Nog” in eggnog refers to a heavy noggin (head) from drinking too much.

36. The tradition of filling stockings originated in the country of Turkey.

37. Sleigh rides with jingle bells is a favorite Christmas activity in Australia.

38. Celebrating Christmas was once outlawed in Merry Olde England.

39. Candy canes were created to keep children quiet during church services.

40. Swedish Christmas celebrates St. Lucia, who helped needy people in Italy.

Answers:

1. False. “X” comes from the Greek letter that start’s Christ’s name and represents Christ.
2. True. Oui, oui. Noel is tres French, an old word which is related to the nouvelle, meaning “new”.
3. True. The word “yule” is old Norse for wheel, meaning the wheel in the sky that turns to give more light.
4. True. “Feliz” means “happy”. “Navidad” translates to nativity, which also means birth.
5. False. It means nothing in Hawaiian. It is an attempt to spell English “Merry Christmas” using Hawaiian letters.
6. False. There is no historical verification to the year of Christ’s birth. Some scholars believe it was in 2 to 4 B.C.
7. False. Three gifts are mentioned, but no number of the visitors is given. Some believe there were 12 or more.
8. False. They arrived well after Christ was born, and most likely saw him inside a home in a regular bed.
9. False. No exact date was known. When Romans became Christian, the Dec. 25th date replaced a pagan holiday.
10. False. Shepherds were not in the fields with their flocks during winter. This most likely occurred in the spring.
11. False. They start on Christmas Day, Dec. 25th, and last until Jan. 6th, the Eastern Orthodox Christmas Day.
12. True. In Old England, a party was held on “12th Night”. All the gifts were represented through food or fun.
13. True. The gifts and numbers were created to represent / disguise gospel principles for early persecuted believers.
14. False. There are 10 lords a leaping, not 11. Correct answer: 11 pipers piping, 12 drummers drumming.
15. False. St. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor, now known as Turkey, sometime during the 3rd Century.
16. False. The idea originated from early legends of Viking gods flying through the skies on animal-pulled sleighs.
17. False. In Italy, the gift giver is an old woman known as La Befana. In parts of Russia, she is known as Babushka.
18. False. Kris Kringle is an Americanization of the German gift giver “Christ-kindl”, or “Christ Child”.
19. False. Santa Claus has become a popular holiday figure in both Japan and China, not necessarily for Christmas.
20. True. It was a 1939 promotional gimmick given to those who did Christmas shopping at Montgomery Ward.
21. False. The name of the eighth reindeer is spelled Blitzen, not Blixen.
22. False. The original text of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” spells the seventh reindeer’s name as Donder.
23. True. “Twas the Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore was the first text that named the eight reindeer.
24. True. Although many reindeer are in Northern Sweden, Tomten rides a sled through the forest pulled by a goat.
25. False. The Germans adapted modern tree traditions from customs of the ancient Romans and Celtic druids.
26. False. 7th Century Catholic monk St. Boniface used the indoor evergreen’s triangle shape to teach of the Godhead.
27. True. Legend claims Martin Luther first put candles on his tree, to represent the light of Christ for his children.
28. True. Christmas trees did not become popular in England until after Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol”.
29. True. Many trees were originally hung upside down in Old Europe and in early Pennsylvania settlements.
30. True. John C. Horsley created his own card in 1840. The idea caught on, and his card was re-printed in 1843.
31. False. Although “Silent Night” is popular in many countries, Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is the top seller.
32. True. Used for many things, mistletoe brought people together, including those who needed to kiss and make-up.
33. True. Joel Roberts Poinsett, Ambassador to Mexico, introduced the “Holy Night Flowers” to the U.S. in 1825.
34. True. Originally, mince pie was a meat pie. Fruits and spices were later added, and then the meat was dropped.
35. False. “Nog” is another term for “grog”, which is a rum-based drink. Eggnog is sometimes served with rum.
36. True. St. Nicholas, who lived in Turkey, is claimed to have assisted the needy by leaving gold coins in stockings.
37. False. Christmas in Australia occurs during summertime. A beach barbecue is a popular Christmas Day event.
38. True. From 1645 to 1660, because of Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans, celebrating Christmas was illegal.
39. True. A Cologne Cathedral Choirmaster gave shepherds crook-shaped candy to kids during long nativity services.
40. True. Though celebrated in Sweden, Lucia’s legend began with her Christian services and martyrdom in Italy.

Correct Answers Rating:
40 - Cheater, you peeked! Not even Santa knew all of these.
35 to 39 - Next in line to be Santa. How’s your “ho, ho, ho”?
30 to 34 - A true Christmas elf. Santa’s looking to promote you.
25 to 29 - On Santa’s Nice List, but you could do better.
20 to 24 - Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, but you’re missing some good stuff.
15 to 19 - You like Christmas, but your favorite holiday is Halloween, right?
10 to 14 - Christmas is coming, and you haven’t got a ha’penny. God bless you.
Less than 10 - Bah humbug. You need to pay more attention if you want more than coal in your stocking. Better watch out or you’ll get run over by a reindeer.