The Christianization of Europe

There were large-scale conversions to Christianity in Britain, France, and Germany between the years 493 and 800, and Kievan Russia became Christian in 988. Meanwhile, most Scandinavians did not adhere to the new religion until about 1100.  However, in those Nordkind domains, most people were not converted by persuasion. Instead, monarchs and their families were persuaded to embrace the Christian label in return for organized church support.  Afterward, kings forced this Levantine doctrine on their subjects, and in order to bring about this fundamental cultural change, violence was often used.   Such violence was especially brutal on the part of Norwegian kings against their stubbornly unwilling subjects.   Furthermore, in order to simultaneously convert and conquer the Saxons and Frisians, the Frankish King/Emperor Charlemagne fought several wars and committed at least one mass execution against them.  (See Davies 1986, 281; Durant 1950, IV, 462, 502-504, 530-536; Russell 1994, 20, 199, 202-204; Wingate and Millard 1994, 28-29).

Nevertheless, despite the use of force to change Europeans’ official religious allegiance, the new theological overlords realized that there was still a need to present the new theology as less alien and less of a break with the people’s traditional culture than it actually was.  As a result, the church made concessions to Nordkind culture by continuing many pagan Celtic and Germanic customs.  These traditions were renamed and given new interpretations, and the most prominent among them became “Christmas.”

The Pagan Festival of Yuletide Becomes Christmas

Long before the Christian era in Egypt, southern Europe, and the Persian Empire, December twenty-fifth was a common birth date for the sun god.  Meanwhile, in pre-Christian northern Europe in such places as Great Britain, northern France, and Germany the Celtic and Germanic peoples—and long before them the Atlanto-Mediterranean druids—celebrated December twenty-fifth as their sun god’s birthday and the start of the new year.  This date was especially important to these northern peoples because it was during the winter solstice when the days stopped becoming shorter and darker and began growing longer.  And in keeping with this concern, the festival centered on light and fire and included candles (”Christmas” 643).

The most common northern European solstice festival was called “Yule” or “Yuletide.”  It was celebrated from late December into early January and is believed to have especially honored the god Odin.  Odin was also known as “Jolnir,” from which is derived the word jole or yule (Simek 1993, 379-380).  Subsequently, the pagan Anglo Saxons referred to December twenty-fifth as “Yule Day.”  And the night before—that is, Yule Eve—was called modranecht or “mothers’ night” (“Christmas” 642).  In Germany Yuletide was a twelve-day period, and after the Christian conversion, it evolved into the “twelve days of Christmas.”  This period extended from December twenty-fifth to January sixth, and the pagan-era Yule festival included wassailing.  That is, small groups of people went door-to-door singing and socializing with those whom they serenaded.  This folk custom continued as the Christian-era wassailing or caroling.  Yule season also included parties, family gatherings, and throughout the twelve days, the Yule log was burned (Ibid).

Other Christmas customs and traditional decorations also have their origins in the pre-Christian era.  During ancient Rome’s December celebrations, called “Saturnalia,” temples and homes were decorated with flowers and sprigs of evergreen, and gifts were exchanged.  These practices migrated northward during the period of the Roman Empire.  Moreover, long before even that early era, northwest Europeans hung mistletoe, holly, ivy, and bay in their homes during the Yule season.  And among Nordkind people, not only Odin’s oak was sacred.  Evergreen trees were venerated for their ability to remain unchanged and unharmed during the harsh cold winter.  Boniface, the eighth century English missionary, is credited as being the first to associate the evergreen with the Christ child (Ibid 643).

In summary, the church transformed Yuletide into Christmas.  December twenty-fifth was arbitrarily chosen as the birthday of Jesus, and North Europe’s evergreen trees became “Christmas” trees.

The Ashavid Yuletide Season.

One benefit of an Ashavid church is that it would serve as a means of nurturing religious celebrations during appropriate times of the year.  The core holy days naturally correspond to the major Christian observances because these, in turn, derive from our Nordkind ancestors’ ancient pre-Christian festivals.

Therefore, during the Ashavid Yuletide season, the traditions associated with the ancient Yuletide festivals and the present-day Christmas are centered on December twenty-fifth as “Yule Day.”  An Ashavidan—that is, an adherent to the Ashavid religion—knows that this pagan-era festival brought communal cheer and warmth to Nordkind men, women, and children.  And this was centuries before the Christian conquest when the church transformed it into Christmas.  Similar to ancient Germanic tradition, the Ashavid Yuletide lasts about twelve or more days.  However, instead of December twenty-fifth to January sixth, it could be observed from December twentieth to January first.

Furthermore, as among the ancient Germanic people, Yule Eve (December twenty-fourth) is a family night called “Mother’s Night” or modranecht and is centered around family gatherings.  Through this and other observances, Ashavidans embrace Yuletide to celebrate the Nordkind family.  And as our ancient ancestors understood, a family consists of not only its living members.  In addition to the living, it includes those who came before and gave us life, and it includes the yet unborn to whom we owe life.  As such, Yuletide is not only an occasion for being with our loved ones.  It is also a time to reflect on the positive aspects of our ancient Celto-Germanic, Slavic, and other Indo-European predecessors’ culture and worldview.  Moreover, it is an opportunity to shun their superstitions and short-sighted errors.

Therefore, during the Ashavid Yuletide, we make a point of acknowledging our ancestors, for it is from them that we have inherited our physical and mental traits and our cultural norms and mores.  And this commemoration is best in social gatherings of friends and family around the familiar colorfully-decorated evergreen—the Yuletide tree.  As among our North European ancestors, Ashavidans commemorate the evergreen’s strength that enables it to retain vibrant health and color even during the harshest winters.  In turn, we endeavor to preserve our own health, determination, and strength during both our tribulations and our efforts to achieve worthy goals.  Yuletide is an occasion for relaxation and reflection as well as merriment.  Therefore, it must not be perverted—as modern Western Christmas has been travestied by greed-driven merchants—into a stressful frenzy of exchanging expensive material goods.

May Ashavidans, upright Christians, and good Ashavans of other faiths enjoy a warm and happy Yuletide season.

References

“Christmas.”  1960.  Encyclopedia Britannica.  Vol. V, pp. 642-644.

Davies, Norman.  1986.  Europe: A History.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Durant, Will.  1950. The Story of Civilization.  Vol. IV.  The Age of Faith.  New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Russell, James C.  1994.  The Germanization of Early Medieval Christianity.  Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

Simek, Rudolph.  1993.  Dictionary of Northern Mythology.  Translated by Angela Hill.  Cambridge, England: D. S. Brewer.

Wingate, Philippa, and Anne Milliard.  1994.  Edited by Jane Chisholm.  The Viking World.  Tulsa, Oklahoma: EDC Publishing.