http://www.fridayschildmontessori.com/blog/merry-christmas-and-some-stories/ Friday’s Child Montessori wishes all our readers, pupils and parents a happy Christmas. Several short stories about our Christmas traditions are presented, including Father Christmas as we know him today, the historical Saint Nicholas, Strega Nona and Babushka who is known in Italy and Russia and is probably Mother Christmas, the Magi and the story behind Hanukah. Some family reading is suggested – but avoid A Christmas Carol, as it could be too scary for pre-schoolers.
2. Saint Nicholas (historical):
In about 300 AD or thereabouts, there
was a bishop in a town in Turkey who
was renowned for his kindness and
generosity as well as his piety and
religious zeal.
3. He was imprisoned for his beliefs under
the Roman emperor Diocletian but
escaped being thrown to the lions and
lived on in peace.
4. One day, he heard that one man in his
church was very poor and his daughters
were going to have to be sold into
slavery to pay their debts.
5. To save the young women from this
plight, he secretly entered their house
at night and left a gift of money for
them, and this money ended up in their
stockings.
6. His feast day was celebrated on the 6th
December and in Holland for centuries,
in particular, he rode at night on his
white horse leaving gingerbread for
good children (but watch out for his
assistant, Black Peter, who carries a
bundle of sticks for the naughty
children…).
8. Children in Russia and in Italy would
say yes, and they call her Babushka
(Granny) or Strega Nona (Granny
Witch) respectively.
9. She may be the same as Mother Hollen
or Grandmother Winter in German
folktales. This is the tale that would
have been familiar to Maria
Montessori.
10. They say she was an innkeeper who
hosted the Magi on their way to visit
the Christ Child. They asked her to
accompany them with a gift but unlike
the Little Drummer Boy, she declined.
11. Later, she regretted her decision and
now she wanders the world leaving gifts
for every child. Traditionally, she paid
her visit on the 6th January – the 12th
Day of Christmas and the feast of the
epiphany.
12. The Magi appear in the Biblical
account of the birth of Christ as the
wise men from the east who follow a
star as they bring their gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh to the one born
to be king.
13. Tradition has elaborated on the Biblical
account and states that there are three
of them and that they are kings.
14. The three kings are supposed to
represent the three main ethnic groups
of the Old World: Asian/Middle
Eastern, European and African.
15. The Asian king is Caspar or
Gaspard; he is an old man and his gift
is gold. Melchior is the European
king; he is middle-aged and his gift is
frankincense. Balthazar is the young
African king and his gift is myrrh.
16. The Biblical account can be read in the
Bible itself (the gospels of Matthew and
Luke), or you can find a children’s
version with pictures quite easily.
17. Hanukah and the
Festival of Lights:
During the time when Judas
Maccabeus was leading the Jewish
people in a rebellion against the Greeks
who were occupying their land.
18. Maccabeus managed to recapture and
rededicate the temple in Jerusalem,
which had been desecrated.
19. When the lamps were lit in the temple,
they burned for days and days without
the oil being renewed, so this festival
became the festival of lights as well as
the festival of the rededication of the
temple.
20. Intriguingly, this is the celebration that
Jesus would have celebrated, even
though we now celebrate his birthday at
this time of year.
21. Charles Dickens’ tale
A Christmas Carol
is often read, performed or watched at
this time of year.
22. However, it’s best to leave this one until
the children are a bit older, as some of
those ghosts are pretty scary for
younger people, especially
Marley’s Ghost and Christmas Future.
23. Telling ghost stories is traditional for
Christmas, as it was held that nothing
evil could be abroad on the holy night
between Christmas Eve and Christmas
Morning, so it was safe to while the
long, dark night away by telling spooky
stories. Charles Dickens’ tale was
written as part of this tradition.
24. Have a wonderful Christmas and we’ll
see you all at
Friday’s Child Montessori in 2013.