Christmas — A Bit of History
Rob Kirk

Mr Christmas (aka Rob Kirk) entertained us with a fascinating history of Christmas. Many cultures and eras have contributed to the development of Christmas celebrations as we know them.

As early as 2300 BC Romans celebrated the birth of the Sun in December. In about 70 AD, this became Saturnalia a feast in honour of the god Saturn. As December had already been associated with festivities, in 350 AD Pope Julius 1st declared that 25 December would mark the birth of Christ. Rob described the evolution of our familiar Christmas traditions such as gingerbread men, Christmas trees, holly and mistletoe over centuries. The benevolent symbol of Father Christmas or Santa Claus was a conglomerate of several important figures in early times – the Bishop of Myra, Saint Nicholas, the Viking god ‘Odin’ and others.
In mediaeval times a cycle of “Mystery Plays” were held between Christmas and New Year, in which the story of Christmas was dramatically told. The stages were on wagons which moved around depicting various elements of the Christmas story such as Mary and Joseph arriving at the inn, the shepherds watching their flocks and so on.

Such festivities were despised during the Renaissance, and all symbols such as statues, carols and plays were destroyed during the reigns of Henry VIII, Elizabeth 1st and Cromwell. They were revived in the Victorian era, and new customs such as Christmas crackers, Christmas stockings, the giving and receiving of gifts and plum puddings began to emerge.

Rob’s depiction of early Australian Christmases was very interesting particularly the innovative use of available food items for standard English Christmas fare. Excerpts from a recipe book were for Parrot Pie, Curried Wattle Birds and Roast Black Swan. Apparently minced kangaroo tail beautifully mimicked the consistency of traditional English minced meat when spiced. If raisins were unavailable for the fruit filling, native bush currants or wild pigface berries could be substituted.

Illustrations of Christmas celebrations began to show Aussie Santas in shorts and thongs, pulled in a gig by kangaroos or a wagon by bullocks. Christmas cards as early as 1879 depicted beautiful native flowers and laughing kookaburras.

A magnificent spread of Christmas fare was enjoyed by all with a glass or two of Christmas cheer. Many thanks to Rob and Margy Kirk for their warm hospitality.