BKHS Bablake History Magazine 2021 by Bablake

BKHS Bablake History Magazine December 2021

contents 2 Crisis Christmas- Toby Elkins 3 Japanese Christmas traditionsEdward Broome 4 Christmas coronationsEleanor Paxton 5 Saturnalia-Eve Morton 6 Cromwell and ChristmasJoseph Guest 7 Christmas Crossword

December 2021

Crisis Christmas Christmas hasn’t always been the loving, enjoyable and present filled celebration that it is today - with some Christmas’s being horrible experiences for some throughout history. This article explains what happened at Christmas time during some of the world biggest crises. Nazi Christmas Here are some of the ways the Nazis tried to change Christmas into a nationalist holiday: - The words of silent night: ‘Silent night, Holy night - All is calm, all is bright. - Only the Chancellor stays on guard - Germany’s future to watch and to ward - Guiding our nation aright’ - The name of the holiday: In order to rid of the Christian attachments to the holiday the Nazi’s tried to change its name to 'Julefest' - Santa: Santa was newly portrayed as Odin - a German nomadic god - in an attempt to make Christmas even more so about the powerful Germany - as the nationalists intended.

Coronavirus Christmas Coronavirus has not been fun for anyone - and it gets worse at Christmas. Here are some statistics from Christmas 2020: - The UK spent £26.9 billion in 2019 on Christmas gifts, compared to £24.2 billion in 2020 (normally this statistic rises year on year by a few percent). - There were 77,665 deaths globally due to COVID-19 on December 21st 2020. - In England in December 2020, there were 52,676 recorded deaths, 10,594 more than the five-year average between 2015-2019. Christmas Tragedies Here are some tragedies from history at Christmas time. - Acteal Massacre - 1997 - In a small Mexican town called Acteal - 45 indigenous people who were apart of a Roman Catholic prayer group, were killed by parliamentary group Masque Roja - Italian Hall Disaster - 1913 - Copper miners in Michigan who were at the time on a strike held a Christmas party on 24th December. At the party, which nearly 600 attended, someone shouted ‘fire’ in an attempt to scare the crowd. It did just that, and the crowds stampeded to the nearest exits, which resulted in the death of 73 people, including 62 children. - The KKK, a white supremacy organisation inside America, was set up on Christmas Eve, 1865, following the occurrences in the American Civil War. Sorry for ruining Christmas a little bit - to be honest - even I feel sad after writing this. I'm sure the other articles will cheer you up!

Japanese Christmas traditions Every year, 3.6 million Japanese families tuck into KFC chicken buckets for their Christmas celebrations, and KFC is an essential part of Christmas advertising in the Land of the Rising Sun.

This tradition began in December 1974, when the owner of the first KFC in Japan (Takeshi Okawara) overheard a conversation between foreigners, discussing how due to the lack of Turkey in Japan they were celebrating Christmas with fried chicken! Supposedly, later that night, Okawara dreamt of a new chicken meal that would revolutionise Christmas in Japan forever. He then began marketing for his “party barrel” – A bucket of chicken alongside a bottle of red wine. It would end up being called Kentucky for Christmas.

The campaign took off instantly in Japan, due to the lack of Christmas traditions (only 1% of the population are Christian). Huge marketing campaigns also helped, including an iconic KFC jingle. The adverts showcased Western families enjoying a delicious meal of fried chicken in the Christmas season, which created the impression that KFC was crucial part of luxury Christmas in the Western world. Therefore, Okawara and his idea was a massive hit: it gave the Japanese people something concrete to look forward to during the holiday season. Now 1/3 of KFC Japan’s yearly sales comes from the Christmas season. The party barrel wasn’t the only success, Okawara went on to become the CEO of KFC Japan from 1984 all the way till 2002.

Christmas coronations Did you know that a number of significant monarchs have been crowned on Christmas? In this article we will learn about the lives of the many monarchs crowned on Christmas. From the conqueror himself, William the first to one the greatest monarchs of all time: Charlemagne, the great and often not so great have been crowned on the 25th of December.

William the First is most known for defeating Harold Godwinson in 1066 at the battle of Hastings. William is known for changing the nature of the English monarchy and the beginning of the House of Normandy dynasty. He had a turbulent childhood as the nobles within Normandy fought to keep control over the young Duke. After the death of Edward the Confessor, William sought to seize control over the English throne and amassed a force to do so. A decisive victory at the battle of Hastings now meant that William could now be king of England. However there was still some opposition to the duke within England. It was only when William had seized crucial cities like Dover and Winchester, that he was able to be crowned King at Westminster Abbey on Christmas day 1066. During Williams coronation, shouts of acceptance from inside the abbey were misinterpreted by the soldiers outside, who feared that William had been attacked. They began to burn nearby Saxon houses.

Born in the 8th century, Charlemagne (who is also referred to as the Charles the great) is often referred to as the “Father of Europe”. He united most of western Europe for the first time since the classical era of the Roman Empire. He founded the Holy Roman Empire, stimulated European economic and political life, and fostered the cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance. In 800, he was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. There is a debate about whether or not Charlemagne actually wanted to be crowned as the Emperor of the Romans, as it sparked the creation of two opposing empires. The pope preferred Charlamagne to the rightful heir, Empress Irene, ruler of Byzantium. For centuries the Emperors of both West (Charlemagne) and East (Irene) would battle over the lands given to the holy roman emperor. Charlemagne achieved many great things in his life, many of which would have been impossible had he not been coronated as Emperor of the Romans on Christmas day.

Roger II was the king of Sicily, having been crowned on the 25th of December 1130. By the time of his death he had united all of the Norman conquests in Italy into one large, strong kingdom ruled by a centralized government. His mother was married to Baldwin I of Jerusalem, although their marriage was declared invalid and annulled. Some say that Roger was offended by this slight, hence his reluctance to go crusading later. After taking control over a large part of southern Italy, he set about consolidating his power and improving the economy of the region. He became one of the greatest kings in Europe, as his domain was the main access route to the middle east. He accepted a large diverse range of people into his kingdom, and many of his administrators came from all over Europe. During Roger’s time as king of Sicily, the nation became the leading maritime power in the Mediterranean. An allround strong and capable leader, Roger led Sicily for nearly 50 years.

Saturnalia What is Saturnalia? Saturnalia, also known as the ‘Festival of Misrule’, is an ancient Roman pagan festival, held in honour of the agricultural God Saturn, or as you may know him better, the Titan Cronos and father of the 12 Olympian Gods. Saturnalia originated as a farmers festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season and winter solstice.

When did Saturnalia Occur? Saturnalia occurred on the 17th of December of the Julian calendar, and was later expanded so festivities continued through to the 23rd. These dates were not changed until the fourth century A.D, when Western Christian churches settled for Christmas celebrations to occur on December 25th, as most of ours do now.

Traditions of Saturnalia Much like we do now, the Romans would decorate their homes with wreaths and greenery, and would even carry holly and berries to the celebrations. They would trade their regular togas for colourful clothing known as synthesis. During Saturnalia, all social norms were halted with work, schools and law courts closing. There would also be no trials or executions, and the state would avoid declarations or involvement in wars until the festivities ended. Even slaves did not have to work during this period and were allowed to participate in the festivities and do as they wish, essentially becoming ‘free’ for the duration of Saturnalia. In some cases, the slaves were even allowed to sit at the head of the tables when feasting, while their masters served them. Citizens, including slaves would don a cap known as a Pileus, which were usually worn by freed slaves, to show that everyone is equal during this time. In many Roman households, a mock king would be chosen, known as the ‘Lord of Misrule’. Often a lower member of the household, it was their job to cause as much mischief as possible during the celebrations, such as insulting guests, wearing outlandish clothes and chasing women and girls. Any request he made had to be obeyed, even something as ridiculous as to “sing naked”. During the celebrations, the Romans would spend the days gambling (which was normally prohibited), singing and playing music, feasting, socialising and giving gifts. A common gift were tapered candles known as Cerei, which signified the light returning after the winter solstice. There was also a grand public feast held that all citizens could attend. On the last day of saturnalia, known as the Sigillaria, many romans gave loved ones small terracotta figurines called Signillaria, though what these were for is unknown.

The phrase io Saturnalia was the characteristic shout or salutation of the festival, originally commencing after the public banquet on the single day of December 17th.

Cromwell and Christmas As anyone who has watched Horrible Histories will know, Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas when he became lord protector in 1653; but is this true?

The moves across England and Wales to oppose Christmas celebrations began even before the Civil War, without Cromwell’s influence whatsoever. Starting in the 16th century, the number of Puritans – Protestants who advocated a strict and “pure” form of worship – had been a growing religious and (by the 17th century) political group. Shortly before the Civil War began in 1642, the puritan leaders in the House of Commons began the slow process of dismantling “sinful” traditions of merriment and debauchery around what they considered days of piety and temperance. This initially only effected the last Wednesday of each month, but after the Civil War began parliament began to become increasingly active in their war on festivities. With the Christmas of 1644 falling on a Wednesday and consequently becoming a day of fasting and religious observance.

It was during this time that the strict Puritan Oliver Cromwell emerged as an increasingly prominent figure among the parliamentarians due to his military service, being the only MP allowed to remain in a military position after the Self-Denying Ordinance act of 1645, which forced MP’s and Lords to choose between such positions.

In 1647, Cromwell paid more attention to politics and quickly became yet more influential among the Puritans in parliament, using his military connections to achieve what his political influence could not, something that will become pivotal by the end of the Civil War. Cromwell’s influence had grown so great that his own son in law directly negotiated with the king after his capture, although King Charles I would try and begin the Civil War once more.

With the restart of the Civil War in 1648, Cromwell used a fresh wave of anti-royal sentiment to become a leading figure in the persecution of Charles once the uprising was quelled, being the third to sign his death warrant and first to sign the actual execution order itself. After the Civil War was over and the king dead, Cromwell’s influence only grew, and through it all he was certainly more than sympathetic to the anti-Christmas rhetoric of the Puritans despite his lack of presence during military campaigns in Ireland. Parliament had already banned feasting on Christmas day in 1647 during the long parliament, however, and Cromwell’s rise to lord protector was not actually the defining moment in the Puritans’ Christmas crusade.

So, contrary to popular belief, Cromwell was not directly responsible for the abolition of Christmas as we know it, but was rather an increasingly powerful advocate of the move to puritanize all aspects of life, including religious holidays like Christmas. His tenure as lord protector at the end of his life also saw his thorough enforcement of these rules, despite the ultimate futility of the prohibition on Christmas cheer, the tradition kept alive by revellers wealthy and impoverished alike.

Christmas crossword Time to do a crossword! You will need to use your own knowledge as well as facts from the articles you have just read.