Newswise — 'Tis the season of holiday traditions, although a professor at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., would argue that many of them are actually myths.
According to Dr. Mark Miller, professor of history at Roanoke, who teaches U.S. history from the colonial and Civil War periods, Thanksgiving has few historical ties to the original 17th century celebration, and many of our customary Christmas images originated in Hollywood hold little historical significance. He claims that many of today's holiday traditions are actually myths that have been developed in the last 60-70 years.
Take the first Thanksgiving celebration in Plymouth, Mass., back in 1621 for instance. It has been depicted as a friendly gathering between the Pilgrims and the Indians. But Miller reports that the Pilgrims could not possibly have been attendants of the earliest Thanksgiving feast because the term "Pilgrim" was not even invented until the 1830s.
"During the pre-Civil War period, Northerners were in search of a counterpart image to that of the Southern settlers of Jamestown," says Miller. "This led to the name 'Pilgrims,' which described the first group of Englishmen to live in the North."
Contrary to popular belief, Miller tells that the original guests of the 1621 feast were not "Pilgrims," but more appropriately called "Saints." The relationship between the Saints and the Indians has also been distorted through the years. The European settlers were really quite frightened of the wild new world, including its native inhabitants.
"The Europeans thought the Native Americans were a lost Israeli tribe that had been blown off course and landed in America," says Miller. "They thought the tribe arrived as civilized men and women, but became savages after living in the wilderness. For fear of contact with the savages, laws were enacted which forbade European settlers to touch or look at the Indians."
The Civil War also played a predominant role in the timing of the celebration, according to Miller. The original harvest was likely held in late summer to early fall, following the final rush of fieldwork. However, in 1864, Abraham Lincoln, then president of the North, called for a day of thanksgiving in November. It wasn't until the 20th century that Thanksgiving was celebrated in Southern states.
Miller reports that turkey, corn and cranberries were most likely served on the original plates of the celebration, however advances in agricultural technology have added many more items to the "traditional" menu.
He also tells that Christmas present and past offer many conflicting images as well. Christmas 100 years ago was very simple compared to today's extravagant celebrations. Historically, Christmas was a holy day celebrating the birth of Christ, and the Puritans of the 17th century honored the tradition in a quiet, private manner.
"They were very offended by the public revelry and merriment associated with the religious day, and so such merry-making parties were outlawed," he says.
Though public celebrations of Christmas resurfaced in the 1850s, Miller says that many Puritan ideals still prevailed. Work and school holidays were typically one day, and pine boughs or wreaths were placed in the home, not entire trees.
"Putting an entire tree in the house would have been considered crazy," he says. "And to light the tree with candles would have been absurd. The pine cuttings were probably adorned with homemade decorations, such as cookies, candy or popcorn."
The legendary Santa Claus of the 19th century placed gifts of oranges, wooden toys and marbles into children's' stockings. Miller says "Citrus fruit was a big deal during this time period; it was a product of the laborious railroads."
Secular music of the Christmas holiday also did not appear until the 19th century. The most popular songs were "Silent Night" and "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem."
Beginning in the 20th century, the emergence of the glamorous Hollywood culture had a major impact on the holiday festivities, according to Miller. Films such as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street" redefined the spirit of the season and have become classics of the American culture. Holiday cartoons of the 1960s, like "Charlie Brown's Christmas," "The Grinch who Stole Christmas" and "Frosty the Snowman" are the most recent additions to the Hollywood-produced image of Christmas.
"Hollywood invented much of what are now considered Christmas traditions," he says.
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