Diamond T Design
Let your light shine!
Creative ideas for creative minds.
------winter--------
Let your light shine!
Creative ideas for creative minds.
“Dreams on Christmas morning.” Illustration by G.A. Davis, published in The Christmas Book by G.A. Davis (1905), McLoughlin Bros.
As we are preparing to say ‘’goodbye’’ to this year,
There are tales of St. Nicholas and the Holy Family.
The night when Christ came into this world,
the cat that wanted to sing a lullaby for Him,
the young woman who gave shelter,
the old man who led the Holy Family to safety
while King Herod was carrying out his monstrous task,
the robin and the spider and the fir tree that provided its wood to make a cradle for the Lord.
Tales of great liars and cunning farmers.
The Christmas Truce of 1914.
The curse of an innocent man convicted of petty theft,
the eerie encounter of a driver with an avid chess player.
The legend of the Mistletoe Bride, the Ghost Ship of Cumbria,
and the cow that ate a piper who was too ‘’smart’’ for his own good.
From the Cumbrian Winter Dragon to wassailing and the flames of Up Helly Aa in Shetland,
winter is a time of wonders.
In Norway, Christmas means hiding your mops and brooms – not because people don’t want to clean, but because Norwegians are a little superstitious and want to prevent evil spirits, who return to Earth that night, from stealing the brooms and going on joyrides in the Christmas sky.
Norwegians hide their brooms on Christmas Eve as a tradition that dates back to ancient times. It is believed that this custom originated from the superstition that on Christmas Eve, witches and evil spirits would come out and steal brooms to ride on. By hiding their brooms, Norwegians hoped to prevent witches and evil spirits from causing mischief. This tradition has become a lighthearted and fun part of Norwegian Christmas celebrations.Read more Norwegian traditions.
How clean is your house?
In Guatemala, cleanliness really is next to Godliness. Locals believe that the devil and other evil spirits live in the dark, dirty corners of your home.
Therefore, they spend the week before Christmas sweeping up, collecting rubbish and then piling everything in a huge heap outside. Finally, an effigy of the devil is placed on top and the whole thing is set on fire.
It's called La Quema del Diablo, the 'Burning of the Devil'. The idea for Guatemalans is to burn all the bad from the previous year and start a new year from out of the ashes.
Christmas is not only a time for merriment and holiday cheer, but also a time to tell spooky stories. This is especially so if you want to get children to behave. We have Krampus, Frau Perchta, and other monsters to coerce children into being angelic creatures. And yet, one terrifying monster seems to get forgotten; Hans Trapp.
Who is Hans Trapp? He’s a cannibalistic Christmas scarecrow that works alongside Santa Claus. If you’re not good, Hans will kidnap you and take you into the forest to eat you. Let’s learn more about this terrifying monster!
This legend is well known in the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine. He is a lesson to be learned in what happens when you stray from God, turn to the Devil, and become obsessed with wealth and power.
He lived in the 1400s and was very rich and powerful. But he was also merciless and feared by the people who lived in Alsace. He got obsessed with power and started making deals with the Devil to make that happen. In short, he sold his soul to Satan. The Catholic church and the pope found out about it and excommunicated him.
As a result, he was shunned from his community. Hans was banished, stripped of his titles, lands, and money. He resorted to living in the mountains of Bavaria, Germany, and dedicated himself to practicing black magick and the occult. He ended up losing his mind from isolation. Hans went from obsessing over power to wanting revenge on those who wronged him. While this was happening, he had a hankering for human flesh.
One day, he stuffed his clothing with straw and disguised himself as a scarecrow and placed himself along the road. A 10-year old boy from the village walked by, and Hans stabbed him. He took the body back to his lair, sliced the boy into tiny pieces, and cooked his flesh! But before he could eat, he was struck with a divine lightning bolt. Depending on which version you read, he hits his head on a rock and dies when he fell. There’s another version where the bolt of lighting burst his head open and unalived him.
You could say that God was basically fed up with Hans’ evil doing. Today, his spirit lingers and he lives on dressed as a scarecrow. Because Hans is stuck in this sort of purgatory, he works with Santa Claus to earn redemption. We have a “good cop/bad cop” set up where Santa gives the good kids presents while Hans punishes naughty kids.
Hans Trapp is a warning to children to be good or he will use his scarecrow disguise to get them if they don’t change. He’ll carry the naughty children off to the dark forest, never to be seen again.
Hans Trapp is based on a real person named Hans von Trotha, who lived from 1450-1503. He was a German knight and marshal in the Palatine territory. This would be the French/German area. He commanded two castles on the German side of the border.
As the story goes, he got into a land dispute with the church, specifically Weissenburg Abbey. The abbot wouldn’t concede certain properties to von Trotha, so he had the nearby river dammed so that the local village would be cut off from its water supply. When the abbot complained, Hans von Trotha tore down the dam, which flooded the village and damaged its economy. There was now open warfare between Hans Von Trotha and the abbey.
Even the Emperor at the time couldn’t stop it, so they had to get the Pope Innocent VIII involved. Then, his successor Alexander VI asked Hans to come to Rome in 1491 to prove his loyalty to the Church. He refused to go to Rome to present his defense and wrote a letter instead. He accused the Pope of impure acts and overall, being corrupt and shady. Needless to say, the letter didn’t work. He was eventually excommunicated in 1491.
Hans went on to serve the French court, and he was given the title Chevalier d’Or by King Louis XII. After he died, all of the charges against him were forgiven.
You can tell that Hans von Trotha wasn’t well liked since the legacy of Hans Trapp is much more famous than he is. When people hear his name, they think of a cannibalistic Christmas scarecrow instead of a knight fighting over his land. It just goes to show how the dominant group can not only rewrite history, but also our personal narratives.
Read more about The Story Of Hans Trapp
The Hopi have lived in the northern part of Arizona for more than 1,000 years, and one of their most important ceremonies is that of Soyal, their winter solstice celebration. The Hopi believe that during this time the kachinas (spirits that watch over the Hopi) come down from their home in the San Francisco mountains to bring the sun back to the world. It's also a time for purification and prayer, and it's often thought that everything that happens in the coming year is arranged at Soyal. It's commonly celebrated by dancing, singing, and giving gifts to children. there's also a rich tradition of storytelling involved as well.
St. Lucy’s Day, also known as Lucia Day, is a traditional Swedish celebration filled with children in costumes, elaborate processions, and Swedish treats — all honoring the beloved saint.
St. Lucy, whose feast day is celebrated by the Catholic Church on Dec. 13, was a virgin and martyr from Syracuse, Sicily, born in the year 283. The young woman, whose name means “light,” devoted herself to God and to serving the poor.
Legend has it that when Lucy was taking food and supplies to Christians hiding in the catacombs during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, in order to bring as much as possible in both hands, she wore a candle-lit wreath on her head to light her way.
There are a lot of variations to the legend of Olentzero, the Basque version of Santa Claus, but the most common version is this: Olentzero belonged to a mythical race of people called the Jentillak, who were giants compared to normal humans. He lived peacefully until one day a cloud appeared in the sky, although it was only visible to one blind old man. The blind man interpreted this to mean that Jesus was going to be born soon, and asked the giants to be thrown off of a cliff so that he wouldn't have to live with this new religion that he did not know or understand. The giants obliged, but all tripped and fell off the cliff except for Olentzero. As the sole survivor, he embraced Christianity and swiftly turned into the merry gift-giver he is today.
Another popular origin story states that Olentzero was an abandoned newborn who was found by a fairy, given superpowers, and adopted out. He grew to be a kind and gentle man until one day he died saving children form a burning house. To honor his sacrifice, the fairy brought him back to life and gave him the job of giving presents to children. No matter what the origin story is, Olentzero sees like a pretty awesome guy.
Read.. Everything that has a name exists
The Long Winter Story Illustrated By: Elizabeth Rocha
Before any humans walked the earth, when the world was the land of the animals, a very long winter set in. The sun did not come out for three years. The air was always dark. Thick clouds hung low and covered the sky. It snowed all the time. The animals were suffering very much from this long winter. The lack of food was alarming enough, and the lack of heat made it all absolutely unbearable. They became greatly frightened....More
Lord of Misrule
Until the rise of the Puritan party in England in the 17th century, there appeared to be a custom to appoint someone by lot to be in charge of Christmas revelries.
They were given the title of Lord of Misrule.
THE REIGN OF THE LORDS OF MISRULE!
Typically, the Lord of Misrule was someone of a lower social status than the homeowner and his guests, which made it acceptable for them to poke fun at him during drunken revelries. In some parts of England, this custom overlapped with the Feast of Fools – with the Lord of Misrule being the Fool. There was often a great deal of feasting and drinking going on, and in many areas, there was a complete reversal of traditional social roles, albeit a temporary one.
“THE WORLD WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN”: FEASTS OF FOOLS, LORDS OF MISRULE
Mythic Monday: The Lord of Misrule
This classic Danish folktale by Hans Christian Andersen tells of a little fir tree growing in a forest.
Shorter than all the other trees around it,
the little tree just wanted to grow big and strong so he could see the world from up above and blow in the wind like all the big guys.
The stocky little fir was envious of all the tall trees,
which either got to leave the forest and travel the world as ship masts,
or enjoy being covered in beautiful decorations in the townspeople’s homes.
He pushed himself to grow taller and taller,
year after year,
until he was finally picked by a passing woodcutter.
The woodcutter chopped the fir tree down and brought him to a big house.
Inside, the woodcutter’s family decorated him with beautiful ornaments.
The children celebrated him and picked presents out from among his branches.
The tree believed all his wishes had come true,
and he couldn’t wait for it all to happen again the next day!
The next day was not so merry.
The servants came, took the decorations off,
and stuffed him in the attic.
Lonely and alone in the dark,
he told himself he was only up there because it was too cold to plant him back outside,
so they were waiting until spring.
When spring finally came, though, he was old, brittle, and withered.
They brought him back out, and he relished the sun and fresh air.
He lamented about how he wished he’d spent more time enjoying his life as a small fir in the forest.
Then, they chopped him to bits and tossed him in the fire.
While it may not have the happiest of endings,
this tale offers an important lesson in mindfulness.
It encourages us to enjoy our lives in the moment,
rather than longing for a better future.
Don’t get swept up in the stress of the holidays,
just waiting for them to be over.
Celebrate them with your friends and family now,
because these years will be behind you sooner than you might expect.
The Story of the Christmas Fairy
Once, long ago, there lived near the ancient city of Strasburg, on the river Rhine, a young and handsome count, whose name was Otto. As the years flew by he remained unwed, and never so much as cast a glance at the fair maidens of the country round; for this reason people began to call him “Stone-Heart.”
It chanced that Count Otto, on one Christmas Eve, ordered that a great hunt should take place in the forest surrounding his castle. He and his guests and his many retainers rode forth, and the chase became more and more exciting. It led through thickets, and over pathless tracts of forest, until at length Count Otto found himself separated from his companions.
He rode on by himself until he came to a spring of clear, bubbling water, known to the people around as the “Fairy Well.” Here Count Otto dismounted. He bent over the spring and began to lave his hands in the sparkling tide, but to his wonder he found that though the weather was cold and frosty, the water was warm and delightfully caressing. He felt a glow of joy pass through his veins, and, as he plunged his hands deeper, he fancied that his right hand was grasped by another, soft and small, which gently slipped from his finger the gold ring he always wore. And, lo! when he drew out his hand, the gold ring was gone.
Full of wonder at this mysterious event, the count mounted his horse and returned to his castle, resolving in his mind that the very next day he would have the Fairy Well emptied by his servants.He retired to his room, and, throwing himself just as he was upon his couch, tried to sleep; but the strangeness of the adventure kept him restless and wakeful.
Suddenly he heard the hoarse baying of the watch-hounds in the courtyard, and then the creaking of the drawbridge, as though it were being lowered. Then came to his ear the patter of many small feet on the stone staircase, and next he heard indistinctly the sound of light footsteps in the chamber adjoining his own.
Count Otto sprang from his couch, and as he did so there sounded a strain of delicious music, and the door of his chamber was flung open. Hurrying into the next room, he found himself in the midst of numberless Fairy beings, clad in gay and sparkling robes. They paid no heed to him, but began to dance, and laugh, and sing, to the sound of mysterious music.
In the center of the apartment stood a splendid Christmas Tree, the first ever seen in that country. Instead of toys and candles there hung on its lighted boughs diamond stars, pearl necklaces, bracelets of gold ornamented with colored jewels, aigrettes of rubies and sapphires, silken belts embroidered with Oriental pearls, and daggers mounted in gold and studded with the rarest gems. The whole tree swayed, sparkled, and glittered in the radiance of its many lights.
Count Otto stood speechless, gazing at all this wonder, when suddenly the Fairies stopped dancing and fell back, to make room for a lady of dazzling beauty who came slowly toward him.
She wore on her raven-black tresses a golden diadem set with jewels. Her hair flowed down upon a robe of rosy satin and creamy velvet. She stretched out two small, white hands to the count and addressed him in sweet, alluring tones:—
“Dear Count Otto,” said she, “I come to return your Christmas visit. I am Ernestine, the Queen of the Fairies. I bring you something you lost in the Fairy Well.”
And as she spoke she drew from her bosom a golden casket, set with diamonds, and placed it in his hands. He opened it eagerly and found within his lost gold ring.
Carried away by the wonder of it all, and overcome by an irresistible impulse, the count pressed the Fairy Ernestine to his heart, while she, holding him by the hand, drew him into the magic mazes of the dance. The mysterious music floated through the room, and the rest of that Fairy company circled and whirled around the Fairy Queen and Count Otto, and then gradually dissolved into a mist of many colors, leaving the count and his beautiful guest alone.
Then the young man, forgetting all his former coldness toward the maidens of the countryround about, fell on his knees before the Fairy and besought her to become his bride. At last she consented on the condition that he should never speak the word “death” in her presence.
The next day the wedding of Count Otto and Ernestine, Queen of the Fairies, was celebrated with great pomp and magnificence, and the two continued to live happily for many years.
Now it happened on a time, that the count and his Fairy wife were to hunt in the forest around the castle. The horses were saddled and bridled, and standing at the door, the company waited, and the count paced the hall in great impatience; but still the Fairy Ernestine tarried long in her chamber. At length she appeared at the door of the hall, and the count addressed her in anger.
“You have kept us waiting so long,” he cried, “that you would make a good messenger to send for Death!”
Scarcely had he spoken the forbidden and fatal word, when the Fairy, uttering a wild cry, vanished from his sight. In vain Count Otto, overwhelmed with grief and remorse, searched the castle and the Fairy Well, no trace could he find of his beautiful, lost wife but the imprint of her delicate hand set in the stone arch above the castle gate.
Years passed by, and the Fairy Ernestine did not return. The count continued to grieve. Every Christmas Eve he set up a lighted tree in the room where he had first met the Fairy, hoping in vain that she would return to him. Time passed and the count died. The castle fell into ruins. But to this day may be seen above the massive gate, deeply sunken in the stone arch, the impress of a small and delicate hand.
And such, say the good folk of Strasburg, was the origin of the Christmas Tree.
Author Francis Coppe gives us this French Christmas folk tale of a little orphan boy’s gift from the heart. Little Wolff lives with his cruel aunt, who doesn’t give him the warm clothes and treats he deserves. The child is still generous, and gives his one meager possession to a homeless child on a cold Christmas night — when he wakes the next day, he sees his gift repaid.
Read The Wooden Shoes of Little Wolff
Although we have Christmas stories from Germany and France, North America has a few beloved Christmas fairy tales of its own, with the Advanced level story The Christmas Tree Forest. The people of the Great Walled Country always find presents left in the forest by Grandfather Christmas and look forward to giving them to each. They get quite a surprise when a passing stranger tells them to seek out gifts for themselves instead. It’s a 14-minute read and is about how it’s better to give than receive.
Read The Christmas Tree Forest
An Intermediate Scandinavian folk tale, The Legend of the Thunder Oak is set in the times of the heathens and Thor. The Thunder Oak is Thor’s tree, and a place for sacrifice, until one night, when it becomes the first Christmas tree for the people. This Christmas legend, although an Intermediate story, may be not suitable for younger children.
Read The Legend of the Thunder Oak
The Russian Christmas tale of Babouscka is about an old woman who misses a chance to greet the Christ child on the day of his birth. She regrets her choice and so she spends her Christmas days looking for the Child in every house and nursery she encounters. A retelling by Carolyn S. Bailey, this Advanced tale is just 9 minutes.
Frances Jenkins Olcott, children’s librarian and author, shares this 6-minute Advanced Christmas fairy tale from Germany. The Count Otto falls in love with the Queen of Fairies and marries her, promising never to utter a certain word. When he does, she disappears, and he lights a tree to attract her back — the people of Strasburg say this is the origin of the Christmas tree.
Read The Christmas Fairy of Strasburg
The first British commercially produced Christmas card.
Printed Christmas cards became popular in the Victorian period (1837-1901) thanks to a combination of cheaper printing techniques and even cheaper post, with the arrival of the Penny Black postage stamp. Coming in all shapes, sizes, and materials, Christmas cards were sent in their millions to all corners of the British Empire. Victorian illustrators created an entire mythology of exactly what we imagine a European Christmas should look like with their now-classic scenes of present-covered Christmas trees, holly, robins, sleighs, and snow-covered country lanes. When we dream of a white Christmas, it is the festive cards of the 19th century which are largely responsible for that evergreen imagery.
Like many Christmas traditions, Christmas cards date from the Victorian era. Queen Victoria sent the first official Christmas card, and Sir Henry Cole, who amongst other things was an assistant to Sir Rowland Hill in the introduction of the penny post and the first Director of the V&A, commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843.
The initial print run was for 1000 cards. Designed by painter John Callcott Horsley, cards were printed lithographically and then hand-coloured by the professional colourer Mason. Cole used as many of these cards as he required and sold the rest for one shilling each under the pseudonym Felix Summerly.
An advert in the Athenaeum paper for the cards read:
“Just published. A Christmas Congratulation Card: or picture emblematical of Old English Festivity to Perpetuate kind recollections between Dear Friends.”
Horsley’s design depicts two acts of charity – “feeding the hungry” and “clothing the naked” – and a family party scene, in which three generations are drinking wine to celebrate the season. The depiction of children drinking wine proved to be controversial, for this was an era when the temperance movement was gaining in popularity in the UK, but this did not stop people buying the cards and more were printed to satisfy demand.
Very few of the first Christmas cards remain in existence and we’re very lucky to have one in our collection. See it on display in the museum’s exhibition.
Some of the Earliest Christmas Cards
THE HISTORY OF CREEPY VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS CARDS
Have a Creepy Little Christmas
How Victorian Christmas cards got so beautifully odd.
9 Of The Most Terrifying Christmas Traditions From Around The World
Christmas is considered to be the most wonderful time of the year.
But was it always?
Walk with the ghosts of Christmas past through the history of early traditions from 274 AD
with Saturnalia,
Yule,
Mithra,
the tradition of Francis of Assisi,
the feast of St. Nicholas,
Santa Clause,
Krampus,
and beyond.
We’re celebrating the spirit of the holiday,
and you’re cordially invited.
Read more Trivia.
