According to folklore, back before the Germans converted to Christianity, they celebrated Yule, a pagan religious festival, surrounding the winter solstice, that ran from late December to early January. At the time, it was believed that the god Odin the wanderer, or Wodan, would host his annual Yule hunting party with fellow gods and travel the skies at night with his horse, Sleipnir. Children in the villages below, would fill up their boots with straw, carrots or sugar and place them near the chimney so that Sleipnir could come down to eat during his midnight rides. Odin would then reward these kind children by replacing the food with gifts and candy treats.Sounds very similar to Sinterklaas, don't you think? The striking difference between these two legends is in their physical appearance. Odin, like Sinterklaas, was depicted as an old man with a white beard; however Odin, the warrior god, is missing his left eye. Wouldn't make a very nice "Yule" card, would it?
After Christianity spread to this region, Odin evolved into Saint Nicholas and the Germans, Belgians and Dutch passed these new traditions down from generation to generation. When the traditions came to America via New Amsterdam or New York, the boots that were once placed by the chimneys became socks or stockings.
Hope you learned a little more about the traditions of Christmas. I know I did.
Happy Holidays!
The EuroTraveler
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