Happy New Year 🦇🎇👻🎆

 

Another year flies bye, but for better or worse  time marches on.

Thank you for reading these posts and hopefully enjoying what i put here. 

May you're new year be a great one.

Happy New Year 🎆👻🎇

Christmas Elves....

 

🎄 Christmas Elves ⛄

We all know of Santa and his workshop of elves, but we're did this story come from what are the  origins of the jolly fat man's helpers?

 The modern elf folklore come  from Norse/Scandinavian mythology, the Nisse or house gnome and the  álfar, also called  huldufólk or  hildafolk 'hidden folk'.

Sweden's gift giver before Santa was the Tomten and the Yule Goat though by 1891, the Good old St Nick had merged with Tomten, who was originally an elf or gnome like farm guardian  (like the Nisse).  following the work of Jenny Nyström, this new combination of  old and new Christmas figures became  the Jultomten.

In Nordic countries, Nisse are the closest thing you could consider as Christmas Elves even though  nisse are not actually  elves and they will usually  only wear red instead of the green and red outfits that elves are known for in most western  countries.

 Several  Norse legend were likely combined with other Scandinavian and Celtic legends and myths about these small magic beings.

All kinds of stories about elves, fairies  nature spirits and even gnomes can be found from  multiple regions through Europe there are also similar supernatural beings that could be connected to elves, such as kobolds or duende  from Germany Mexico and South America or the Scottish house spirits called brownies. In Medieval Europe, elves were seen as tricksters and were often linked to demons especially after the christianization of Europe most things of a supernatural or otherworldly nature where considered evil.

The modern  Christmas elf + working in Santa's workshop) appeared in literature as early as 1850 when Louisa May Alcott (Little Women ) completed, but never published a book called Christmas Elves. 

Though a earlier reference to Christmas elf's can be found  In the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (   'Twas the Night Before Christmas), by  Clement Clarke Moore, Santa Claus himself is described in line 45: "He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf".

The image of the elves in the workshop was also popularized by Godey's Lady's Book, with a front cover illustration for its 1873 Christmas issue showing Santa surrounded by toys and elves with the caption "Here we have an idea of the preparations that are made to supply the young folks with toys at Christmas time".

 During this time, Godey's was a very influential figure to the birth of some of our Christmas traditions, having shown the first widely circulated picture of a modern Christmas tree on the front cover of its 1850 Christmas issue. Additional recognition was also given in Austin Thompson's 1876 work "The House of Santa Claus, a Christmas Fairy Show (Christmas play) for Sunday Schools"

A few other versions of elf's or helpers are

Ded Moroz (father Frost / Grandfather Frost )  and his grand daughter Snegurochka (Frost Maiden) from Russia ⛄🎁

Knecht Ruprecht from Germany.🍻🎅

The  Hoesecker in  Luxembourg.🦌

Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) In the Netherlands and Belgium who accompany Saint Nicholas on his global gift giving.🎄

And lastly the modern Christmas tradition involving that ever watchful snitch The Elf on the Shelf  .🧝‍♂️👀

Hopefully none of you are on the naughty list, this year 🙂

Have a great Christmas and happy New Year.

🎄🎁🎅⛄🦌🎄

🦇M🦇

Last Post for the year, thanks for stopping by and have an awesome 2025🎆🎇

Kallikantzaroi, Christmas Goblin's 🎄🇬🇷

 

The Kallikantzaroi is a goblin like creature from Greek folklore.

 They live underground most of the year and spend their time sawing away at the world tree trying to bring it down and the world with it,  only coming out during the twelve days of Christmas, from December 25th to January 6th. 

They are small creatures  most often described as goblins or tiny demons with tails,  long, shaggy hair and hooves for feet.

 Despite their monstrous appearance, they are mostly prankster not good, but not entirely evil, however their mischievous behavior during the Christmas season can be troublesome similar to the pranks played by the Yule lad's.

 

 They're pranks usually involve stealing peoples belongings, and messing with  food. 

 There are several customs and rituals to keep them away,  including leaving a fire burning in the hearth throughout the night to prevent the Kallikantzaroi from entering through the chimney,  hanging holly and garlic, and placing a colander on the doorstep are some methods  believed to keep the Kallikantzaroi at bay.

 

They're pranks will continue until the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th. As the waters are blessed during the Epiphany service, the Christmas goblins return to they're underground home only to resurface the following year when the holiday season arrives once again.

,..............................

 

⛄Merry Christmas 🎄

And 

Happy New Year

🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇🎆🎇

Frau Perchta, Christmas Witch.

 

Frau Perchta


Frau Perchta was also known as Berchta, or Bertha, and has also been called “Spinnstubenfrau” or “Spinning Room Lady.”
 

She is often depicted with a beaked nose made of iron, dressed in rags, sometimes  carrying a cane, and usually resembles a  old woman.


In some descriptions, she has two forms; she may appear as either a beautiful young woman with skin and hair as white as snow, or as elderly and haggard.

In the Tyrol she appears as little old woman with a very wrinkled face, bright lively eyes, and a long hooked nose; her hair is disheveled, her garments  tattered and torn.

In many old descriptions, Perchta had one large foot, sometimes called a goose foot or swan foot.

Grimm thought the strange foot symbolized her being a higher being who could shapeshift to animal form. He noticed that Bertha with a strange foot exists in many languages (Middle German "Berhte mit dem fuoze", French "Berthe au grand pied", Latin "Berhta cum magno pede",  Italian " Berta dai gran piè", title of a medieval epic poem of Italian area): "It is apparently a swan maiden's foot, which as a mark of her higher nature she cannot lay aside...and at the same time the spinning-woman's splayfoot that worked the treadle".


Perchta had many different names depending on the era and region: Grimm (The Brothers Grimm) listed the names Perahta and Berchte as the main names
followed by Berchta in Old High German, as well as Behrta and Frau Perchta.

In Baden, Swabia, Switzerland and Slovenian regions, she was often called Frau Faste (the lady of the Ember days) or Pehta or 'Kvaternica',
in Slovene. Elsewhere she was known as Posterli, Quatemberca and Fronfastenweiber.


Percht and other variations, was once known as a goddess in Alpine paganism in the Upper German and Austrian regions of the Alps. Her name may mean
 "the bright one" Perchta may also come from an  Old High German verb pergan, meaning "hidden" or "covered



She also bears a resemblance to the Scandinavian goddess Frigga, and both of them share a common trait: spinning, specifically, and domestic neatness  general.

Other legends equate Frau Perchta with the legend of the Wild Hunt, and say that she flies through the night sky followed by an army of lost souls,  including the demonic-looking Perchten, her army of servants who are almost identical in appearance to Krampus.

The only difference is that Krampus rides abroad at St. Nicholas Eve while the Perchten travel  closer too Epiphany, and the last three Thursdays before Christmas, also known as Berchtl nights or Knocking nights.


Also among her army of the night are the souls of unbaptized children. Legend has it if you hear the wind and thunder roaring and rumbling through the  mountains on the Berchtl nights, you’re really hearing the sounds of Perchta leading the Wild Hunt.

Another one of Frau Perchta’s names is Holle, a winter goddess who’s name means “shining” or “bright” — hence her association with Epiphany, the “Shining Night” on which the star of Bethlehem shone down.

 

 

 
Her dual nature is expressed in the fact that there are both “Evil” or “Ugly” Perchten and “Pretty” Perchten, both of whom you might find in a typical “Perchtenlauf” or Perchten run in the Alpine regions of Europe.

                                                

In Austria, particularly Salzburg, where she is said to wander through Hohensalzburg Castle in the dead of night,  the Perchten are still a traditional part of  holidays and festivals (such as the Carnival Fastnacht). The wooden  masks made for the festivals are today called Perchten.

In the Pongau region of Austria large processions of Schönperchten ("beautiful Perchten") and Schiachperchten ("ugly Perchten") are held every winter.

Beautiful masks are said to encouraging financial windfalls, and the ugly masks are worn to drive away evil spirits.


Other regional variations include the Tresterer in the Austrian Pinzgau region, the stilt dancers in the town of Unken, the Schnabelpercht or Schnabelperchten  ("trunked Percht") in the Unterinntal region and the Glöcklerlaufen ("bell-running") in the Salzkammergut.

A number of large ski-resorts have turned the tradition into a tourist attraction drawing large crowds every winter. 

 

 

In southern Austria, in Carinthia there is  a male form of Perchta called  Quantembermann, in German, or Kvaternik, in Slovene (the man of the four Ember days).

Grimm thought that her male counterpart or equivalent is Berchtold.

Regional variations of the name include Berigl, Berchtlmuada, Perhta-Baba, Zlobna Pehta, Bechtrababa, Sampa, Stampa, Lutzl, Zamperin, Pudelfrau,  Zampermuatta and Rauweib.

                    

Perchta was the upholder of cultural taboos, such as the prohibition against spinning on holidays.

In  Bavaria and Austria folklore, Perchta was said to roam the countryside at midwinter, and to enter homes during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany (especially on the Twelfth Night).

She would know whether the children and young servants of the household had behaved well and worked hard all year.

If they had, they might find a small silver coin the next day, in a shoe or pail.


If they had not, she would slit their bellies open, remove their stomach and guts, and stuff the hole with straw and pebbles.
                                             

She is manly focused on whether or not  girls had spun the whole of their allotted portion of flax or wool during the year.

 
She would also slit people's stomachs open and stuff them with straw if they ate something on the night of her feast day, other than the traditional meal of fish and gruel.

There was even a  cult dedicated to Perchta, the followers would leave food and drink's for Frau Percht and her followers in the hope of receiving wealth and good fortune, it was later condemned in Bavaria in the Thesaurus pauperum (1468) and by Thomas Ebendorfer von Haselbach in De decem praeceptis (1439).






Later canonical and church documents characterized Perchta as synonymous with other leading female spirits: Holda, Diana, Herodias, Richella and Abundia


According to Jacob Grimm and Lotte Motz, Perchta is Holda's southern cousin or equivalent, as they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts"  and appear during the Twelve Days of Christmas, when they oversee spinning.


Grimm says Perchta or Berchta was known "precisely in those Upper German regions where Holda leaves off, in Swabia, in Alsace, in Switzerland, in Bavaria and Austria."



Perchta is  a "rewarder of the generous, and the punisher of the bad, particularly lying children".

The Yule Log 🎄

 

                                          

                       🎄The Yule Log🔥

 

 

Norway is the birthplace of the Yule log. 

  The ancient Norse used the Yule log in their celebration of the return of the sun at winter solstice. “Yule” came from the Norse word hweol, meaning wheel. 

The Norse believed that the sun was a great wheel of fire that rolled towards and then away from the earth.

 

The Yule log was a long oak tree carved with runes (early norse/germanic letters) to wish for the protection of the gods and burned for the duration of the celebration. To let it go out was said to be a dark omen and a sign of bad luck to come.  

The Vikings would save a piece of the log for next year's fire.

 

 

The UK Tradition.

 

The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, and subsequently North America. 

The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated with Yule (such as the Yule boar.

 

                                 

 The Christmas practice calls for burning a portion of the log each evening until Twelfth Night (January 6th. 

 

The log is subsequently placed beneath the bed for luck, and particularly for protection from the household threats of lightning and, with some irony, fire. Many have beliefs based on the yule log as it burns, and by counting the sparks and such, they seek to discern their fortunes for the new year and beyond

 

 the Yule log, Yule goat, and Yule boar (Sonargöltr) are still reflected in the Christmas ham, Yule singing, and others, which Simek takes as "indicat[ing] the significance of the feast in pre-Christian times.

 

 

Santa Clause The legend of St. Nicholas

 

 

 

 

                                         Santa Clause and St. Nicholas..
                                   (LAST POST FOR 2021)

The legend of  Santa Clause has existed in some form or another throughout Europe for century's.

Though the modern  image of Santa we know today as a jolly fat man clad in red and white is largely thanks to a marketing ploy by the Coca Cola company in the lat 1800's and early 1900's.

 

In old Norse traditions Odin would arrive on his eight legged horse Sleipnir and leave gifts for good children.

The Dutch have  Sinterklaas.

Italy has the Christmas witch La Bafana.

there are several other traditions involving a magic figure bearing gifts, but for today we will focus on St.Nichols.

St.Nichols, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Nicholas of Bari, Saint Nick etc..

...................

Saint Nicholas was a Greek saint from the early days of the Christian Church, born during the third century Roman Empire in the village of Patara At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey.

He lived from 15 March 270 – 6 December 343.

St.Nicholas is known as the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, prostitutes, children, brewers, pawnbrokers and unmarried people.
...................................


The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death and recount several miracles attributed to him.


He is believed to have been born in the Greek seaport of Patara, Lycia to wealthy Christian parents who raised him to be a devout Christian, His parents died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

in one of the most well know story's  Nicholas comes to the aid of a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman’s father had to offer prospective husbands something of value—a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man’s daughters, without dowries, were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries.
 
The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas.

 

One of the oldest stories showing St. Nicholas as a protector of children takes place long after his death. The townspeople of Myra were celebrating the good saint on the eve of his feast day when a band of Arab pirates from Crete came into the district. They stole treasures from the Church of Saint Nicholas. As they were leaving town, they snatched a young boy, Basilios, to make into a slave.

The emir, or ruler, selected Basilios to be his personal cupbearer, as not knowing the language, Basilios would not understand what the king said to those around him. So, for the next year Basilios waited on the king, bringing his wine in a beautiful golden cup. For Basilios’ parents, devastated at the loss of their only child, the year passed slowly, filled with grief. As the next St. Nicholas’ feast day approached, Basilios’ mother would not join in the festivity, as it was now a day of tragedy. However, she was persuaded to have a simple observance at home—with quiet prayers for Basilios’ safekeeping. Meanwhile, as Basilios was fulfilling his tasks serving the emir, he was suddenly whisked up and away.

St. Nicholas appeared to the terrified boy, blessed him, and set him down at his home back in Myra. Imagine the joy and wonderment when Basilios amazingly appeared before his parents, still holding the king’s golden cup. This is the first story told of St. Nicholas protecting children—which
became his primary role in the West. 

''''''''

                                                        Nicholas and the sea.

 

During his youth, Nicholas made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

To walk where Jesus walked in order to  experience Jesus’ life, passion, and resurrection.

Returning by sea, a mighty storm threatened to wreck the ship. Nicholas calmly prayed. The terrified sailors were amazed when the wind and waves suddenly calmed, sparing them all. later he would be named  the patron of sailors and voyagers.

Nicholas also saved his people from famine, sparing the lives of those innocently accused, and more.

Throughout his life he did numerous kind and generous deeds all in secret, expecting nothing in return.

Within a century of his death he was celebrated as a saint.

Today he is venerated in the East as a  miracle worker and in the West as patron saint of children, mariners, bankers, pawn-brokers, scholars, orphans, laborers, travelers, merchants, judges, paupers, marriageable maidens, students, children, sailors, victims of judicial mistakes, captives, perfumers, even thieves and murderers! He is known as the friend and protector of all in trouble or need


Sailors carried stories of Nicholas along their travels, claiming St. Nicholas as patron, and told  of his favor and protection far and wide.as a result several St. Nicholas chapels were built in many seaports.

As his popularity spread during the Middle Ages, he became the patron saint of Apulia (Italy), Sicily, Greece, and Lorraine (France), and many cities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Belgium, and the Netherlands (see list). Following his baptism, Grand Prince Vladimir I brought St. Nicholas’ stories and devotion to St. Nicholas to his homeland where Nicholas became the most beloved saint.
 

Nicholas was so widely revered that thousands of churches were named for him, including three hundred in Belgium, thirty-four in Rome, twenty-three in the Netherlands and more than four hundred in England.




Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. 

The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminal—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas was said to have attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. Later legends claim that he was temporarily defrocked and imprisoned during the council for slapping the heretic Arius.

Nicholas's attendance at the Council of Nicaea is attested early by Theodore the Lector's list of attendees, which records him as the 151st attendee. 

However, he is never mentioned by Athanasius of Alexandria, the foremost defender of Trinitarianism at the council, who knew all the notable bishops of the period, nor is he mentioned by the historian Eusebius, who was also present at the council. Adam C. English notes that lists of the attendees at Nicaea vary considerably, with shorter lists only including roughly 200 names, but longer lists including around 300. Saint Nicholas's name only appears on
 the longer lists, not the shorter ones. Nicholas's name appears on a total of three early lists, one of which, Theodore the Lector's, is generally
considered to be the most accurate.


Nicholas Death..

 

He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a
unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas.
 

The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th (December 19 on the Julian Calendar.
............

Other versions of Santa

 

St. Nicholas’ feast day, December 6th, is celebrated with stories of his generosity.
In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops begged alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves!
 

In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. 

In the Netherlands St. Nicholas is celebrated on the December 5th, the eve of the day, by sharing candies (thrown in the door),chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint’s horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts.
..............


Less than 200 years after his death, the St. Nicholas Church was built in Myra under the orders of Theodosius II over the site of the church where he had served as bishop, and his remains were moved to a sarcophagus in that church.

 

In 1087, while the Greek Christian inhabitants of the region were subjugated by the newly arrived Muslim Seljuk Turks, and soon after their church was declared to be in schism by the Catholic church, a group of merchants from the Italian city of Bari removed the major bones of Nicholas's skeleton from his sarcophagus in the church without authorization and brought them to their hometown, where they are now enshrined in the Basilica di San Nicola. The remaining bone fragments from the sarcophagus were later removed by Venetian sailors and taken to Venice during the First Crusade.  

The Nicholas shrine in Bari was one of medieval Europe’s great pilgrimage centers and Nicholas became known as “Saint in Bari.” To this day pilgrims and tourists visit Bari’s great  Basilica di San Nicola.

Today his legend lives on in the hearts of children worldwide who eagerly await a visit from Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas Everyone and have a great New Year.🎄🎅🎄

Christmas Mystery: The disappearance of Oliver Lerch.

 

 

 

 


One more short holiday related paranormal  post for the year.

...A Christmas Disappearance .....

Oliver Morton Lerch, The man who disappeared .

==============

Tragic events and mysterious disappearances can happen anytime of the year and too anyone.

Not even the most cheerful of seasons is immune to tragic or unexplained events.
===================

Those of you that have read David Paulides  the  Missing 411 Series knows how strange some of the
missing person cases can get, Footsteps suddenly ending for no apparent reason, people walking
just sightly ahead of a group and vanishing without a trace and if the people are ever found
it's days or sometimes even months or years later and in areas the had already been searched by
several people with no explanation as to how they got there or why they were never
found during the initial search?......

I highly recommend checking out The Missing 411 series, its a great read and full of fascinating
and down right strange case's!!
David also has a youtube page.
Link--- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChXKAI83IuqSneWe92F97jQ
==========================
=============================

Today we talk about the strange disappearance of Oliver Lerch.

In some versions the events take place on Christmas eve 1889.
others its December 24th 1890

There was also a news article detailing the events published in 1906.
 

=========

One cold night on December 24th of 1890, the Lyrch family was hosting there annual
Christmas gathering, aside from Mr and Mrs and their sons Jim and  Oliver,  other guest's included Oliver's girlfriend Lilian Hirsh the daughter of a prominent Chicago attorney as well as several other friends, extend family members and even Samuel Mallelieu the local reverend.

The party had continued until long after sunset, and by 10:00pm the large gathering had finished
the house's supply of fresh water.

At this point Oliver was asked by his father Tom Lerch to go and fetch some more from the
outside well.

Oliver made his way outside to get the water taking 2 buckets with him.

But within as little as five minutes after he had left the house, guests were startled by what they
believed to be screaming, and several guest including Hirsh and Mallelieu quickly made
there way outside too see what was going on.

Reverend Mallelieu would later go on to testify that as he ran outside, he could clearly hear Oliver's
voice screaming for help as he was apparently being carried off by whatever had taken him.

Mallelieu stated that he could see Oliver's footprints in the snow heading in a straight line
to the well and then just suddenly stopping just short of the well itself, with one of the buckets lying next to the tracks, but no clear sign of a struggle was visible the foot prints just stopped there.

But as the group gathered around searching of him, suddenly Olivers voice could be heard from
above shouting, "Help, Help it's got Me" followed by a loud scream.

The pleas for help seemed to be coming from the clouds above them, Oliver's cries for help could be
heard for several minutes afterwords, becoming fainter and fainter as whatever had him moved
further away until the crowed could no longer hear him.

The following morning a full search was organized, but no trace of Oliver was found.

The Lerch family was offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts, but
To this day it is unknown what became of him, or what entity carried him off, and the case
remains unsolved.
===============
--------

This will by me last post for 2020!

I am truly thankful for all of you that read and hopefully enjoy my post's and
I hope to add a lot more entry's here in 2021 !

Thank you all, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!

🦇🎄❄️Merry Christmas❄️🎄🦇

🦉Mike.

Norwegian Myth and Legends St. Lucia Day, and Christmas

Merry (early ) Christmas everyone. 

OR God Jul, if your from Scandinavia :) 

----------------------------------------------

 With December 13th approaching, i decided to do a post about St. Lucia Day. Those of you with Scandinavian ancestors, or anyone that has been in Norway or Sweden during the Christmas seasons will have heard of Lucci at least once. 

 

The legend of St. Lucia comes from a combination of old Norwegian myth's and folklore, mixed with the christinization of the old viking world. 

 

The modern Christian holiday, St. Lucia's day is celebrated with a candlelight procession through the streets with one kid in the group placing a wreath with lit candles on their head and then walking through the school or church in prayer Because of the old practice of staying indoors with all the candles lit and a fire in the hearth to ward of the evil spirits, the church's official St. Lucia's day is also associated with candles and light, and during this night you will see candles in the windows of homes and even along the sidewalks throughout the city.

 

 ========================= NORWAY ================= 

 

 Norwegians considered what they called Lussinatten (December 13th) the longest night of the year and no work was to be done. 

From that night until Christmas, spirits, gnomes and trolls roamed the earth. Lussi, a feared and powerful witch or possibly a demoness, would punish anyone who dared work.

 Legend also states  that farm animals talked to each other on Lussinatten, and that they were given additional feed on this longest night of the year. 

 

The Lussinatt, the night of December 13th, was largely forgotten in Norway at the beginning of the 20th century, though still remembered as an ominous night, and also celebrated in some areas, especially in Mid, Central and Eastern inland.

 

 It wasn't until after World War II that the modern celebration of Lucia in Norway became adopted on a much larger scale.  It is now observed all over the country.

Like the Swedish tradition, and unlike the Danish, Lucy is largely a secular event in Norway, and is observed in kindergartens and schools  (often through secondary level). However, it has in recent years also been incorporated in the Advent liturgy in the Church of Norway. 

The boys are often incorporated in the procession, staging as magi with tall hats and star-staffs.
Occasionally, anthems of Saint Stephen are taken in on behalf of the boys.

For the traditional observance of the day, school children form processions through the hallways of the school building carrying candles, and hand out lussekatt buns. While rarely observed at home, parents often take time off work to watch these school processions in the morning, and if their child should be chosen to be Lucia, it is considered a great honor. Later on in the day, the procession usually visits local
retirement homes, hospitals, and nursing homes.

The traditional Norwegian version of the Neapolitan song is, just like the Danish, not especially Christian in nature, the only Christian  concept being "Sankta Lucia". Excerpt: "Svart senker natten seg / i stall og stue. / Solen har gått sin vei / skyggene truer."

 ("Darkly the night descends / in stable and cottage. / The sun has gone away / the shadows loom."


You will also see Lucia crown cakes and Lucia buns this time of the year :)

 ...Crown cake...

 

 ....Buns...

 

 

 

 

 The English word “Yule”   originated from one or more of seven spellings in Old English, which meant the months of December or January. 

Around the year 900, “Yule” came to mean Christmas and its festivities. Further back, these words came from the Old Norse jól, which in addition to being the root of the modern Norwegian word “jul,” is the root of the word “joli” in French, meaning lovely, nice, or pleasing, and from it the word “jolly” in English.

===========

We all know of Santa and his reindeer, but how many of you know about the Julebukk (“Christmas Goat”) of Norway, known as Julebock in  Swedish, Juleged in Danish, and Olkipukki in Finnish.

Originally the Julebukk was a goat that was slaughtered at Christmastime to celebrate
the end of the agricultural work year.

However over time, it meant a person who led a costumed procession from house to house, to entertain
the residents and be rewarded with food and drinks.

In the early 19th century, the Julebukk also became the bringer of presents,
and was the predecessor of the Julenisse, equivalent to Santa Claus in English.
 
Jul Goat..and St. Nicholas

-------------------

Today the Julenisse and Santa Claus have taken over present-bringing,
but effigies of the Julebukk can still be found all over norway and sweden, most of them are made of straw,  and the largest one is  a giant statue in Gefle, Sweden.

Giant Jul Goat.

Also if your ever in the area you could check out the city of Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle in Finland.
 

It's About six miles north of the city you will find Santa Claus Village and theme park, located just two short miles from the Rovaniemi Airport.
==

 

 

 =================================
Christian version of st lucia.
=================================

St. Lucy was a young Christian martyr who died in the early 4th century in Italy.
She quickly gained a widespread following and is the patron saint of virgins.


Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December.
The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-4th-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to legend brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the Roman catacombs, wearing a candle lit wreath on her  head to light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible.

Her feast day, which coincided with the shortest day of the year prior to calendar reforms, is widely celebrated as a festival of light.

Falling within the Advent season, Saint Lucy's Day is viewed as a precursor of Christmastide, pointing to the arrival of the Light of Christ in the calendar on Christmas Day.

Saint Lucy's Day is celebrated most widely in Scandinavia and in Italy, with each emphasizing a different aspect of her story.
 

 In Scandinavia, where Lucy is called Santa Lucia in Norwegian and Danish and Sankta Lucia in Swedish, she is represented as a lady in a  white dress symbolizing a baptismal robe and a red sash symbolizing the blood of her martyrdom, with a crown or wreath of candles on her head.

 In Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking regions of Finland, as songs are sung, girls dressed as Saint Lucy carry cookies and saffron buns in  procession, which symbolizes bringing the Light of Christ into the world's darkness.

In both Protestant and Catholic churches, boys participate in the procession as well, playing different roles associated with Christmastide,  such as that of Saint Stephen. 

The celebration of Saint Lucy's Day is said to help one live the winter days with enough light.

 

 

 

 A special devotion to Saint Lucy is practiced in the Italian regions of Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto  Adige, in the north of the country, and Sicily, in the south, as well as in the Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia. 

 

In Hungary and Croatia, a popular tradition on Saint Lucy's Day involves planting wheat grains that grow to be several centimeters tall by Christmas Day, representing  the Nativity of Jesus.


--------------------------------------------------
============================================
Now onto a darker myth.......

 Lussi the witch/ demon.

 

 =======

=========

 

 

Nils Bergslien, Julereia, 1922: Lussi is shown stealing a child while riding her broom

================

Tis the season to be jolly, unless you enconter one of the most feared jul tide monsters,
and i'm not talking about Krampus... though a goat hooved, horned anti santa is not an ideal
Christmas guest ether lol.

 

 

=======

In the old days people believed that ghost both good and bad along with demons and monsters walked the earth and could interact with us  just the same as the living do. 

Winter was an especially feared time of the year, dark cold and bitter whether, shorter days and monsters to contend with, not exactly  a merry Christmas.

 

Winters in midevil Norway were dark and cold, and the myths and legends from the region are equally so.
 

Just like the Germanic Wild Hunt, Lussi and her demon hordes would haunt the night, taking anyone they encountered during one of their nightly raids.
 

Starting December 13, in some versions this would go one all the way up until Jul/Yul.

 

 

The Wild Hunt. 

In the old Julian calendar the longest night of the year was December 13th.

Lussis night.

Lussi, Lussinatta, or just the Lussi Night, was marked on   December 13. when it was believed that  Lussi, a demoness or possibly  a powerful witch would ride through the cold winter night  with her minions, her and her followers,  called Lussiferda, Preying on  anyone foolish enough to be outside after the sun goes down, or anyone who had not finished their preparations for Jul.
 
Lussi was  also seen as a sort of anti-Santa, coming down the chimney to take away bad children. similar to Krampus a Germanic anti Santa that accompanied St. Nicholas and punished bad children.

 

 

 Older triditions

This itself might be an echo of the myth of the Wild Hunt, called Oskoreia in Scandinavia, found across Northern, Western and Central Europe.

Between Lussi Night and The cow, trolls and evil spirits, and in some accounts even the spirits of the dead,  thought to be active outside.
It was believed to be particularly dangerous to be out during Lussi Night.

According to tradition, children who had done mischief had to take special care, since Lussi could come down through the chimney and take them away,
and certain tasks of work in the preparation for Yule had to be finished, or else the Lussi would come to punish the household.
The tradition of Lussevaka – to stay awake through the Lussinatt to guard oneself and the household against evil, has found a modern form through
throwing parties until daybreak. Another company of spirits was said to come riding through the night around Yule itself, journeying through the air,
over land and water.

There is little evidence that the legend itself derives from the folklore of northern Europe, but the similarities in the names ("Lussi" and "Lucia"),  and the date of her festival, December 13th, suggest that two separate traditions may have been brought together in the modern-day celebrations in  Scandinavia. Saint Lucy is often depicted in art with a palm as the symbol of martyrdom.,

==============

The best way to avoid meeting  monster Lussi was to stay up all night long, indoors with all the lights on.



In short, if you don't want to meet Lussi just say inside with a warm fireplace and a lot of light maybe some hot chocolate, and just  watch a good Christmas movie or something :)

=====================
=====================
St Lucia Day poem.

English

The long Lussi-night,
The long Lussi-night, nothing to be afraid of.
God protects farm and land,
The fishes in the water and the birds in the grove.
Nothing to be afraid of, the long Lussi-night.

The long Lussi-night, nothing to be afraid of.
Cows and horses and pigs and goats
will be healthy, round, and fat.
Nothing to be afraid of, the long Lussi-night.

The long Lussi-night, nothing to be afraid of.
Holy Mother of Good Christ,
free from death and the devil's list.
Nothing to be afraid of, the long Lussi-night.


=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=In Norwegian=--=-=-=-=-=-=

Lussi-natti lange
Lussi-natti lange, intet være bange.
Gud beskytte gård og grund,
fisk i vand og fugl i lund.
Intet være bange, lussi-natti lange.

Lussi-natti lange, intet være bange.
Ku og hest og svin og geit
blive karske trinn og feit.
Intet være bange, lussi-natti lange.

Lussi-natti lange, intet være bange.
Hellige Moder gode Christ,
fri fra død og djevels list.
Intet være bange, lussi-natti lange.

===================



Merry Christmas and have a safe and fun new year everyone, hopefully 2021 will be a great year.