Twelve Days of Superstition

By Nancy Jackson

While much about Christmas involves bright lights, family gatherings, decorating, extra kindness towards others, and the arrival of Santa Claus, the myths and customs from different countries tell a darker side.

One legend in Germany tells of a deity, who travels during the winter solstice, checking barns for cleanliness and rewarding those with a nicely kept house; making sure to leave gifts for children. For her arrival, people swept the hearths, decorated their homes with holly and mistletoe, and even made hollowed cakes that could be filled with the treasures she left behind.

Her given name was Berchta, goddess of the German hearth and household guardian. She was best known for the twelve days leading up to Christmas for bestowing gifts to the hardworking and punishing the lazy. Her followers included horned animals, elves, ghosts of children, and fairies.

After many changes over the years and increased superstitions, rumors depicted Berchta as a terrifying old hag, often being deemed as a witch. She was said to have an iron hook for a nose and one large goosefoot. Later she was called the White Lady, who stole into nurseries, rocking the good infants to sleep, and bringing terror and death to the naughty
ones. In Bavaria , her legend is still alive and well.

Many Christmas customs we take part in today are attached to old superstitions and folklore. Winter was always such a dark and dismal time; people believed evil forces lurked just out of sight. So they would gather together believing safety in numbers, holding tight to the comfort that loud noises would sway the evildoers away. Many charms and rituals that we use now were once considered the ways to keep loved ones from harm. Placing out mistletoe, ivy and holly was believed to ward away spirits; holly was believed to be effective against both witches and lightning. Ivy was considered the feminine plant while holly was masculine, and when united they held an amazing strength and power. It was also said that spirits became angered if evergreens and Christmas trees were brought into homes prior to the eve of Christmas. Lighting candles as well as the Yule log were both potent traditions to form a block from the dark world, keeping them safe in the protection of the flames. Candles also brought good luck in the year to come.

The doors of the home used to be flung open on Christmas Eve precisely at midnight to let out any trapped evil spirits. Often with opening the door, the man of the house would call out greetings of Christmas to his neighbor, showing a sense of strength and said
to be a form of standing up to any lingering ghosts.

Singing loudly was also considered a worthwhile way to keep out evil. This changed over the years by walking farm-to-farm spreading the power of unity to each of their neighbors, especially where someone was ill.

Christmas pudding was to be stirred three times by each person in the house for it to be effective in bringing luck, prosperity, and riches. Coins, rings, and other small trinkets were thrown into the pudding and wishes were made. Whoever found the ring in their
pudding later would be the next to marry.

Parents placed a special glass shaped pickle ornament on the tree after little ones went to sleep. Whoever found the special pickle in the morning could trade it in for an extra special gift.

While we've adapted some of these traditions and customs with modernized twists, often it is without understand where such things originated. What we consider to be normal and almost expected usually had an underlying superstition behind it. It's interesting to learn where such things came from.