Gifting at Christmas

It is that time of the year once again, when decorated malls entice shoppers to part with their money for gifts. Indeed, it is the most profitable time of the year for retailers.

Dec 18, 2014

Dear Editor,

It is that time of the year once again, when decorated malls entice shoppers to part with their money for gifts. Indeed, it is the most profitable time of the year for retailers.

The custom of gifting at Christmas has biblical origins. The gospel of Matthew (2:11) tells us that the astrologers, sometimes also known as the Wise Men or Magi, brought to the infant Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Although Matthew’s gospel does not tell us the number of the Magi, the number of gifts lead to the tradition of the three Wise Men.

These items were valuable gifts used to honour king or deity in the ancient world. Biblical scholars and theologians have offered varying interpretations to their spiritual symbolism.

Gold was a precious metal, worth a lot of money. It was probably meant to signify the regality of Jesus. Frankincense is a resin or gum from a tree. It is highly fragrant when burnt. It was used as a pleasant offering at worship and has been described as the symbol of the divinity of Jesus. Myrrh, also a resin, is obtained from trees in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. It was used as a fragrance for embalming. Myrrh is thought to foretell the human suffering and death Jesus was to undergo.

Modern gifting at Christmas has its origins in St Nicholas, from whom the mythical Santa Claus was derived. St Nicholas was a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now Demre) in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, which is now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts, including gold, to the poor. As a popular figure in Europe, his legends inevitably became intertwined with others. Somewhere along the line, people began giving presents in his name on his feast day, which falls on 6th December. When the Reformation came along, his following disappeared in all the Protestant countries except Holland, where his legend continued as Sinterklass. Martin Luther, for example, replaced this bearer of gifts with the Christ Child, or, in German, Christkindl. Over the years, that became Kriss Kringle, which ironically, is now considered another name for Santa Claus.

Most children around the world believe in a Christmas gift bringer. It is often St. Nicholas, Santa Claus or Father Christmas, but in Germany, they believe that it is the Christkind; in Spain it is the Wise Men, and in Italy, it is an old lady called Befana.

Presents are opened on different days over the world as well. Children in some European countries, like Germany and the Netherlands, open their presents the earliest, on the eve or on the feast day of St. Nicholas,’ on December 6. German children are lucky, as they also have another gifts-giving day on Christmas Eve. In most parts of the world, gifts are presented either on the eve or on Christmas Day itself. In Russia, gifts are presented on New Year’s Eve. In some Catholic countries such Spain and Mexico, presents are opened on January 6, at Epiphany.

The Church has wisely followed this tradition of giving at Christmas. Catholics are reminded of the less fortunate and encouraged to give to the needy. Christmas though should not be the only time for giving. Let us always remember that charity covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Joseph Lopez
Kuala Lumpur

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