Pre-History by Kevin Hadley One day there comes a time when your younger years begin to speak the truth to you. [592 words]
Hello, Obsession. My Name Is Paranoia. by Michelle Bernard The deceivingly innocent penguins attack. [653 words]
We Storymaniacs Should Be The Best by Michael Harris An essay dealing with why I believe many of us Internet writers will one day... [1,101 words]
Cast The First Stone by Desi Williams - [244 words]
Why We Need Bush by Bryan King This article is based on fact (and of couse)partial opinion. [308 words]
What Is It With Fecamds? by Kennedy O Obohwemu - [472 words]
The Fight Against Aids-Is There A Ray Of Hope? by Kennedy O Obohwemu All we need is a lasting solution...just how far have we gone?ho... [902 words]
The Differance Between Nigger And Nigga-From A White Person's Point Of View by Bryan King Two of the almost same words, that ... [266 words]
Homosexual Couples Should Be Allowed To Marry by Shaun Stone This is an essay about the legalization of heterosexual marriage. [726 words]
G.Gun by Bryan King Gangs Get U Nowhere. [121 words]
A Writer's High by Bryan King This explains why people are addicted to writing. [175 words]
A Grandfather's Love by Mddoc The wonderful experience of having your first grandchild. [211 words]
The Meaning Of Love by Cj Schmowling Essay on the realization of a cheating lover [1,268 words]
Tales Of Tito: Essay Of An Inmate by David Daniels Are you a fan of the movie,'Goodfellas?' Then check out this story about the ... [2,718 words]
Same-Sex Marriage by Robbie Malcolm A persuasive essay arguing for the rights of couples to have same-sex marriages. [620 words]
Ruminations As Of 41205 by A Panos I wrote all of these humorous ruminations in the past few years, now I'm putting them d... [1,168 words]
Late September by The Good Girl Remember when the sparks used to fly? [416 words]
Gods Artwork And Power by Leo Rose This is what I think about God's artwork and his power and mercy. They are short but th... [416 words]
Eclipses And Popes by Kevin Hadley All of the talk in these quarters of late has been of eclipses and the way they appear like ... [647 words]
Does Curiosity Kill? by Leah Russell I describe my experience with whitewater kayaking and my understanding with curiosity. [417 words]
‘I'm Not A Christian, But I Play One On Sunday' by James Snyder After more than three decades of church ministry, I have come t... [890 words]
‘And How Do We Feel This Morning?' by James Snyder Without question, going to the hospital is teamwork from the time you arrive... [909 words]
Who Has The Greatest Job In The World? by James Snyder I have, in my opinion, the world's perfect job. Just look at the evidenc... [963 words]
The African Playwright: Old Stories, Present Day Realities by Adesola Orimalade A short essay that reviews the relevance of plays wr... [1,162 words]
How To Cash In On Your ‘Ailment Capital' by James Snyder Right after the president won his re-election bid for the White House,... [926 words]
Breaking Morals And Ethics, An Analysis Of Lolita By V. Nabokov by Keivn Luk Humbert was a fictional character created by th... [1,811 words]
Answer Right by Glendora Rider Short, 125 word commentary. [118 words]
The One Great Sermon That Got Away by James Snyder Most people don't realize ministers are obligated to prepare and preach one ... [886 words]
The Four Of Clubs by Kevin Myrick Second part to the Four of Diamonds. It has been called "a bible." [2,726 words]
The Debunking The Dreaded Shopping Spree by Steven R. Kravsow The English language has approximately 500,000 words, and these words,... [1,715 words]
Nurses, Bedpans And X-Rated Hospital Gowns by James Snyder Tuesday last I awoke from my nightly slumber with terrific pain in m... [923 words]
Love (An Essay On The Matter) by Desi Williams Maybe love really does exist for those who aren't as fortunate to have good looks... [368 words]
In My House, If It's Broken I Bought It by James Snyder Often a store has a sign with the warning, "You break it, you bought it... [907 words]
Be Happy, Join The Wednesday Worry Club by James Snyder Of all the people who know me, no one would say I am afflicted with wor... [918 words]
The Ninth Avenue El by Gregory J Christiano Rapid Transit had been a top priority for the city fathers in mid 19th Cenbtury Manhattan.... [3,038 words]
The Last Full Measure by Gregory J Christiano Abraham Lincoln on his way to address the crowd at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemet... [1,441 words]
The Four Of Diamonds by Kevin Myrick A bit of a rant about my generation's debt, prescription drugs, healthcare, and George W. ... [1,963 words]
The Five Points by Gregory J Christiano The old rookeries and dilapidated shanties that formerly abounded in the vicinity of the Five P... [897 words]
The First Joker In The Deck by Kevin Myrick This is an essay about my personal philosophy, or lack thereof. [1,098 words]
Six Of Hearts by Kevin Myrick First Post in my 52 series of essays on how I dislike social websites like thefacebook.com, and m... [654 words]
Save The Planet – More Fiction Than Fact by Richard Koss An essay. [1,537 words]
Review Of The Idea Of The Dictionary by G David Schwartz An essay. [1,770 words]
Moral Values - Who Needs Them? by Richard Koss An essay. [771 words]
Humanity Needs Islam by Wael El-Manzalawy The human nature means the soul and the body. There can never be a balance and harmony bet... [236 words]
How To Read This Diatribe by Kevin Myrick The very beginning letter from myself to you about a new series of essays, stories, a... [317 words]
Coined Truth by Sullivan Of The Sea Jesus would approve. [203 words]
High School Rules by Ashley Rodriguez What a cheerleader learned from a goth. [500 words]
Why Do We Write? (A Reflection) by Dri Cook Just about it. Nothing personal. To all of us, Storymaniacs. [984 words]
Biker Buzz by Glendora Rider Bikers come to the beach in Florida. [490 words]
Apples Is Fall by Glendora Rider This is a reflection by a Floridian longing for signs of autumn in a year around heat wave. [569 words]
The Enemy Within: How U.S. Corporations Orchestrate And Profit From The Deaths Of U.S. Soliders by Mike Schiller - [1,258 words]
Naturally And Artificially Flavored by Patrick T Collins Rambling, incoherent - my life. A mini-autobio. of sorts, including my pers... [1,711 words]
Naminalism by Sullivan Of The Sea Is this for you? Because it should be if you care about yourself. And our future. [228 words]
Dark Christmas
College Boys by Skyler Drevan - [558 words]
Worse Than Terrorism by Mike Schiller - [1,184 words]
Who Would Win In A Fight... by A Panos People have always thought to themselves, "If these two people were to fight, who w... [1,559 words]
Vulnerable To Love by Inchara It is an article about women being sensitive and emotional. It's a personal opinion and not ... [595 words]
Twilight Dreams by Ramkumar Menon A Common Dream..... [539 words]
Jag's Random Thoughts by Just A Guy Just some wanderings of the mind. [263 words]
Islam And Internal Peace by Wael El-Manzalawy We are living in an age of conflicts and tensions. Islam is the cure of all these prob... [192 words]
I Wont Tell by Skyler Drevan This is not for the weak at heart type. This is a strong piece that is loosely based on my childhoo... [927 words]
I Wonder What They See In Me by Skyler Drevan When I walk down the street and people stare; what are they thinking? [629 words]
A Bit Of A Rude Awakening by Just A Guy Not sure exactly what this though I called it a poem. oh well. [255 words]
Writing And Those Cute White Shoes: Confessions From A Renaissance Teenager by Victoria Lmuth An essay asking myself if I am an o... [925 words]
Struggling To Face Reality by Skyler Drevan My thoughts on Bill Cosby and his recent comments. [1,577 words]
Governmental Fiasco by Skyler Drevan This government is going to hell if we do not get rid of BUSH!!!!! Say what you will about ... [781 words]
Feeding Love With Hate by Skyler Drevan An article on three men dealing with their sexuality. [2,339 words]
Aretha Franklin: An Appreciation by Brotherman My tribute to Aretha Franklin. [3,002 words]
A New Interview With Steve Alten by Owen Hollifield A new interview with new york times best selling author steve alten. [908 words]
Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10 11
| |
TITLE (EDIT)
Dark Christmas |
DESCRIPTION
Did you ever get the feeling that there could be a dark side to Christmas?
[1,040 words] |
TITLE KEYWORD
Fable |
AUTHOR
Chris Hofmann |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
-
[September 2004] |
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
chris73074@hotmail.com |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (2)
Love Was Around (Songs) Ballad. [154 words]
Scary Tales (Screenplays) A four-part anthology of Horror Stories. [17,868 words] [Horror]
|
Dark Christmas
Chris Hofmann
Did you ever get the feeling that there could be a dark side to Christmas? Nothing to do with Jesus Christ, of course. Something to do with Santa Claus, perhaps. Who was he really? What do we really know about him? Is there something dark hiding behind this character? There is no fact on this, only mere legends. For one thing the technology so many years ago was not advanced at all. For example, paper printing was not even invented until 1450. So storing accurate information was no easy task, in some ways impossible. No printing, no electricity, no computers, no data storage, no record. Therefore, well have to rely on stories that have been passed down from generations.
The legend may have begun over 50,000 years ago. A long line of hairy pagan creatures sometimes referred to as Wild Men are believed to have roamed the earth for thousands of years and Santa Claus may have been the last of them. With the spread of Christianity, the Wild Man's image became associated with Satan. So perhaps, the so-called creature evolved into a more normal role. Some conclude that Santa Claus and a host of various demons that have accompanied him can be traced back to a dark, hairy beast-god of prehistoric times that commanded all elements of nature, including life and death. Consequently, he killed himself and was resurrected the following spring. Ancient civilizations reenacted this with animal and human sacrifices.
Then there is the legend of Saint Nicholas an Arch Bishop of Myra in Asia, now Denre, Turkey from the fourth century. He was rich and had his own secret charity. He was known as a do-gooder and was remembered for performing some amazing feats such as reviving three children who were dismembered. St.Nick would travel to homes and give good children gifts and punish the bad ones. He usually traveled with a spooky companion, who carried whips and chains, known by several names including Black Pete and Grampus. The bad children were beaten by his black-faced partner and then stuffed into a large sack taken away to some unknown hell. St.Nick was very religious and the children had to know their religious scriptures or be damned. Know we can see where the custom of the sack came from. The St.Nick visit was like a judgment day. Apparently, society softened St.Nick from a frightful holiday judge to a festive gift giver. The evil companion Black Pete forgotten. Erased from history sort we say.
Legends of St.Nick spread all over Europe adding to his folklore. The European conception of Santa was mainly an old man, long white beard, robes, who rode a white horse and traveled with frightening companions who whipped bad children. Many countries have created their own variation of St.Nick. In Holland he sails in on a ship arriving December 6th. He carries a book listed with the names of good and bad children. Consequently, Black Pete takes the bad ones away. Similarly, in Germany, Pete just gives them a few hits of the rod. When the legend was passed down by immigrants to the United States he began to be known as Santa Claus, a slang version of the Dutch Sint Nikolass. After Saint Nicholas died his remains were stolen and then returned. Upon returning them, one of the sailors on the ship stole a small bone; a deadly storm arose endangering the ship. The sailor feared it was the powers of the Saint, so he returned the bone to the casket and miraculously the storm disappeared. The image of this saint was transformed into a mystical being, known for rewarding the good and punishing the bad.
The media sometimes adds to the idea of a dark Santa Claus. For example, the 1984 cult classic film SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT portrayed the killer as Santa. A boy named Billy was traumatized by his parents' Christmas Eve rape and murder and then he is abused by orphanage nuns. But when he grows up he goes on a rampage to punish the naughty dressed as jolly old St.Nick. The controversial film was a big success with teens, but parents picketed forcing Tri-Star to pull the film from theaters. The film spawned four sequels and several copy cats, such as PSYCO SANTA and SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT. Moreover, New Line Studios 2000 film LITTLE NICKY with Adam Sandler is about the son of Satan. Not much to do with St.Nick, however, the name "Nick" is considered an alias for Satan.
Lets take a look at a few bullet points. The term "HO HO HO" originated from the Devil's bluster of medieval plays. Santa's suit color is demon red. Santa is Satan spelled inside out. Some of Webster's Dictionary definitions of ELF are evil spirit and devil. Old Nick is a well known British name of the Devil. "Claus" is olde English for "hoof-claws". Now, consider these little facts about Santa Claus; He is a dirty old man who likes young children, he sneaks into stranger's houses late at night when their sleeping, he eats their food, he whips animals, he is unemployed (except one day a year), and enslaves little people to intense sweat shop labor. Sound perverse to you?
So, who really is this man we call Santa Claus? There are so many varied explanations of how St.Nicholas evolved into the figure we know. Consequently, Santa's roots lie in folklore, various customs and beliefs from many sources. The hidden stories and mystique are there, but we will never really explore them too deeply because society has written a new Santa to blind us. In 1823, a man named Irving wrote a poem called "Twas The Night Before Christmas", beginning the modern day acceptable vision of Santa Claus, in red suit with white fur riding a sleigh with reindeer. Many years later, Macy's, Coca Cola, Film, TV, Children's books and others all conglomerated the new Santa icon that we all know today. Like Christmas, the Halloween holiday also has some darkness in its past; On October 31st spirits of the dead were believed to roam freely, known as the Celtic day of the dead. Leave it up to society to mask something evil and turn it into merchandising mechanism.
|
READER'S REVIEWS (2)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.
"This was a very interesting and a turnpager essay. I also like to write essays but i can never think of that can i write this type of essay.Best of luck.Love KULSOOM" -- kulsoom, karachi, sindh, pakistan.
"Normally I wouldn't give this high score. But What I like this you are given your reader another point of view. I am sure diffrent people celebrated the hollie days diffrently and now you are showing another point of view than our own so there for I rate ten." -- Jeanette H, Spring Hill , Fl , Hernado.
TO DELETE UNWANTED REVIEWS CLICK HERE! (SELECT "MANAGE TITLE REVIEWS" ACTION) |
|
Submit Your Review for Dark Christmas
Required fields are marked with (*).
Your e-mail address will not be displayed.
|
|
Submit Your Rating for Dark Christmas
|
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2004 Chris Hofmann |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
September 2004 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2334
|
|
