Secrets Of The Christmas Elf Tradition
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is a very popular & old Christmas song written in 1951 by Meredith Willson and later sung by several artists. It goes like this-
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go;
Take a look at the five and ten
It’s glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in every store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door…………..
The holiday season is close and indeed it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! As December unfolds, its blissful and magical everywhere one goes. This time of the year also marks the arrival of the legendary Santa Claus and his sweet little helpers- elves.
Santa Claus is the traditional patron of Christmas in western cultures, bringing gifts to children. His popular image is based on traditions associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint.
Santa Claus is said to live at the North Pole with his wife, where he spends the year making toys with the help of his elves. There he receives letters from children asking for Christmas gifts. On Christmas Eve he loads his sleigh with toys and flies around the world in a sleigh stopping at each child’s house and leaving the gifts with the help of elves.
But do you know where these joyful elves come from? What is the tale behind their origin?
Elves, fairies, and goblins are all closely related in folklore, though elves specifically seem to have come from early Norse mythology (Scandinavian mythological framework that was upheld during and around the time of the Viking Age) By the 1500s, people began incorporating elf folklore into stories and legends about fairies and by 1800, fairies and elves were considered to be simply different names for the same magical creatures.
Already associated with story telling and magic, elves began to be associated with Christmas in the mid 1800s, when they became Santa’s helpers. Christmas celebrations were gathering popularity and Scandinavian writers put down the elves’ role as we know it today: good hearted fairy like helpers of Santa Claus who could sometimes be naughty.
Christmas elves are today typically described as diminutive green and red-clad creatures with pointy ears and pointy hats. They help Santa bring Christmas to life.
Though elves have now been confined to plays, books, and fairy tales. The belief is still strong in some places. In Iceland, for example, about half of the residents believe in elf-like beings known as the “huldufolk” (hidden people), or at least don’t rule out their existence.
The supernatural beliefs are so strong in Iceland that many road construction projects have been delayed or rerouted to avoid disturbing the elves’ homes. Icelandic laws were written in 2012 stating that all places reputed for magic or are connected to folktales, customs or national beliefs should be protected for their cultural heritage.
Like biological species, folklore continues to evolve and ensure that elves remain immortal and an integral part of our lives.
