Charles Minnigerode was a European political refugee who moved to Williamsburg, Virginia in 1842. When he arrived he got the job of being a professor at the College of William and Mary. He then became close to Judge Nathaniel Beverley Tucker, who was a professor of law, and lived with him and his family in the St. George Tucker House. At Christmastime, Minnigerode entertained the Tucker children by sharing the European custom of the Christmas tree. They cut down an evergreen tree, brought it inside, and placed it up on the parlor table to decorate. Instead of buying readymade ornaments like we do know, he helped the children create their own. In addition to these ornaments he and the children made popcorn strings. This was the first ever Christmas tree to be brought into a parlor and decorated in America. The next December, most Williamsburg families had Christmas trees in their parlors.
Charles Minnigerode was born as Karl Minnigerode in 1814 in Germany. Minnigerode first arrived in Pennsylvania in December 1839 after all the war and political struggles in Europe. Here, he changed his name to Charles in an attempt to separate himself from the German community. He then found his career at the college as an ancient language professor in the newspaper and moved to Virginia. He then met and married his wife, Mary Carter in May 1843. As his life went on he changed religions, and entered priesthood in 1847.

Source:

"Christmas Trees, the Confederacy, and Colonial Williamsburg : The official site of Colonial Williamsburg." Colonial Williamsburg Official Site. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. .

Biography of Thomas Nast

Thomas Nast was born on September 26, 1840 in Landau, Germany in the army barracks. His father, also Thomas Nast, was a trombonist in a regimental band. He however did not like his family living in Germany among the uncomfortable political climate and military. He then sent his wife and two children to New York City in 1846 and followed them three years later. Thomas Nast Junior had then studied art all his life and had many careers in art. He studied art with Theodore Kaufmann in 1854 and worked at the Jefferson Bryant Gallery. He then, at age fifteen, was hired as a reportorial artist for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. Then he went on to work for the New York Illustrated News and covered a report on Giuseppe Garibaldi. Upon returning to the United States, he married Sarah Edwards and the two of them had five children together. By 1862, Thomas Nast had gotten a position at Harper’s Weekly.
Thomas Nast was a skilled artist. The reason he is related to “Holidays and Celebrations on the Nineteenth Century” is because he is one of the first people to give a definite picture of Santa Claus. He first drew Santa Claus in the Christmas season of 1862. He drew Santa in the way that we see him now; big, jolly, white beard, etc. The first picture drawn was Santa Claus in a sleigh with bags of gifts surrounded by men and children. The image was called, “Santa Claus in Camp” because he was right in the middle of a military scene during the Civil War. This picture was drawn to memorialize the family sacrifices of the Union during the darkest days of the Civil War.

Source:

"Thomas Nast." News Update The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Web. 07 Jan. 2010. .

Possible Future Blogs

• Histories of different holidays for example:
• New Year's Day/Eve
• Memorial Day
• Veteran's Day
• July 4th
• Saint Patrick's Day
• Valentine's Day
• Easter
• Labor Day
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Hanukkah
• Kwanzaa
• CHRISTMAS
• How the holidays mentioned above were celebrated similarily or differently
• Myths about different holidays for example Thanksgiving
• The evolution of Santa Claus
• Saint Nicholas
• Modern vs. early Christmas celebrations

Valentine's Day

The history of Valentine’s Day is very clouded and murky. No one really knows for certain who the figure of Saint Valentine really was. However, there are many legends surrounding this man who became one of the most popular Saints. One legend is that he was a Roman priest who continued to marry young lovers who were in love even though the Emperor banned it. He was then thrown into jail and killed probably around 270 AD. While in jail, apparently he met the love of his life. This woman may or may not have been his jailor’s daughter. He wrote her a message on a small card, which he allegedly signed “From your Valentine”. This phrase is still used today on most Valentine’s Day cards. Some people think that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate his death, while others think it was to Christianize the Roman holiday season of Lupercalica. Later on in the 17th century is when Britain started to popularize Valentine’s Day. At first people of all classes would exchange small tokens of love or hand written notes. By the end of the century, ready-made printed cards were developed and essentially took the place of the handwritten notes. Americans also started to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the 17th or 18th century.


Source:
"The History of Valentine's Day." The History Channel - Home Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. .

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days and nights. Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew and the holiday is celebrated on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, which is around November or December. In 165 B.C.E. the Jewish victory over the Hellenist Syrians caused the rededication to the holy Temple in Jerusalem. This is the event that Hanukkah is in remembrance of. Then shortly after the Greek King of Syria ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods and forbade any Jewish rituals. Then in 168 B.C.E. the Greeks seized the holy Temple and devoted it to the worship of Zeus. Most Jews were angry with the Greek soldiers and decided to fight back, however there were some who obeyed out of fear. There was a lot of bloodshed and murder. One Greek officer murdered a man and his five children, which caused the villagers to attacked and kill the soldiers. The Jews tried to attack the Greeks as much as they could. When some of the Jewish people returned the to the holy Temple they found that many things were broken. Once they fixed and cleaned the Temple, they decided to have a dedication ceremony. The people wanted to light the golden menorah for this celebration, however, they could not find any oil. They then stumbled across a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. Today Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah every night; remembering the eight-day miracle.

Source:

"Hanukkah Story - History.com - Origins of the Jewish Holiday." The History Channel - Home Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. .

Saint Nicholas/Sinter Klaas/Santa Claus

The Legend of Santa Claus first begins hundreds of years ago with a monk named Saint Nicholas. It is said that Nicholas was born around 280 AD in Patara, near Myra in modern day Turkey. There are many stories and legends surrounding Saint Nicholas. The most popular legend is that he gave away all his belongings and wealth and traveled near and far to help the sick and poor. Another popular story is that he saved three sisters who were being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father. It is said that he gave them a dowry so that they could each be married. Over time he became known as the protector of children and sailors. Each year on the anniversary of his death on December 6 a great feast was held in honor of him. By the Renaissance he was the most well known saint. Saint Nicholas entered the American popular culture in the late 18th century. Santa Claus was developed through the name Sinter Klaas. Sinter Klaas was the shortened form of Sint Nikolaas, which was the Dutch spelling for Saint Nicholas. The American version of Santa Claus was first used when a business man, John Pintard, gave out woodcarvings of a fat Santa, giving out toys, with stockings hung by the chimney with care.


Source:
"Sinter Claus in America - History.com - Christmas in New York." The History Channel - Home Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. .

Easter

Easter is the annual festival honoring the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it is also the key feast of the Christian year. It is celebrated on a Sunday every year but the actual date is not constant. It is somewhere between March 22 and April 25 and is called a movable feast. Other Christian days and events associated with Easter are Lent, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Palm Sunday, and Good Friday. Lent is the 40-day event in which a Christian must give up something dear to them, in a way imitating what Christ had done for them. This event begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Holy Week is the week before Easter and includes the days of Palm Sunday and Good Friday. It also ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. This time represents the crucifixion of Christ. This holiday is a Christian’s most important holiday and lasts a season’s time. The meaning and reason of the use of the word Easter is unknown today.

Source:

"The History of Easter - History.com." The History Channel - Home Page. Web. 02 Jan. 2010. .

Labor Day

Labor Day has been observed on the first Monday in September for more than 100 years. Labor Day is associated with the strife and achievements of American workers during the labor movement. The first Labor Day was observed on September 5, 1882. On this day 10,000 American workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first Labor Day parade. The marchers took an unpaid day-off in the honor of the workers of America. They also vocalized the issues they had with their employers. As more years passed, more states began to hold these parades. However, Congress did not legalize the holiday until 12 years later. The working conditions at this point in time were dreadful. Americans worked as much as 12 hours per day, all to obtain a normal lifestyle. Children were also cheaply employed. Then on May 11, 1894, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago started to undergo wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. This then led to, on June 26, the American Railroad Union declaring a boycott of all Pullman railway cars. During this time, 50,000 rail workers agreed to participate and all railroad traffic out of Chicago stopped. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland then sent troops to Chicago. There was a lot of fighting, blood, and rioting which was soon ended due to the government’s actions and the boycott collapsed. The strike brought forth the workers wants and needs and the day became known as Labor Day. Today, there is also still doubt to who the founder of Labor Day actually is, either Peter McGuire or Matthew Maguire.

Source:

"Labor Day History - History.com Holidays." The History Channel - Home Page. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. .