Second Step, Saint Nicholas in Europe: From Triumphal Spread to Fragmentation (12th-16th Century) (part 3)
The remedies were well-known: bonfires and illuminations to ward off the spirits, gifts to appease them or the protective little gnomes charged with guarding homes and farms against the unwelcome solstice intruders. Many characters that the folklore of the holidays would absorb, transform, and associate with the main figure. As these winter celebrations moved north, the contrast between fear and hope for renewal, and thus the particular atmosphere of Christmas, was heightened.
Text Translated in english from Gilles Fumey
Image missywhimsya
Text Translated in english from Gilles Fumey
Image missywhimsya