From Belschnickel to Santa Claus, Westmoreland historians trace Christmas traditions
It’s hard to see how Belschnickel could have been mistaken for Santa Claus.
But back in the days when Western Pennsylvania was the edge of the frontier and colonists were beginning to talk revolution, there’s a good chance children who never heard of Santa were more familiar with the ornery wilderness wanderer who kept track of those who were naughty and nice.
The legend of Belschnickel, the wilderness imp who carried a switch, but brought candy for good children, is just one of many holiday traditions that volunteers in period costumes shared Saturday during a tour through three centuries of Christmas at Historic Hanna’s Town.
Visitors to the Hempfield historic site that includes a replica of Robert Hanna’s 1773 log tavern, a genuine 1802 log cabin and a classic Victorian farm house, had a chance to mingle with figures from history and learn about the mishmash of ethnic practices that have melded into American Christmas traditions.
And it took quite a bit of melding.
At the Robert Hanna Tavern, where a fire crackled in the open hearth, visitors had a chance to view a sparse pine tree hung with red and green apples and an array of candles. Historical society guide Joanna Moyar said early Christmases here likely were quite sparse as the early Scots Irish settlers were strict Presbyterians who looked down on celebrations.
“Between 1781 and 1821, there is no mention of Christmas in the records of the Redstone Presbytery,” she said.
Eventually, the celebrations of neighboring German settlers worked their way into the community. The legend of Belschnickel, the ne’er-do-well wilderness traveler, likely had its origins among the German settlers as well. Likewise, the Christmas tree was a German tradition that pre-dated Christianity.
Society President Lisa Hayes, who led tours of the Klingensmith House said it wasn’t until the 1840s that Christmas trees gained popularity beyond German homes. And even then, the trees were kept in the house for only a day or two.
As for Santa Claus, well, there was a gradual metamorphosis that included various versions of St. Nicholas, Kris Kindle, or Christ Child to Kris Kringle. And Jolly Old St. Nick, well, that image grew out of Clement C. Moore’s 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”
At the Steel House, the site’s renovated Victorian farmhouse, Lillian Shea explained how Queen Victoria popularized small table top Christmas trees and fruitcake and how Henry Hopkins, an Episcopalian pastor from Pittsburgh who penned the carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” planted the seed that since there were three gifts to the Christ child, there must have been three kings.
And it wasn’t until 1870 that President Ulysses S. Grant made Christmas an official holiday in the U.S. Five years later, mass color printing made Christmas cards an American tradition and by 1887 the U.S. Postal Service was warning Americans to post their cards early.
As for Belschnickel, well, he hasn’t been reported hobnobbing with any mall Santas lately.
Deb Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Deb at derdley@triblive.com.
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