280 AD 345 or 352 AD 400 AD 540 AD 600 AD 800-900 AD 842 AD 987 AD 1000 AD
1087 AD 1200 AD 1300 AD 1400 AD 1492 AD 1500 AD
1517 AD 1587 AD 1600 AD 1626 AD 1644 AD 1650's AD 1660 AD 1659-1681 AD 1662 AD 1663-65 AD 1686 AD 1690-1700 AD
1731 AD 1773 AD 1776 AD 1809 AD
1810 AD 1816 AD 1820 AD 1821 AD 1823 AD 1824 AD 1825 ish AD 1828 AD 1829 AD 1830-31 AD 1836 AD 1841 AD 1842 AD 1843 AD 1845 AD 1848 AD 1860 AD
1863 AD 1870's AD 1892 AD 1897 AD 1902-03 AD 1920 AD 1924 AD 1931 AD 1934 AD 1935 AD 1938 AD 1939 AD 1941 ish AD 1942 AD 1946 AD 1947 ish AD 1950 AD
1951 AD 1953 AD 1954 AD 1956 AD 1957 AD 1958 AD 1962 AD 1964 AD 1966 AD 1968 AD 1969 AD 1970 AD 1984 AD 1986 AD 1988 AD 1989 AD 1990 AD 1991 AD 1994 AD 1995 AD 1996 AD 1997 AD 1998+ AD 2000 AD

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Timeline
 
“this time line is a document that authorities discovered in B’s journal that is believed researched and compiled by B and is presented to the public as further evidence of her action”.



1517 AD
Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the front door of the Castle Church, signaling the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

Well, those Protestants decided to put sizable distance between themselves and the gift giving Patron Saint Nicholas of the Catholic Church and set about to create their own gift giving characters. In Germany he became Christmas Man ( Weihnachtsmann ) or Kris Kringle from the German term for "the Christ Child" also Belsnickle a term derived from Pelz-nickle meaning "St Nicholas in fur" and that was probably based on an earlier character known as Knecht Ruprecht ( Rupert the Servant ) dressed in "high buskins, a white robe, a mask, and an enormous flax wig".

In the Netherlands he was known as Kerstman and later Sinterklaas and rides a white horse and leaves gifts in wooden shoes. Sinterklaas was mispronounced ( of course ) by those New, New Yorkers to become Santa Claus. The French called him Pere Noel. In Norway he was Pa Norsk and in Sweden it's Jultomten and arrives the day before Christmas pulling a big bag of julklapper (Christmas presents). In Russia he was Ded Moroz and even the commies called him Grandfather Frost who was dressed in blue rather than red. i would have guessed red would have been completely appropriate.

Editors note: Not to ignore, or exclude other parts of the worldly neighborhood, the gift giver is known in Spain as Papa Noel, in Italy as Babbo Natale ( Father Christmas), In Japan he is Santa Clause or sometimes Santa no ojisan ( which means uncle santa ), in Findland he is Joulupukki, in most all of Latin America, Costa Rico, Columbia and Mexico, el Nino Jesus ( the infant Jesus ) who brings the gifts to children and in Morocco he is good old Black Peter.

 

 

 

 

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1587 AD
Christmas as it was practiced for several centuries was temporarily "outlawed" in the American Colonies. Nice move by the fun loving Puritans.

 

 

 

 

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1600's
In most all European counties Saint Nicholas Day, December 6th is a feast day to celebrate "the entry of the saint's soul into heaven". The Saint usually arrives the night before accompanied by an ugly, chain-rattling little devil, "Krampus" who is the one to deal with the naughty children because Saint Nicholas is much to kind to do any punishing.

 

 

 

 

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1626 AD
A ship with a figurehead of Saint Nicholas sails for the new world with Dutch settlers. They land and name the new settlement New Amsterdam know known as New York City and Nicholas became the Patron Saint.

 

 

 

 

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1644 AD
British Puritan Parliament decreed December 25 to be a day of fasting and repentance to renounce the "traditional" Christmas celebration.

 

 

 

 

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1650's AD
Riots in many towns and villages to protest the banning of the traditional Christmas celebration.

 

 

 

 

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1660 AD
British Monarchy reverses Parliaments decree and restores Christmas.

 

 

 

 

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1659 -1681 AD
Massachusetts Bay Colony passes a law making it illegal to celebrate Christmas. Five shillings was the fine for anyone "found observing any such day as Christmas".

 

 

 

 

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1662 AD
" The Day of Doom" A little poem written and published by Michael Wigglesworth, a Massachusetts clergyman, depicting the church approved frightening judgment day, not the "nice" judgment day of St. Nicholas day celebration of December 6. This poem was very popular in its own time up to the early 1800's.

 

 

 

 

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1663-1665 AD
"Hes feest van Saint Nicholaas" by the Dutch painter Jan Steen.
The painting depicts St Nickolas day as a kind of judgment day with
both gifts and punishments which was associated with the day
in most of north central Europe and apparently St Nicholas was the judge.
This links to the idea of "you'd better watch out...Santa Claus is coming to town"... "he knows if you've been bad or good" " so be good, etc".
The good got a cookie, the bad got hit with a stick.

 

 

 

 

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1668 AD
The Christmas demon Knecht Rupprecht first appeared in a play in 1668 and was condemned by the Roman Catholic as being a devil in 1680. . . To the Pennsylvania Dutch, he is known as Belsnickel. Other names for the same character are Pelznickle, "Furry Nicholas," and Ru-Klas, "Rough Nicholas." From these names, it is easy to see that he is looked upon as not merely a companion to St. Nicholas, but almost another version of him. (Del Re, Gerard and Patricia. The Christmas Almanack. New York: Random House, 2004, pp. 93,94)

 

 

 

 

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1686 AD
A British book "The Tryal of Father Christmas" was published mocking the Puritans who suppressed Christmas. An early Murdock publication, no doubt.

 

 

 

 

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1690 - 1700 AD
Due to the fun of Christmas's past it began to show signs of a come back in the American Colonies. It was hard to keep a good cross dresser out of the village square.

 

This time line document in no way reflects or represents any policy or position of any individual or organization in any way connected to the project.