To me, reindeer are magical beings, even when I don’t relate them to Christmas, maybe because we don’t have them on the island, reindeer and deer, for me, the thought of eating one, as they do in some countries like the USA, is mind-blowing, but for today, I want to take a look at the history of reindeer when linked to the holidays. I aim to examine the origins and history of how they became Santa’s right hand on the night of Christmas and magic.
They come from Arctic and subarctic Indigenous communities. Located in colder forests in northern Europe, Asia, and North America, where they didn’t carry a sense of magical power, but they were also a means of transport, clothing, and sustenance in these unforgiving terrains. They were a key resource for the Sámi people to the extent that their native language has 30 different words for reindeer.
The relations with the holidays started in the early 19th century when the idea of Santa came into place, then a poem by Clement Clarke Moore, titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” in 1823, put in our minds the image of Santa with a sleigh. About a century later, in 1939, the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released. Johnny Marks wrote it, and the voice behind it was Gene Autry’s. In the coming days, I will write some fun facts about reindeer, but I’m running behind since yesterday I got sick and couldn’t blog.
Alex
Mybookworld24 