Monica Dickens (1915-1992), reading to her children from 'A Christmas Carol', by her grandfather Charles Dickens
“It is the most wonderful time of the year. There will be parties to host, marshmallows to toast and Christmas carols in the snow. There will be terrifying ghost stories and tales of Christmas glories from long, long ago." impossible not to think about Christmas story listening to that verse of It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, the famous song of AndyWilliams.
Since its publication in the year 1843 , the classic work of Charles Dickens has not only been translated into different languages, but has also reached both iconic theater sets like the big screen.
Dickens established this tradition
And it is not for less, because the moral of this short novel makes more and more sense. Currently, Christmas goes hand in hand with excessive consumption that makes us forget its purest side, that exaltation of generosity and kindness that makes us empathize more than ever with others.
Christmas story make a wonderful critique of selfishness and greed through an argument that, for the little ones at home, can be a bit unsettling . For those who have committed the sin of not reading this fascinating novel (you know what gift to ask for this Christmas...), here is a summary:
Ebenezer Scrooge he is an old man stingy and unfriendly that he acts as lender in the City of London.
On December 25, the spirit of his old partner, Jacob Marley , appears to remind him that due to his wickedness he will be condemned for all eternity and that on that same night three ghosts of christmas They will show up at his house to give him one last chance to fix it.
English actor Michael Hordern (1911 - 1995) as Marley's ghost in the film 'Scrooge'
The specters immerse the protagonist in a journey through the past, present and future that, after a harsh dose of reality, will change his destiny. Combining thought-provoking themes - such as death or poverty - mixed with a touch of fantasy is what differentiates this story from other Christmas stories.
But it is not the only plot that gives a dark twist to Christmas: in the volume of The Seven Poor Travelers, written by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins and published in 1854, Christmas Eve is described as "the time of witches to tell stories".
Although ghosts have always been associated with Halloween, in Victorian times, when Dickens' famous novel was published, the tradition of tell ghost stories during the Christian winter holidays settled in the UK.
In Europe and the United States, The origin of Christmas is related to the pagan celebration of Yule, which lasted 12 days and it started with Winter Solstice. During this festival, nordic peoples They met at a table that was placed in front of the grave of deceased relatives.
“The darkest day of the year was seen by many as a time when the dead would have particularly good access to the living. In all cultures there have been protective and threatening ghosts. explained a few years ago the professor of religious studies Justin Daniels to Omnia, a blog of the University of Pennsylvania.
There is no Christmas without Charles Dickens
"In Southeast Asia , for example, ghosts are considered to have the power to heal or protect the living from illnesses and accidents,” he continues.
The tradition of telling disturbing stories during Christmas, which started in England for centuries - to be more exact, about five - has been a source of controversy.
“There have been protests in the past that the pagan rituals associated with Halloween and Christmas were not Christian and should be abolished. Oliver Cromwell forbade the celebration of Christmas in the 1600s. says Justin Daniels in the interview.
The writer Christopher Marlowe in his work The Maltese Jew , which dates back to 1590, already spoke of this old custom: "Now I remember the words of those old women, that in my wealth They told me winter stories, and talked about spirits and ghosts at night.”
On the other hand, the English humorist Jerome K. Jerome , was in charge of gathering spooky ghost stories , which must be counted after Christmas Eve dinner in front of the fireplace, in his book Told after Supper , published 1891. “All these things happen on Christmas Eve, are counted on Christmas Eve”, Say in the introduction.
With the passage of time, the moral underpinning of Dickens's Christmas writings was lost. leaving only the morbid interest in the supernatural.
Krampus night in Austria
Clear example of this are Another Turn of the Screw (1898), the horror novel by Henry James, which begins with the tale of a macabre ghost story on Christmas Eve; or the legend of Krampus, the creature of the folklore of the alpine countries who, unlike Santa Claus, punishes children who have misbehaved.
Traditionally, On December 5th , in places like Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia or Northern Italy, young people dressed up as this demon from Norse mythology and paraded through the streets. In fact, those gloomy cavalcades are still celebrated today in some European countries.
Has your desire to read dark stories been awakened this Christmas? Well Take note of these titles:
– Horror at Christmas, by Robert Lawrence Stine: an adolescent-style reinterpretation of Dickens's Christmas Carol.
– NOS4A2, by Joe Hill: the third novel by the son of Stephen King will not leave you indifferent. A villain who feeds on the souls of children, leaving what is left of them in Christmasland -a village where every day is Christmas- is the sinister argument.
'Tragic Christmas', Agatha Christie
– The Four Seasons, by Stephen King: one of the four short novels that give life to this novel of the king of terror, which alludes to that moment in which **a group gathers at Christmas to tell terrifying stories. **
– A Tragic Christmas, by Agatha Christie: the Lees gather for Christmas Eve at the family home. The hated patriarch, Simeon Lee is brutally murdered in Poirot's presence. who, of course, solves the crime with his great insight.