Wednesday, December 31, 2025

It is the 31st of December 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Oh, sure… you’ve had your fill of Santa Claus- it’s been 6 days since the big day- but that also means today marks the coming of a “lesser” Claus? That’s right- don’t worry about the chimney, today is the day of “Silversterclaus”!

Today, the 31st of December has long been the day to remember Silvester- a name perhaps ruined by a cat- it was once synonymous with the church and a particular pope- Pope Silvester I, Saint Silvester even… let me tell you about him and then the New Year's traditions associated with him.

We don’t know a lot about Silvester’s early life- he would be the pope, the Bishop of Rome from 314 to 335. Hear those years again- 314 to 335. So he is the Pope at the great turn from pre-Christian pagan Rome to Constantine, the legalization of Christianity, and the great council of Nicea in 325. Being Pope at this momentous time has lead to a number of legends about Silvester- that he was the one who cured Constantine of leprosy, that he baptized Constantine and most importantly that Constantine gave him the famous “donation”- the emperor giving the pope vast territorial and temporal authority (this was discovered to be a medieval forgery, but not before the Bishops of Rome used it to elevate their status).

But how did Silvester, for all his significance, become associated with today, the new year, and a “Silvesterclaus”? Silvester died… or perhaps was buried…. On this, the 31st of December. Fair enough. But “New Year's” in the church had been observed either on the first day of Advent or on the 25th of March. December 31st was a pagan new year- and some celebrated Silvester and had parties in his honor to deflect from the pagan and more bawdy celebrations.

But by the Middle Ages, the competition between sacred and secular at this time of year was being won by the secular carousers. In the canton of Appenzell in Switzerland, it appears the local authorities, concerned about the amount of partying during the season of Advent, pushed to have the festivities pushed beyond that season and the festive date of December 31st, which is also the feast of the famous Pope from the 300s.

Silvesterclaus- initially a St. Nicholas type character- would eventually be replaced by a kind of mummer- a person dressing up and going from house to house to sing something like a yodel, trick, or receive treats. Today, the Silvesterclaus costume is often a kind of tree- either pretty, pretty-ugly, or just ugly. They might be pretty and delicate, or absurd and grotesque. The tradition of dressing up like a tree and yodeling might be very Swiss- but the tradition of celebrating Silvester’s Day as a parallel to the New Year has remained in places that use various other calendars-  for example, in Israel where “the New year” is Rosh Hashanah, the date on the Gregorian calendar is referred to as “St. Silvester’s Day”.  

In another wrinkle- Silvesterclaus and the New Years celebration have been celebrated twice a year in some locales- and this takes us back to the reform of the Gregorian Calendar- done by Pope Gregory in the 1580s- suspicious of a popish plot, many Protestants didn’t initially observe the correction of a few days and so some places celebrated in January, others in December- and the truly enlightened ones perhaps both.  

The holiday has been spread by Swiss immigrants- today it can be merged with other New Year's or Watch Night activities, you can bubble up some fondue, dress up like an ugly tree, yodel or just go about with the knowledge that today is for the other Klaus- Silvesterklaus on the anniversary of the sainted Pope’s death on this day in 335.

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and John 8:

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

13 The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. 18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”

19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”

“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 31st of December 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who is going to try celebrating both a Gregorian and Julian birthday- two calendars, twice the presents! He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man heading off for the annual Swedish smorgasbord- I’ll bring my own pickled herring- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.