Friday 23 December 2011

The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/Santa Claus

The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/Santa Claus

St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true!

 The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to get presents in first started! It goes like this...

There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.

Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors! One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey. The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the giant waves. They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them. Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them. He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port.

St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352 AD. In 1807, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year.

How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus

 In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas became very unpopular.

But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the U.K., he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories; in France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early U.S.A. his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets.

St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories.

In 1823 the famous poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' or 'T'was the Night before Christmas', was published. Dr Clement Clarke Moore later claimed that he had written it for his children. However, some scholars now believe that it was actually written by Henry Livingston, Jr., who was a distant relative of Dr Moore's wife. The poem describes eight reindeer and gives them their names. They became really well known in the song 'Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer', written in 1949. Do you know all eight names? Click on Rudolph's nose to find out!

Did you know that Rudolph might actually be a girl!? Only female reindeer keep their antlers throughout winter. By Christmas time most males have discarded their antlers and are saving their energy ready to grow a new pair in the spring.

The UK Father Christmas and the American Santa Claus became more and more alike over the years and are now one and the same.

Some people say that Santa lives at the North Pole. In Finland, they say that he lives in the north part of their country called Lapland.

But everyone agrees that he travels through the sky on a sledge that is pulled by reindeer, that he comes into houses down the chimney at night and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds, in front of the family Christmas tree, or by the fire place.

 Most children receive their presents on Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning, but in some countries they get their presents on St. Nicholas Day, December 6th.

St. Nicholas putting the bag of gold into a stocking is probably where the custom of having a tangerine or satsuma at the bottom of your Christmas stocking came from. If people couldn't afford gold, some golden fruit was a good replacement - and until the last 50 years these were quite unusual fruits and so still special!

The biggest Christmas stocking was 51m 35cm (168ft 5.65in) long and 21m 63cm (70ft 11.57in) wide (from the heel to the toe). It was made the volunteer emergency services organisation Pubblica Assistenza Carrara e Sezioni (Italy) in Carrara, Tuscany, Italy, on 5 January 2011. Just think how many presents you could fit in that!

January 1863

There's a Christmas Urban Legend that says that Santa's red suit was designed by Coca-Cola and that they might even 'own' Santa!

This is definitely NOT TRUE!

Long before coke had been invented, St Nicholas had worn his Bishop's red robes. During Victorian times, he wore a range of colours (red, green, blue and brown fur) but red was always his favourite!

In January 1863 the magazine Harper's Weekly published the first illustration of St Nicholas/St Nick by Thomas Nast. In this he was wearing a 'Stars and Stripes' outfit! Over the next 20 years Thomas Nast continued to draw Santa every Christmas and his works were very popular indeed (he must have been very good friends with Santa to get such good access!).

This is when Santa really started to develop his big tummy and the style of red and white outfit he wears today. Nast designed Santa's look on some historical information about Santa and the poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'.

 St. Nicholas in Harper's Weekly:

January 1881

On January 1st 1881, Harper's Weekly published Nast's most famous image of Santa, complete with a big red belly, an arm full of toys and smoking a pipe!

This image of Santa became very popular with more artists drawing Santa in his red and white costume from 1900 to 1930.

By 1931, when Coke first used Santa in their advertising, his image was well established. The first 'Coke Santa' was drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom. He took the idea of Nast's Santa but made him even more larger than life and jolly, replaced the pipe with a bottle of Coke and created the famous Coke holding Santa!

Coca-Cola also agree that the red suit was made popular by Thomas Nast not them!


The Man Behind the Story of Father Christmas/Santa Claus

St. Nicholas was a Bishop who lived in the fourth century AD in a place called Myra in Asia Minor (now called Turkey). He was a very rich man because his parents died when he was young and left him a lot of money. He was also a very kind man and had a reputation for helping the poor and giving secret gifts to people who needed it. There are several legends about St. Nicholas, although we don't know if any of them are true!

 The most famous story about St. Nicholas tells how the custom of hanging up stockings to get presents in first started! It goes like this...

There was a poor man who had three daughters. He was so poor, he did not have enough money for a dowry, so his daughters couldn't get married. (A dowry is a sum of money paid to the bridegroom by the brides parents on the wedding day. This still happens in some countries, even today.) One night, Nicholas secretly dropped a bag of gold down the chimney and into the house (This meant that the oldest daughter was then able to be married.). The bag fell into a stocking that had been hung by the fire to dry! This was repeated later with the second daughter. Finally, determined to discover the person who had given him the money, the father secretly hid by the fire every evening until he caught Nicholas dropping in a bag of gold. Nicholas begged the man to not tell anyone what he had done, because he did not want to bring attention to himself. But soon the news got out and when anyone received a secret gift, it was thought that maybe it was from Nicholas.

Because of his kindness Nicholas was made a Saint. St. Nicholas is not only the saint of children but also of sailors! One story tells of him helping some sailors that were caught in a dreadful storm off the coast of Turkey. The storm was raging around them and all the men were terrified that their ship would sink beneath the giant waves. They prayed to St. Nicholas to help them. Suddenly, he was standing on the deck before them. He ordered the sea to be calm, the storm died away, and they were able to sail their ship safely to port.

St. Nicholas was exiled from Myra and later put in prison during the persecution by the Emperor Diocletian. No one is really knows when he died, but it was on 6th December in either 345 or 352 AD. In 1807, his bones were stolen from Turkey by some Italian merchant sailors. The bones are now kept in the Church named after him in the Italian port of Bari. On St. Nicholas feast day (6th December), the sailors of Bari still carry his statue from the Cathedral out to sea, so that he can bless the waters and so give them safe voyages throughout the year.

How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus

 In the 16th Century in Europe, the stories and traditions about St. Nicholas became very unpopular.

But someone had to deliver presents to children at Christmas, so in the U.K., he became 'Father Christmas', a character from old children's stories; in France, he was then known as 'Père Nöel'; in Germany, the 'Christ Kind'. In the early U.S.A. his name was 'Kris Kringle'. Later, Dutch settlers in the USA took the old stories of St. Nicholas with them and Kris Kringle became 'Sinterklaas' or as we now say 'Santa Claus'!

Many countries, especially ones in Europe, celebrate St. Nicholas Day on 6th December. In Holland and some other European Countries, children leave clogs or shoes out to be filled with presents. They also believe that if they leave some hay and carrots in their shoes for Sinterklaas's horse, they will be left some sweets.

St. Nicholas became popular again in the Victorian era when writers, poets and artists rediscovered the old stories.

In 1823 the famous poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' or 'T'was the Night before Christmas', was published. Dr Clement Clarke Moore later claimed that he had written it for his children. However, some scholars now believe that it was actually written by Henry Livingston, Jr., who was a distant relative of Dr Moore's wife. The poem describes eight reindeer and gives them their names. They became really well known in the song 'Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer', written in 1949. Do you know all eight names? Click on Rudolph's nose to find out!

Did you know that Rudolph might actually be a girl!? Only female reindeer keep their antlers throughout winter. By Christmas time most males have discarded their antlers and are saving their energy ready to grow a new pair in the spring.

The UK Father Christmas and the American Santa Claus became more and more alike over the years and are now one and the same.

Some people say that Santa lives at the North Pole. In Finland, they say that he lives in the north part of their country called Lapland.

But everyone agrees that he travels through the sky on a sledge that is pulled by reindeer, that he comes into houses down the chimney at night and places presents for the children in socks or bags by their beds, in front of the family Christmas tree, or by the fire place.

 Most children receive their presents on Christmas Eve night or early Christmas morning, but in some countries they get their presents on St. Nicholas Day, December 6th.

St. Nicholas putting the bag of gold into a stocking is probably where the custom of having a tangerine or satsuma at the bottom of your Christmas stocking came from. If people couldn't afford gold, some golden fruit was a good replacement - and until the last 50 years these were quite unusual fruits and so still special!

The biggest Christmas stocking was 51m 35cm (168ft 5.65in) long and 21m 63cm (70ft 11.57in) wide (from the heel to the toe). It was made the volunteer emergency services organisation Pubblica Assistenza Carrara e Sezioni (Italy) in Carrara, Tuscany, Italy, on 5 January 2011. Just think how many presents you could fit in that!

January 1863

There's a Christmas Urban Legend that says that Santa's red suit was designed by Coca-Cola and that they might even 'own' Santa!

This is definitely NOT TRUE!

Long before coke had been invented, St Nicholas had worn his Bishop's red robes. During Victorian times, he wore a range of colours (red, green, blue and brown fur) but red was always his favourite!

In January 1863 the magazine Harper's Weekly published the first illustration of St Nicholas/St Nick by Thomas Nast. In this he was wearing a 'Stars and Stripes' outfit! Over the next 20 years Thomas Nast continued to draw Santa every Christmas and his works were very popular indeed (he must have been very good friends with Santa to get such good access!).

This is when Santa really started to develop his big tummy and the style of red and white outfit he wears today. Nast designed Santa's look on some historical information about Santa and the poem 'A Visit from St. Nicholas'.

 St. Nicholas in Harper's Weekly:

January 1881

On January 1st 1881, Harper's Weekly published Nast's most famous image of Santa, complete with a big red belly, an arm full of toys and smoking a pipe!

This image of Santa became very popular with more artists drawing Santa in his red and white costume from 1900 to 1930.

By 1931, when Coke first used Santa in their advertising, his image was well established. The first 'Coke Santa' was drawn by artist Haddon Sundblom. He took the idea of Nast's Santa but made him even more larger than life and jolly, replaced the pipe with a bottle of Coke and created the famous Coke holding Santa!

Coca-Cola also agree that the red suit was made popular by Thomas Nast not them!


Why is Christmas Day on the 25th December?





   No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and 7BC (there isn't a 0AD - the years go from 1BC to 1AD!).



The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD in the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.

There are many different theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus. (This is called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was also the day some some early Christians thought the world had been made and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult.

December 25th might have also been chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December around this date - so it was a time when people already celebrated things.

The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It happens on December 21st or 22nd. To pagans this meant that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter. In Scandinavia and some other parts of northern Europe the Winter Solstice is known as Yule and is where we get Yule Logs from. In Eastern europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda.

The Roman Festival of Saturnalia took place between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was held on December 25th (when the Romans thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!

Early Christians might have given this festival a new meaning - to celebrate the birth of the Son of God 'the unconquered Son'! (In the Bible a prophesy about the Jewish savior, who Christians believe is Jesus, is called 'Sun of Righteousness'.)

The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish people were able to re-dedicated and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following many years of not being allowed to practice their religion.

Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of Christmas!

Christmas had also been celebrated by the early Church on January 6th, when they also celebrated the Epiphany (which means the revelation that Jesus was God's son) and the Baptism of Jesus. Now the Epiphany mainly celebrates the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, but back then it celebrated everything! Jesus's Baptism was originally seen as more important than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry. But soon people wanted a separate day to celebrate his birth.

Most of the world uses the 'Gregorian Calendar' implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was used (named after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more accurate that the Roman calendar which had too many days in a year! When the switch was made 10 days were lost, so that the day that followed the 4th October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK THe change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after 2nd September 1752 was 14th September 1752.

Many Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use the Julian Calendar and so celebrate Christmas on the 7th January. And the Armenian Church celebrates it on the 6th January! In some part of the UK, January 6th is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some people didn't want to use the new calendar as they thought it 'cheated' them out of 11 days!

Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!

St Augustine was the person who really started Christmas in the U.K. by introducing Christianity in the 6th century. He came from countries that used the Roman Calendar, so western countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over the world!

The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

Xmas vs Christmas

Christmas is also sometimes called Xmas. Some people don't think it's correct to call Christmas 'Xmas' as that takes the 'Christ' (Jesus) out of Christmas. But that is not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced 'kye' - it rhymes with 'eye') which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos.

The early church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet 'chi' and 'rho' to create a monogram (symbol) to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top:

The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians (you might see a fish sticker on a car or someone wearing a little fish badge). This comes from the time when the first Christians had to meet in secret, as the Romans wanted to kill them (before Emperor Constantine became a Christian). Jesus had said that he wanted to make his followers 'Fishers of Men', so people started to use that symbol.

When two Christians met, one person drew half a basic fish shape (often using their foot in the dust on the ground) and the other person drew the other half of the fish. The Greek word for fish is 'Ikthus' or 'Ichthys'. There are five Greek letters in the word. It can also make up a sentence of Christian beliefs 'Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r' which in English means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". The second letter of these five letter is X or Christos!

So Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced 'Christmas' rather than 'ex-mas'!

So when was Jesus Born?

There's a strong and practical reason why Jesus might not have been born in the winter, but in the spring or the autumn! It can get very cold in the winter and it's unlikely that the shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills (as those hills can get quite a lot of snow sometimes!).

During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had escaped from slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus was born. Lots of lambs would have been needed during the Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, so it would have been a good time for the Romans to take a census. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six miles from Jerusalem).

In the autumn (in September or October) there's the Jewish festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the festival that's mentioned the most times in the Bible! It was when the Jewish people remember that they depended on God for all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert. It also celebrated the end of the harvest. During the festival people lived outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut'). Many people who have studied the Bible, think that Sukkot would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with the description of there being 'no room in the inn'. It also would have been a good time to take the Roman Census as many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival and they would have brought their own tents/shelters with them!

The possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem seems to point either spring or autumn.

So whenever you celebrate Christmas, remember that you're celebrating a real event that happened about 2000 years ago, that God sent his Son into the world as a Christmas present for everyone!

As well as Christmas and the solstice, there are some other festivals that are held in late December. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews; and the festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated by some Africans and African Americans takes place from December 26th to January 1st.


Why is Christmas Day on the 25th December?





   No one knows the real birthday of Jesus! No date is given in the Bible, so why do we celebrate it on the 25th December? The early Christians certainly had many arguments as to when it should be celebrated! Also, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 1AD but slightly earlier, somewhere between 2BC and 7BC (there isn't a 0AD - the years go from 1BC to 1AD!).



The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD in the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (he was the first Christian Roman Emperor). A few years later Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.

There are many different theories as to why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. A very early Christian tradition said that the day when Mary was told that she would have a very special baby, Jesus. (This is called the Annunciation) was on March 25th - and it's still celebrated today on the 25th March. Nine months after the 25th March is the 25th December! March 25th was also the day some some early Christians thought the world had been made and also the day that Jesus died on when he was an adult.

December 25th might have also been chosen because the Winter Solstice and the ancient pagan Roman midwinter festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place in December around this date - so it was a time when people already celebrated things.

The Winter Solstice is the day where there is the shortest time between the sun rising and the sun setting. It happens on December 21st or 22nd. To pagans this meant that the winter was over and spring was coming and they had a festival to celebrate it and worshipped the sun for winning over the darkness of winter. In Scandinavia and some other parts of northern Europe the Winter Solstice is known as Yule and is where we get Yule Logs from. In Eastern europe the mid-winter festival is called Koleda.

The Roman Festival of Saturnalia took place between December 17th and 23rd and honoured the Roman god Saturn. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was held on December 25th (when the Romans thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!

Early Christians might have given this festival a new meaning - to celebrate the birth of the Son of God 'the unconquered Son'! (In the Bible a prophesy about the Jewish savior, who Christians believe is Jesus, is called 'Sun of Righteousness'.)

The Jewish festival of Lights, Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev (the month in the Jewish calendar that occurs at about the same time as December). Hanukkah celebrates when the Jewish people were able to re-dedicated and worship in their Temple, in Jerusalem, again following many years of not being allowed to practice their religion.

Jesus was a Jew, so this could be another reason that helped the early Church choose December the 25th for the date of Christmas!

Christmas had also been celebrated by the early Church on January 6th, when they also celebrated the Epiphany (which means the revelation that Jesus was God's son) and the Baptism of Jesus. Now the Epiphany mainly celebrates the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, but back then it celebrated everything! Jesus's Baptism was originally seen as more important than his birth, as this was when he started his ministry. But soon people wanted a separate day to celebrate his birth.

Most of the world uses the 'Gregorian Calendar' implemented by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Before that the 'Roman' or Julian Calendar was used (named after Julius Caesar). The Gregorian calendar is more accurate that the Roman calendar which had too many days in a year! When the switch was made 10 days were lost, so that the day that followed the 4th October 1582 was 15th October 1582. In the UK THe change of calendars was made in 1752. The day after 2nd September 1752 was 14th September 1752.

Many Orthodox and Coptic Churches still use the Julian Calendar and so celebrate Christmas on the 7th January. And the Armenian Church celebrates it on the 6th January! In some part of the UK, January 6th is still called 'Old Christmas' as this would have been the day that Christmas would have celebrated on, if the calendar hadn't been changed. Some people didn't want to use the new calendar as they thought it 'cheated' them out of 11 days!

Christians believe that Jesus is the light of the world, so the early Christians thought that this was the right time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They also took over some of the customs from the Winter Solstice and gave them Christian meanings, like Holly, Mistletoe and even Christmas Carols!

St Augustine was the person who really started Christmas in the U.K. by introducing Christianity in the 6th century. He came from countries that used the Roman Calendar, so western countries celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Then people from Britain and Western Europe took Christmas on the 25th December all over the world!

The name 'Christmas' comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service (which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life. The 'Christ-Mass' service was the only one that was allowed to take place after sunset (and before sunrise the next day), so people had it at Midnight! So we get the name Christ-Mass, shortened to Christmas.

Xmas vs Christmas

Christmas is also sometimes called Xmas. Some people don't think it's correct to call Christmas 'Xmas' as that takes the 'Christ' (Jesus) out of Christmas. But that is not quite right! In the Greek language and alphabet, the letter that looks like an X is the Greek letter chi / Χ (pronounced 'kye' - it rhymes with 'eye') which is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Christos.

The early church used the first two letters of Christos in the Greek alphabet 'chi' and 'rho' to create a monogram (symbol) to represent the name of Jesus. This looks like an X with a small p on the top:

The symbol of a fish is sometimes used by Christians (you might see a fish sticker on a car or someone wearing a little fish badge). This comes from the time when the first Christians had to meet in secret, as the Romans wanted to kill them (before Emperor Constantine became a Christian). Jesus had said that he wanted to make his followers 'Fishers of Men', so people started to use that symbol.

When two Christians met, one person drew half a basic fish shape (often using their foot in the dust on the ground) and the other person drew the other half of the fish. The Greek word for fish is 'Ikthus' or 'Ichthys'. There are five Greek letters in the word. It can also make up a sentence of Christian beliefs 'Ie-sous Christos Theou Huios So-te-r' which in English means "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour". The second letter of these five letter is X or Christos!

So Xmas can also mean Christmas; but it should also be pronounced 'Christmas' rather than 'ex-mas'!

So when was Jesus Born?

There's a strong and practical reason why Jesus might not have been born in the winter, but in the spring or the autumn! It can get very cold in the winter and it's unlikely that the shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills (as those hills can get quite a lot of snow sometimes!).

During the spring (in March or April) there's a Jewish festival called 'Passover'. This festival remembers when the Jews had escaped from slavery in Egypt about 1500 years before Jesus was born. Lots of lambs would have been needed during the Passover Festival, to be sacrificed in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jews from all over the Roman Empire travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, so it would have been a good time for the Romans to take a census. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the census (Bethlehem is about six miles from Jerusalem).

In the autumn (in September or October) there's the Jewish festival of 'Sukkot' or 'The Feast of Tabernacles'. It's the festival that's mentioned the most times in the Bible! It was when the Jewish people remember that they depended on God for all they had after they had escaped from Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert. It also celebrated the end of the harvest. During the festival people lived outside in temporary shelters (the word 'tabernacle' come from a latin word meaning 'booth' or 'hut'). Many people who have studied the Bible, think that Sukkot would be a likely time for the birth of Jesus as it might fit with the description of there being 'no room in the inn'. It also would have been a good time to take the Roman Census as many Jews went to Jerusalem for the festival and they would have brought their own tents/shelters with them!

The possibilities for the Star of Bethlehem seems to point either spring or autumn.

So whenever you celebrate Christmas, remember that you're celebrating a real event that happened about 2000 years ago, that God sent his Son into the world as a Christmas present for everyone!

As well as Christmas and the solstice, there are some other festivals that are held in late December. Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews; and the festival of Kwanzaa is celebrated by some Africans and African Americans takes place from December 26th to January 1st.


Wednesday 14 December 2011

SEJARAH MALAYSIA: NOTA 3

Kesan-kesan pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu

[ Rujuk Kuliah 7 / 16 Disember 2009 di ruangan 'catatan lama' ]

KULIAH 7 SEJARAH 940/2: TG 6RK1/4 2009

SEJARAH 940/2 STPM

KESAN-KESAN PENDUDUKAN JEPUN DI TANAH MELAYU

(Dipetik daripada Skema Jawapan Pecutan Bestari A Sejarah 2 STPM, JPN Perak, SET A 2009)

BAHAN BACAAN / RUJUKAN:

1. Mahdi Shuib, Suzani Osman dan Sazlina Othman, Pra-U Sejarah Malaysia, Pearson, Petaling Jaya, 2005. Muka surat: 194-198.

2. K. Ratnam, Teks Suplemen STPM Sejarah Kertas 940/2 Malaysia, Asia Tenggara, Asia Selatan dan Asia Timur, Pustaka Sarjana, Subang Jaya, 2006. Muka surat 175-178.

3. Norizan Yusof, Sejarah Malaysia (Kertas 2: Bahagian A ), Federal- Marshall Cavendish Education, Shah Alam, 2009. Muka surat: 279-287.

Pendahuluan

Jepun telah menawan seluruh Tanah Melayu pada 15 Febuari 1942. Kemusnahan dua buah kapal perang British iaitu H.M.S Repulse dan Prince Of Wales dengan penggunaan tentera ‘Kamikaze’ ( Berani Mati ), telah melemahkan semangat tentera British. Leftenan Jeneral Percival menyerah kalah secara rasmi kepada Jepun. Maka bermulalah zaman pemerintahan tentera Jepun di Tanah Melayu. Walaupun tempoh masa pendudukan Jepun singkat sahaja iaitu tiga tahun lapan bulan, namun pendudukan Jepun meninggalkan kesan yang sangat penting kepada penduduk tempatan baik dari aspek politik, sosial dan ekonomi.

Isi:

Kesan-kesan sosial

Pihak Jepun telah menjalankan dasar layanan yang berbeza terhadap kaum-kaum di Tanah Melayu. Semua kaum Melayu, Cina dan India mengalami penyeksaan, penderitaan, kebuluran dan ketakutan . Orang Cina menderita akibat kezaliman tentera-tentera Jepun. Ramai orang Cina telah melarikan diri ke pinggir-pinggir hutan untuk mengelakkan penyeksaan askar-askar Jepun. Mereka menanam makanan dan menternak ayam itik. Ini telah mewujudkan masyarakat setinggan di Tanah Melayu.

Kaum Melayu dan India diberi layanan baik tetapi ramai di antara mereka juga dihantar ke Siam untuk membina Jalan Keretapi Maut. Akibatnya ramai orang Melayu, India dan Cina telah terkorban dalam pembinaan tersebut akibat seksaan dan wabak penyakit. Merosotnya taraf kesihatan telah menyababkan merebaknya penyakit-penyakit tropika seperti beri-beri, taun dan malaria. Ubat-ubat yang dibawa oleh Jepun hanya dikhaskan untuk askar-askar Jepun sahaja.

Perbezaan layanan kaum ini telah mewujudkan permusuhan kaum khususnya di antara Melayu dan Cina. Contohnya pihak Jepun telah menggunakan orang Melayu yang menyertai pasukan tentera dan polis Jepun untuk mengesan orang Cina yang anti-Jepun. Ini menimbulkan rasa curiga dan permusuhan antara orang Melayu dengan orang Cina setelah Jepun menyerah kalah.

Sistem pendidikan Inggeris juga turut ditukar kepada sistem pendidikan Jepun. Bahasa Jepun iaitu ‘Nippon-go’ diwajibkan sebagai bahasa pengantar di semua sekolah dan juga sebagai lingua franca di seluruh negara. Sistem pendidikan Jepun menekankan beberapa aspek seperti pembentukan akhlak dan disiplin, taat setia kepada Maharaja Jepun dan kepatuhan kepada kerajaan Jepun. Kebudayaan Jepun disebarkan melalui sistem pendidikan Jepun. Orang tempatan diajar adat istiadat dan lagu kebangsaan Jepun, iaitu ‘Kamigayo’.

Kesan-kesan politik:

Nasionalisme orang Melayu

Pendudukan Jepun telah menamatkan tradisi kepercayaan bahawa kuasa-kuasa Barat merupakan kuasa yang tidak boleh dikalahkan. Ini telah menyemarakkan lagi kebangkitan dan kesedaran kebangsaan di kalangan penduduk Tanah Melayu.

Langkah pertama pendudukan Jepun yang membangkitkan perasaan nasionalisme di kalangan orang Melayu ialah dengan membebaskan ahli-ahli Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) yang telah dipenjarakan oleh Inggeris dan memulihkan kembali KMM di bawah pimpinan Ibrahim Yaacob.

KMM kemudiannya telah diharamkan oleh Jepun pada tahun 1942 apabila disyaki mengadakan hubungan sulit dengan MPAJA. Jepun telah menubuhkan PETA ( Pembela Tanah Air ) bagi menarik perhatian orang-orang Melayu. Anggotanya terdiri daripada bekas pegawai KMM. Ibrahim Yaacob dilantik sebagai Leftenan Kolonel. PETA juga telah mengadakan hubungan sulit dengan MPAJA dan tentera Wataniah.

Di saat-saat Jepun menyedari kekalahannya, Jepun menolong kaum Melayu menubuhkan Kesatuan Rakyat Indonesia Semenanjung (KRIS) pada Bulan Julai 1945. KRIS dipimpin oleh Ibrahim Yaacob dan Dr Burhanuddin Al-Helmy. Walaupun orang Melayu tidak berjaya mencapai kemerdekaan di bawah Jepun, namun semangat nasionalisme telah berjaya menarik orang Melayu untuk bersatu terutamanya dalam menentang Malayan Union.

Nasionalisme orang India

Perhatian kaum India telah dialihkan kepada pembebasan India dari penindasan penjajahan Inggeris. Orang India telah menubuhkan Liga Pembebasan India di bawah pimpinan Subhas Chandra Bose. Beliau juga telah menubuhkan Tentera Nasional India (INA) untuk membantu Liga Pembebasan India. Kedua-dua pertubuhan ini telah menguasai keadaan politik orang India di Tanah Melayu. Orang-orang India telah dikerah menyertai Tentera Nasional India.

Orang India digalakkan supaya memberikan bantuan kewangan dan harta untuk menyokong gerakan pembebasan India daripada penjajahan Inggeris. Subhas Chandra Bose yang dalam buangan telah mendirikan sebuah kerajaan yang bergelar ‘Azad Hind’ di Singapura. Ia telah menyahut slogan “Chalo Delhi” (Mara ke Delhi). Penggunaan slogan ini menaikkan lagi semangat nasionalisme dikalangan orang India. Bagaimanapun kekuatan INA dan Liga Pembebasan India telah merosot apabila Jepun menyerah kalah.

Nasionalisme orang Cina

Permusuhan antara orang Jepun dan Cina telah bermula sejak Jepun telah menawan China pada tahun 1937. Apabila Jepun berjaya menakluki Tanah Melayu dan Singapura pada bulan Febuari 1942, ramai orang cina telah dibunuh.Tindakan ini telah menyebabkan orang Cina merasakan pihak Jepun mengamalkan dasar diskriminasi. Keadaan ini mendatangkan kesan buruk terhadap perkembangan nasionalisme di Tanah Melayu. Contohnya tindakan ini merupakan titik permulaan permusuhan antara orang Cina dan orang Melayu.

Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM) telah menggunakan sentimen anti Jepun untuk memperoleh sokongan orang Cina untuk menentang Jepun di Tanah Melayu. PKM telah menubuhkan Malayan Peoples Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) yang dianggap sebagai gerakan mewakili semua bangsa di Tanah Melayu. MPAJA telah diberikan latihan oleh Sekolah Latihan Khas 101 di bawah pimpinan Kolonel Spencer Chapman serta dibekalkan senjata, ubat-ubatan, maklumat dan bahan makanan oleh tentera Berikat melalui ‘Force 136’ yang berpusat di Sri Langka.

MPAJA mengadakan hubungan sulit dengan PETA dan melancarkan perang gerila terhadap pihak Jepun. Jepun telah mengambil langkah untuk menarik minat orang Cina berfahaman sederhana yang kebanyakannya tinggal di bandar untuk bekerjasama dengan pemerintahan Jepun.

Pihak Jepun telah menubuhkan beberapa kelab seperti Epposho bagi masyarakat Cina di Pulau Pinang pada tahun 1944. Ramai orang Cina dilantik di dalam Majlis Penasihat di peringkat bandar dan negeri mulai tahun 1943.

Langkah-langkah Jepun untuk menentang golongan Cina yang anti-Jepun iaitu dengan menggunakan pasukan polis dan tentera Melayu telah menimbulkan kemarahan orang Cina terhadap orang Melayu. Perasaan ini kemudiannya telah menimbulkan unsur perkauman dalam persengketaan Cina-Melayu.

Kesan-kesan ekonomi

Dasar ‘bumi hangus’ yang diamalkan oleh British sebelum berundur dari Tanah Malayu ke Singapura telah menyebabkan ekonomi Tanah Melayu merosot kerana banyak kemudahan awam seperti infrastruktur telah diletupkan oleh tentera British. Begitu juga dengan perusahaan bijih timah dan getah turut merosot kerana kemusnahan alat-alat melombong seperti kapal korek dan alat-alat memproses getah.

Akibat peperangan, perdagangan Tanah Melayu dengan pasaran-pasaran luar telah terputus. Perdagangan Singapura dan Pulau Pinang telah merosot kerana Tanah Melayu tidak dapat mengeksport dan mengimport sebarang bahan.

Jepun mengamalkan sistem ekonomi sara diri dan memaksa rakyat menanam tanam-tanaman makanan seperti ubi kayu, keledek dan keladi untuk mengatasi masalah kekurangan makanan.

Perusahaan-perusahaan tempatan didirikan untuk menghasilkan barang-barang gantian seperti minyak masakan, sabun, gula, tayar, kertas, tali dan benang. Perusahaan-perusahaan penting diambil alih oleh syarikat-syarikat Jepun seperti Mitsui dan Mitsubishi.

Percetakan mata wang ‘pokok pisang’ yang tidak terkawal serta kekurangan bahan-bahan pengguna menyebabkan keadaan inflasi dengan harga-harga barang melambung tinggi dan nilai matawang Jepun menjunam jatuh.

Kesimpulan

Zaman pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu merupakan satu detik penting dalam sejarah tanah air kerana telah banyak mendatangkan kesan positif dan negatif. Pengunduran Jepun dari Tanah Melayu pada September 1945 adalah disebabkan pengeboman dua bandar penting di Jepun iaitu Hiroshima dan Nagasaki. Selepas pendudukan Jepun, Inggeris telah memperkenalkan pentadbiran Malayan Union di Tanah Melayu tetapi telah mendapat tentangan hebat daripada orang-orang Melayu eshingga memaksa Inggeris memansuhkannya dan digantikan dengan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu 1948. Kebangkitan orang-orang Melayu menentang Malayan Union merupakan kesan daripada pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu sewaktu Perang Dunia Kedua sehingga melahirkan semangat nasionalisme di kalangan orang-orang Melayu. 

SEJARAH MALAYSIA: NOTA 2

Faktor-faktor Jepun dapat menawan Tanah Melayu dengan mudah semasa Perang Dunia Kedua

[ Rujuk Nota Kuliah 6 / 16 Disember 2009 di ruangan 'catatan lama']

KULIAH 6 [16 Disember 2009]:

SEBAB-SEBAB JEPUN DAPAT MENAWAN TANAH MELAYU DENGAN MUDAH DALAM PERANG DUNIA KEDUA.

BAHAN BACAAN / RUJUKAN:SMK SULTAN YUSSUF, BATU GAJAH, PERAK.

1. Ruslan Zainuddin, Sejarah Malaysia, Fajar Bakti, Shah Alam, 2006. Muka surat: 507-512

2. Mahdi Shuib, Suzani Osman dan Sazlina Othman, Pra-U Sejarah Malaysia, Pearson, Petaling Jaya, 2005. Muka surat: 188-190

3. Ong Loo Chen, Sejarah STPM Kertas 940/2: Sejarah Malaysia, Asia Tenggara, Asia Selatan dan Asia Timur (1800-1963), Pelangi, Bangi, 2005. Muka surat: 147-148.

4. Norizan Yusof, Sejarah Malaysia (Kertas 2: Bahagian A ), Federal- Marshall Cavendish Education, Shah Alam, 2009. Muka surat: 268-269.

Pengenalan

Pembaharuan Meiji dalam melaksanakan pemodenan menyebabkan Jepun memerlukan pelbagai bahan mentah untuk keperluan industrinya. Kesan daripada perlaksanaan dasar tersebut, Jepun melancarkan perluasan kuasa dengan menyertai Perang Dunia Kedua. Setelah menyerang dan menawan beberapa negara Asia, Jepun mula menyerang Tanah Melayu pada 8 Disember 1941 apabila mendarat di Kota Bharu, Kelantan dan pada 31 Januari 1942 seluruh Tanah Melayu jatuh ke tangan Jepun. Jepun hanya mengambil masa 70 hari untuk menawan Tanah Melayu, satu jangka masa yang amat singkat. Terdapat pelbagai faktor yang menyebabkan Jepun begitu mudah menawan Tanah Melayu.

Isi:

Ketidaksediaan dan kelebihan tentera British

Tentera British di Tanah Melayu tidak bersedia untuk menghadapi sebarang serangan dari tentera Jepun. Pihak British tidak menyangka Jepun akan menyerang Tanah Melayu dari bahagian utara. British memusatkan pertahanan di bahagian selatan terutamanya, di Singapura. Pertahanan British di Tanah Melayu beranggapan bahawa bantuan akan dihantar oleh pihak Britain di Eropah sekiranya Tanah Melayu diserang. Malangnya Britain tidak dapat meng¬hantar bantuan ketenteraan apabila Tanah Melayu diserang oleh Jepun meman¬dangkan Britian sendiri berhadapan dengan Perang Dunia Kedua di Eropah. Keadaan ini telah memudahkan tentera Jepun menawan Tanah Melayu. Tentera British di Tanah Melayu juga tidak mempunyai peralatan yan sempurna dan latihan ketenteraan malah mereka terlalu percaya kepada askar-askar upahan dari India. Namun begitu sebahagian askar-askar upahan India ini terpengaruh dengan propaganda Jepun di Tanah Melayu.

Kelemahan pertahanan laut British

British memusatkan pertahannya di Singapura termasuk turut dilengkapi dengan dua buah kapal perang iaitu HMS Repulse dan Prince of Wales. Pertahanan laut British telah lum¬puh dengan kejayaan Jepun meneng¬gelamkan kedua-dua buah kapal tersebut pada 10 Disember 1941 ber¬hampiran dengan Kuantan. British percaya kehadiran kedua-dua buah kapal perang tersebut mampu menlindungi Tanah Melayu daripada sebarang ancaman. Namun begitu dengan tenggelamnya kedua-dua buah kapal tersebut, maka British tidak lagi mempunyai kekuatan per¬tahanan laut untuk mempertahankan pantai-pantai Tanah Melayu. Ini telah memudahkan Tanah Melayu ditawan oleh Jepun. Semangat tentera-tentera British di Tanah Melayu turut berkubur bersama-sama tenggelamnya kapal-kapal tersebut dan member laluan mudah Jepun menawan Tanah Melayu.

Kekurangan-kekurangan tentera British

Tentera British tidak mempunyai semangat berperang yang tinggi terutamanya apabila mereka tewas dalam pertempuran-pertempuran awal dengan Jepun di Tanah Melayu. Keadaan bertambah buruk dengan penenggelaman dua buah kapal perang British di perairan Pahang. Sebilangan besar tentera British pula terdiri daripada askar-askar upahan India yang bukan sahaja muda tetapi tidak mempunyai pengalaman berperang. Askar-askar ini juga berkemungkinan besar telah dipengaruhi oleh propaganda Jepun seperti "Asia untuk orang Asia". Semangat mereka untuk berperang adalah diragui malah mereka telah beralih dengan pro kepada Jepun yang turut berjanji akan membebaskan negara India daripada penjajahan British. British juga menghadapi masalah kewangan akibat Kemelesetan Ekonomi Dunia (1929-1932) dan tidak mampu membeli peralatan perang yang moden dan canggih sebagaimana yang dimiliki oleh Jepun.

Persediaan-persediaan peperangan oleh Jepun

Jepun telah mengatur perancangan dan persiapan perang yang rapi dan teliti sebelum menyerang Tanah Melayu. Mereka telah mengumpulkan pelbagai maklumat penting tentang ke¬dudukan pertahanan British, bilangan tentera British, peralatan tentera yang mereka miliki dan keadaan geografi sebelum menyerang Tanah Melayu. Tentera Jepun juga mempunyai rangkaian pengintipan yang cekap di Tanah Melayu sehingga dapat mengesan per¬tahanan Singapura begitu kukuh dan susah ditawan dari laut tetapi barisan pertahanan yang lain amat lemah. Justeru itu, Jepun telah menyerang melalui utara Tanah Melayu dengan menyerang pantai Timur dan pantai Barat. Tentera Jepun juga sedar tentang kekuatan tentera British hanya tertumpu di beberapa buah bandar besar sahaja dan mereka menyedari ke¬perluan Jepun menawan dan memusahkan barisan per-tahanan tersebut. Jepun juga berusaha mendapatkan sokongan daripada penduduk Asia termasuk penduduk Tanah Melayu dengan melancarkan pelbagai slogan propaganda seperti ‘Asia Untuk Orang Asia’. Jepun juga berusaha mendapatkan sokongan daripada pemimpin-pemimpin politik Melayu berhaluan kiri untuk menyokong Jepun. Dalam hal ini Jepun berjaya mendapatkan kerjasama daripada KMM yang dipimpin oleh Ibrahim Haji Yaakub.

Kelebihan-kelebihan tentera Jepun

Tentera-tentera Jepun telah dilengkapi dengan semangat perjuangan yang tinggi. Mereka telah dilatih dengan baik untuk menyerang Semenanjung Tanah Melayu termasuk latihan dalam cara-cara men¬darat di Taiwan dan Indo-China. Ma¬lahan sesetengah daripada mereka mempunyai pengalaman berperang di negara China. Mereka berkebolehan untuk menyesuaikan di dengan pelbagai situasi dan telah berseda menghadapi penyakitmalaria serta penyakit tropika yang lain. Tentera Jepun juga telah disemaikan dengan disiplin ketenteraan yang tinggi dan semangat nasionalisme yang cukup kuat. Mereka telah disemaikan dengan semangat ‘Bushido’ang mana mereka mempunyai cirri askar yang berani, setia kepada tugas dan sanggup menderita, taat setia kepada Maharaja dan Negara. Sebagi contoh Tentera ‘Kamikaze’ Jepun sanggup mengorbankan diri demi kepentingan Negara. Tentera Jepun diketuai oleh pegawa-i¬pegawai tentera yang berkebolehan dan berpengalaman seperti Yamashita dan Tsuji. Tentera Jepun juga mempunyai se¬mangat yang berkobar-kobar. Mereka sedia berkorban demi kepentingan dan keagungan negara Jepun. Faktor ini telah membolehkan tentera Jepun mengalahkan tentera British walau¬pun bilangan mereka secara relatif adalah kecil. Tentera British ber-jumlah lebih daripada 130 000 orang manakala tentera-Jepun hanya ber¬jumlah kira-kira 60 000 orang. Tentera Jepun juga mempunyai taktik¬taktik peperangan yang baik dan lebih praktis seperti menunggang basikal di hutan. Ini telah mempercepat¬kan kemaraan mereka ke selatan Se¬menanjung Tanah Melayu. Tentera Jepunjuga menguasai udara selepas memusnahkan kapal-kapal terbang British. Jepun mempunyai kapal-kapal terbang yang lebih moden dan lebih banyak berbanding dengan pihak British.

Kesimpulan

Jepun berjaya menawan Tanah Melayu dalam tempoh yang singkat iaitu sepuluh minggu sahaja. Penawanan dan pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu bermula pada 8 Disember 1941 dan berakhir pada 12 September 1945. Terdapat pelbagai faktor yang memudah proses penaklukan Tanah Melayu oleh tentera Jepun sewaktu Perang Dunia Kedua sama ada akibat kelemahan pihak British di Tanah Melayu mahu pun kekuatan dan kelebihan yang dimiliki oleh tentera Jepun. Zaman pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu dianggap sebagai mimpi ngeri kerana dipenuhi dengan keganasan, penderitaan, kemiskinan dan kebuluran. Pendudukan Jepun juga banyak mengubah sistem politik, ekonomi dan sosial di Tanah Melayu. Namun begitu kesan yang penting ialah kesedaran orang Melayu untuk mempertahan dan memeliharaan kedaulatan negara sehingga membangkitan penentangan terhadap pentadbiran British di Tanah Melayu selepas Perang Dunia Kedua.

NOTA 4

SEJARAH MALAYSIA: NOTA 4

Sebab-sebab orang Melayu menentang Malayan Union 1946 dan menerima Persekutuan Tanah Melayu 1948

Pendahuluan

Malayan Union diisytiharkan pada 1 April 1946 yang dilaksanakan berdasarkan Piagam Atlantik. Piagam ini pada dasarnya merancang ke arah berkerajaan sendiri bagi tanah-tanah jajahan British. Namun orang-orang Melayu terutamanya tidak dapat menerima gagasan ini lalu bangkit menentang sekeras-kerasnya menyebabkan pada 23 Julai 1946, British telah melantik satu Jawatankuasa Kerja yang terdiri daripada 4 orang wakil Sultan Melayu, 2 orang wakil UMNO dan 6 orang pegawai kanan

British yang dipengerusikan oleh Sir Malcom Mac Donald untuk menggubal satu perlembagaan baru untuk manggantikan Malayan Union. Perlembagaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu (PTM 1948) didapati dapat diterima oleh orang-orang Melayu berbanding dengan Malayan Union 1946 yang mendapat tentangan hebat.


Sebab-sebab orang Melayu menentang Malayan Union (MU)

a) Kehilangan Kuasa Sultan

Walaupun Perlembagaan MU tidak menghapuskan institusi sultan sama sekali, tetapi mereka tidak mempunyai sebarang kuasa di dalam memerintah. Kuasa memerintah dipegang sepenuhnya oleh Gabenor. Jelasnya MU telah merampas kedudukan sultan-sultan yang hanya sekadar berkuasa dalam bidang agama dan adat istiadat Melayu sahaja. Itupun Majlis Mesyuarat Agama dipengerusikan oleh Gabenor.

b) Syarat Kewarganegaraan Yang Longgar

Perlembagaan MU mencadangkan pemberian kerakyatan yang amat liberal kepada orang-orang bukan Melayu. Disamping prinsip jus soli setiap orang yang bermastautin lebih daripada 5 tahun di MU boleh memohon untuk mendapatkan kerakyatan. MU memperakukan hak-hak kewarganegaraan yang sama rata bagi semua orang. Ini bermakna hak dan kedudukan orang Melayu akan berakhir. Isu ini merupakan isu bantahan yang paling keras sekali.

c) Tindakan Sir Harold MacMichael Mendapatkan Tandatangan Sultan

Tindakan wakil British, Sir Harold MacMichael memaksa sultan-sultan Melayu menurunkan tanda tangan juga benar-benar telah mengguris hati orang-orang Melayu. Sultan-sultan langsung tidak diberi waktu untuk mempertimbangkan keputusan untuk melaksanakan MU sebaliknya telah diugut untuk diturunkan takhta sekiranya tidak menurunkan tanda tangan. Contohnya pernah berlaku kepada sultan Kedah.

d) Sokongan Bekas Pegawai-pegawai British

Masyarakat Melayu juga mendapat sokongan daripada bekas-bekas pegawai British yang pernah bertugas di Tanah Melayu. Mereka adalah seperti Frank Swettenham, Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Sir George Maxwell dan Ronald Bradell. Malah Ronald Bradell telah

menjadi penasihat kepada UMNO. Sokongan ini menambahkan lagi semangat orang Melayu untuk menentang MU.

Sebab-sebab orang Melayu menerima Perlembagaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu 1948

a) Struktur Negeri

PTM 1948 terdiri daripada sembilan buah negeri Melayu, Pulau Pinang dan Melaka. Singapura dipisahkan daripada PTM dan menjadi Tanah Jajahan Mahkota British dan ditadbir secara berasingan. Rasional British mengasingkan Singapura ialah kerana bimbang orang Melayu akan dikuasai oleh orang Cina. PTM 1948 akan diketuai oleh pesuruhjaya tinggi British yang dilantik oleh

baginda Queen. Majlis Mesyuarat Kerja Persekutuan berperanan untuk membantu dan memberi nasihat kepada pesuruhjaya tinggi tetapi beliau tidak semestinya menerima nasihat majlis ini. Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu ditubuhkan untuk menasihati pesuruhjaya tinggi British. Majlis ini akan bersidang bila-bila masa sahaja jika perlu. Persidangan akan dipengerusikan oleh salah seorang daripada sembilan orang raja itu.

b) Kedudukan Raja-Raja Melayu

PTM 1948 telah memulihkan kedudukan sultan-sultan seperti kedudukan sebelum perang. Sultan mempunyai hak kuasa pemerintah dengan bantuan Majlis Mesyuarat Kerja Kerajaan dan Dewan Perundangan Negeri. Rang undang-undang yang diluluskan oleh kedua-dua dewan tersebut mestilah disahkan oleh baginda sultan. Jelasnya PTM memulakan corak kerajaan Raja Berperlembagaan

c) Kewarganegaraan

Perkara ini diberi perhatian mendalam oleh Jawatankuasa Kerja. Syarat-syarat kerakyatan kembali menjadi ketat, antaranya ialah ;

i) Mereka yang dilahirkan di Persekutuan dan telah bermastautin di situ sekurang-kurangnya lapan tahun daripada dua belas tahun.

ii) Mereka yang telah tinggal di Persekutuan sekurang-kurangnya lima belas tahun daripada 20 tahun terdahulu daripada permohonan tersebut dibuat.

Di sini jelas bahawa PTM 1948 telah melayan sebahagian besar tuntutan orang-orang Melayu berkenaan dengan pemberian kerakyatan, dan hak keistimewaan orang-orang Melayu juga terpelihara dalam PTM 1948.

Kesimpulan

Dengan ini jelaslah bahawa Perlembagaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu 1948 jauh lebih baik daripada Perlembagaan Malayan Union 1946 dan ia dapat diterima oleh orang-orang Melayu. Namun begitu, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu 1948 mendapat bantahan daripada kaum bukan Melayu, parti politik berhaluan kiri, dan golongan progresif revolusiner. Ketiga-tiga pihak ini tidak bersetuju dengan Perlembagaan Persekutuan kerana mereka tidak diajak sama berbincang ketika merangka Perlembagaan Persekutuan 1948. Mereka menganggap Perlembagaan Persekutuan 1948 tidak mewakili semua kaum yang ada di Tanah Melayu. Namun begitu rentetan dari Perlembagaan Persekutuan 1948, telah menjadi teras kepada pembentukan sistem ahli dan seterusnya membawa kepada kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu pada tahun 1957.

NOTA 6 DAN 5

SEJARAH MALAYSIA: NOTA 6

Dasar-dasar Jepun di Tanah Melayu antara tahun 1942 hingga tahun 1945.

Pengenalan

Pendudukan Jepun di Tanah Melayu bermula pada 15 Februari 1942 apabila Singapura jatuh ke tangan Jepun dan berakhir pada 12 September 1945. Pemerintahan Jepun di Tanah Melayu berlangsung selama 3 tahun 8 bulan. Jepun mengambil tindakan menyerang negara-negara di Asia termasuk Tanah Melayu kerana kaya dengan bahan mentah bagi memenuhi keperluan sektor industri dan ketenteraannya. Jepun telah melaksanakan beberapa dasar dalam bidang politik, sosial dan ekonomi untuk menguasai negara dan penduduk di Tanah Melayu supaya

memberikan sokongan kepada pemerintahan Jepun.

Dasar Politik, sosial dan ekonomi Jepun di Tanah Melayu

A) Dasar Politik

1. Jepun melaksanakan corak pemerintahan tentera di Tanah Melayu. Tanah Melayu diletakkan di bawah kuasa pentadbiran tentera yang berpusat di Singapura diketuai oleh Leftenan Jeneral Tomoyuki Yamashita. Pada peringkat pertama corak pemerintahan Jepun keras dan zalim. Selepas Jun 1943, Jepun mengubah dasarnya kepada bertolak ansur dengan penduduk tempatan untuk mendapatkan sokongan mereka kerana mengalami banyak kekalahan.

2. Pentadbiran Tanah Melayu dibahagikan kepada dua bahagian, iaitu

a) Pentadbiran Negeri-Negeri Selat dijalankan oleh Gabenor yang berpusat

di Singapura. Nama Singapura ditukar kepada Syonan yang bermaksud Cahaya Selatan.

b) Tanah Melayu ditadbir oleh Gunseikan dan dinamakan sebagai Malai Baru. Tanah Melayu dibahagikan kepada lapan wilayah dan setiap wilayah ditadbir oleh Gabenor. Gabenor menerima arahan daripada Gabenor di Singapura. Pentadbiran Tanah Melayu dan Sumatera telah disatukan sehingga tahun 1943.

3. Pada Ogos 1943, Negeri-Negeri Melayu Utara telah diserahkan kepada Thailand selaras dengan perjanjian pada 11 Disember 1941. Tindakan ini sebagai membalas jasa Thailand membenarkan Jepun melalui negara itu untuk menyerang Tanah Melayu.

4. Jepun telah mewujudkan tiga jenis pasukan perisik tentera:

a) Kempeitai: menjadi perisik dalam masyarakat untuk mendapatkan maklumat anti-Jepun. Mereka sangat kejam dan membunuh ramai orang yang disyaki anti-Jepun.

b) Tekikan: mat-mata yang bertugas mencari musuh-musuh yang pro British untuk menentang Jepun. Mereka menjalankan propaganda, sabotaj dan pembunuhan.

c) Toko: pegawai-pegawai Jepun yang bertugas untuk merisik di seluruh Tanah Melayu sehinggakan Jepun tidak menghadapi ancaman dari dalam negeri.

5. Jepun memberikan keistimewaan kepada orang Melayu untuk mendapatkan sokongan daripada mereka. Ramai orang Melayu dilantik berkhidmat dengan Jepun sebagai Pegawai Daerah, polis dan tentera. Raja-raja Melayu diiktiraf dan kedudukan mereka dikekalkan.

6. Walaupun Jepun mengamalkan dasar pro Melayu tetapi orang Melayu tetap tidak berpuas hati kerana kezaliman Jepun, kesengsaraan, kebuluran, penderitaan dan ketakutan. Perkara ini membangkitkan kesedaran politik di kalangan orang Melayu.

7. Jepun mengamalkan dasar diskriminasi terhadap orang Cina kerana permusuhan orang Cina dan Jepun sejak Perang China-Jepun 1937. Tambahan pula orang Cina membantu British menentang Jepun. Selepas British menyerah kalah ramai orang Cina dibunuh oleh tentera Jepun. Pada tahun 1944, Jepun mula bertolak ansur kepada orang Cina kerana bergantung kepada orang Cina dalam bidang ekonomi. Jepun memerlukan bantuan makanan daripada orang Cina. Walau bagaimanapun kekejaman Jepun kepada orang Cina telah mengukuhkan lagi fahaman kebangsaan Cina dan sentimen anti-Jepun.

8. Jepun memberi layanan yang baik kepada orang India. Untuk menarik sokongan orang India, Jepun membantu menubuhkan Liga Kebangsaan India dan Tentera Nasional India. Jepun menyokong penubuhan kerajaan buangan Azad Hind yang dipimpin oleh Subha Chandra Bose. Walau bagaimanapun orang India masih menderita kerana kesengsaraan hidup, dipaksa bekerja di ladang, menjadi buruh paksa membina jalan kereta api maut di sempadan Thailand, tiada pekerjaan, dan diseksa.

B) Dasar Sosial

1. Jepun berusaha mengukuh kedudukan mereka di Tanah Melayu dengan memaksa penduduk menerima dan mengamalkan nilai-nilai bahasa dan kebudayaan Jepun.

2. Jepun telah mengharamkan semua akhbar yang diterbitkan sebelum penjajahan Jepun. Jepun juga mengambil langkah menukar nama akhbar-akhbar tempatan kepada nama Jepun seperti Malai Shimbun untuk Utusan Melayu.

3. Bahasa Jepun diajar di sekolah-sekolah, kelab-kelab dan pejabat. Sekolah Cina dan sekolah Inggeris ditutup dan digantikan dengan sekolah mengajar bahasa Jepun. Peluang kenaikan pangkat dan kemudahan-kemidahan lain diberikan mengikut kebolehan dan kemahiran bertutur dalam bahasa Jepun.

4. Hari-hari cuti am adalah berdasar kepada kalendar Jepun seperti hari jadi maharaja, hari angkatan tentra darat, laut dan musim menuai di Jepun. Semua ini bertujuan menaikan semangat nasionalisme rakyat Tanah Melayu terhadap negara Jepun.

5. Jepun cuba menghapuskan pengaruh Barat dalam kalangan penduduk Tanah Melayu dengan cara mengharamkan penggunaan radio gelombang pendek, mengharamkan filem-filem Barat, dilarang mendengar lagu-lagu Barat dan menutup tempat tari-menari di pusat-pusat hiburan.

6. Jepun mengambil langkah memburuk-burukkan kebudayaan Barat supaya dibenci penduduk tempatan .

C) Dasar Ekonomi

1. Pemerintahan Jepun mengamalkan dasar ekonomi bersifat berdikari dan dasar tutup pintu. Jepun menggalakkan penubuhan industri ringan bagi menghasilkan barangan keperluan dalam negeri seperti minyak, sabun dan tali serta tidak menggalakkan barangan tersebut dieksport.

2. Perusahaan-perusahaan penting diambil alih dan dikuasai oleh syarikat-syarikat Jepun seperti Mitsui dan Mitsubishi.

3. Jepun juga memperkenalkan mata wang “Pokok Pisang”. Keadaan tidak terkawal serta kekurangan barang-barang pengguna menyebabkan berlakunya inflasi dengan harga barangan melambung tinggi dan nilai mata wang Jepun menjunam jatuh.

4. Kegiatan ekonomi yang dulunya dikuasai oleh pengusaha Cina dan British telah diambil alih oleh tentera Jepun menyebabkan ekonomi Tanah Melayu merosot.

5. Jepun membangunkan bidang pertanian untuk mengatasi masalah kekurangan makanan. Jepun memperkenalkan Rancangan Tiga Tahun Sara Diri untuk meningkatkan pengeluaran pertanian khususnya tanaman padi. Jepun turut menggalakkan rakyat menanam ubi kayu, keledek dan keladi di sekeling rumah mereka untuk mengatasi masalah kekurangan makanan.

6. Pada tahun 1943 Tanah Rizab Melayu dibuka kepada orang bukan Melayu untuk dijadikan kawasan pertanian bagi mengatasi masalah kekurangan makanan.

7. Dasar ekonomi Jepun telah menyebabkan ekonomi Tanah Melayu merosot teruk. Keadaan ini menimbulkan masalah kebuluran, pengangguran dan masalah sosial.



[ Dipetik daripada Skema Peperiksaan Sejarah 2 STPM Negeri Perlis 2010 ]

SEJARAH MALAYSIA: NOTA 5

Mengapakah gerakan penentangan terhadap Malayan Union lebih berjaya berbanding dengan Gerakan Anti Penyerahan di Sarawak

Pengenalan

Malayan Union (MU) diisytiharkan secara rasmi pada 1 April 1946 yang bertujuan untuk menggabungkan semua negeri di Tanah Melayu di bawah satu sistem pemerintahan berpusat yang diketuai oleh Gabenor. Gerakan anti penyerahan di Sawarak pula timbul apabila Charles Vyner Brooke mengambil keputusan menyerahkan Sarawak kepada kerajaan British selepas Sarawak mengalami kemusnahan akibat pendudukan Jepun. Kedua-dua dasar ini telah menimbulkan tentangan daripada penduduk tempatan. Penentangan terhadap Malayan Union berjaya mencapai matlamatnya apabila MU diganti dengan Persekutuan 1948. Penentangan Gerakan Anti Penyerahan di Sarawak gagal mencapai matlamatnya apabila Sarawak secara rasminya diserahkan kepada kerajaan British pada 15 Julai 1946.

Isi

i. Kepimpinan

Ø Kejayaan MU banyak dipengaruhi oleh faktor kepimpinan. Kepimpinan Dato Onn berjaya menggerakkan penyatuan orang Melayu dan mengorganisasikan penentangan terhadap gagasan MU secara berkesan. Dato’ Onn berjaya menyatukan semua orang Melayu atau pertubuhan-pertubuhan Melayu seluruh negara yang sebelum ini bersifat kenegerian.

Ø Di Sarawak tidak ada pemimpin yang berwibawa untuk menggerakkan penentangan yang berkesan terhadap penyerahan Sarawak. Keadaan ini berlaku selepas kematian Datu Patinggi Abang Hj Abdillah.

ii. Sokongan Penduduk

Ø Penentangan terhadap MU mendapat sokongan menyeluruh daripada penduduk di Tanah Melayu. Hampir seluruh bandar utama di Tanah Melayu mengadakan tunjuk perasaan membantah MU.

Ø Di Sarawak tidak wujud sokongan yang meluas daripada penduduk Sarawak. Golongan yang menyokong Gerakan Anti Penyerahan terdiri daripada golongan terpelajar yang berada di kawasan bandar. Penduduk yang berada di luar bandar tidak bangkit menentang kerana mereka tidak mempunyai kesedaran politik.

iii. Pertubuhan Politik

Ø Di Tanah Melayu diwujudkan sebuah pertubuhan Melayu hasil Kongres Melayu. Pertubuhan yang ditubuhkan di istana Johor iaitu UMNO berjaya menyatukan orang Melayu dan menjadi wadah kepada orang Melayu untuk menentang MU.

Ø Di Sarawak wujud beberapa pertubuhan yang menentang Gerakan Anti Penyerahan seperti Persatuan Melayu Sarawak, Pesatuan Dayak Sarawak dan lain-lain namun mereka gagal membentuk sebuah pertubuhan politik yang lebih besar seperti UMNO.

iv. Sokongan luar



Ø Penentangan terhadap MU mendapat sokongan bekas pegawai British yang pernah berkhidmat di Tanah Melayu seperti Cecil Clementi Smith, Frank Swettenham, George Maxwell, Richard Winstedt, Ronald Bradell. Mereka ini membantah pelaksanaan MU di Tanah Melayu dan mengkritik dasar British itu melalui akhbar ‘The Times’ di London. Peranan bekas pegawai British ini juga penting dalam mempengaruhi dasar British itu di Tanah Melayu.

Ø Di Sarawak tidak wujud sokongan seperti itu dalam penentangan penduduk tempatan terhadap gerakan penentangan terhadap British.

v. Peranan Akhbar

Ø Peranan akhbar cukup penting dalam menjayakan penentangan terhadap MU. Antara akhbar yang memainkan peranan penting ialah Majlis di Kuala Lumpur, Warta Negara di Pulau Pinang dan Utusan Melayu di Singapura. Akhbar-akhbar ini berjaya memainkan peranan membangkitkan kesedaran orang Melayu tentang bahaya MU dan nasib yang akan menimpa orang Melayu jika MU dilaksanakan.

Ø Keadaan seperti ini tidak wujud di Sarawak.

vi. Tindakan British.

Ø Tindakan British di Sarawak berjaya melemahkan Gerakan Anti Penyerahan. Antara tindakan-tindakan British ialah melaga-lagakan sesama kaum pribumi iaitu antara orang Melayu dengan Iban. British juga mengeluarkan Pekeliling No.9 yang menghalang kakitangan kerajan daripada terlibat dengan gerakan anti penyerahan dan menukarkan tempat kerja pemimpin Gerakan Anti Penyerahan. Tindakan-tindakan British ini telah berjaya melemahkan Gerakan Anti Penyerahan. British juga mengambil tindakan yang keras ke atas Ahli Rukun 13 yang melancarkan penentangan yang agresif terhadap British.

Ø Keadaan seperti di Sarawak tidak berlaku di Tanah Melayu

Kesimpulan

Kejayaan penentangan terhadap MU terbukti apabila kerajaan British mengumumkan Persekutuan 1948 bagi menggantikan MU. Kejayaan menggantikan MU dengan Persekutuan dianggap satu kemenangan kepada orang Melayu. Sebaliknya Sarawak terus diserahkan kepada British dan ditadbir oleh British sehinggalah kerajaan British bersetuju untuk memberi kemerdekaan kepada Sarawak apabila Sarawak bersetuju menyertai Malaysia pada tahun 1963.