"Ho, Ho, Ho" What's that Mean??"Ho, Ho, Ho" comes from a Roman Requirement that during Saturnalia citizens had to appear before the temple of Saturn (Baal) and yell, "Io,Io, Io, Saturn" 3 times. Basically, "Praise, Praise, Praise Saturn as god."This festival lasted a little over a week and ended on December 25th with a human sacrifice, usually a Christian or a Jew. First the person would be wined and dined for a week, then at the end of it they were sacrificed to Saturn. They would also be given gifts each day until the end. During this week all standing laws were made null and void so people took the chance to commit murder and other acts normally illegal. This is where we get the "12 Days of X-mas." The victim was often poisoned with what we call "Mistletoe" or Hemlock. Interestingly enough, Rome was originally named "Saturnia" which is Latin for Baal. December 25th is also Baal's resurrection as an evergreen tree after 3 days in the grave. People decorated the tree to celebrate. The only part of him found was his penis, so this is what was buried that came back as a "Yule log". His grandfather Shem, son of Noach, had chopped him into pieces for building the Tower of Babel and founding Babylon of which Baal ruled as King Nimrod.From: The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic, an Introduction to the Study of the Religion of the Romans, W. Warde Fowler [1847 - 1921], Macmillan, 1899."There are several well-attested features of the Saturnalia as it was in historical times5. On Dec. 17 there was a public sacrifice at the temple (formerly the ara) of Saturn by the Forum6, followed by a public feast, in breaking up from which the feasters shouted 'Io ["hurrah", etc.] Saturnalia'7 [compare: "Merry Christmas!"]. During the sacrifice Senators and Equites wore the toga, but laid it aside for the convivium". [271].In The Drama Before Shakespeare - A Sketch, author Frank Ireson, describes the popular Miracle Play. Notice the description of the devil as "shaggy, hairy," etc. (as Santa), and notice the devil’s trademark "exclamation on entering was ho, ho, ho!":Besides allegorical personages, there were two standing characters very prominent in Moral Plays—the Devil and Vice. The Devil was, no doubt, introduced from the Miracle Plays, where he had figured so amusingly; he was made as hideous as possible by his mask and dress, the latter being generally of a shaggy and hairy character, and he was duly provided with a tail: his ordinary exclamation on entering was, "Ho, ho, ho! what a felowe [sic] am I."(Ireson, Frank. "The Drama Before Shakespeare - A Sketch." 1920 )Siefker also collaborates the devil’s trademark "ho, ho, ho."In these plays, the devil’s common entry line, known as the "devil’s bluster," was "Ho! Ho! Hoh!"(Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 69)The devil’s trademark "ho, ho, ho" was carried over from the early medieval Miracle Plays to the popular old English play "Bomelio," as the following lines from the play verify:What, and a' come? I conjure thee, foul spirit, down to hell! Ho, ho, ho! the devil, the devil! A-comes, a-comes, a-comes upon me,. . .
(Dodsley, Robert. A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Vol. VI. The Project Gutenberg Ebook.
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"Ho, Ho, Ho" What's that Mean??"Ho, Ho, Ho" comes from a Roman Requirement that during Saturnalia citizens had to appear before the temple of Saturn (Baal) and yell, "Io,Io, Io, Saturn" 3 times. Basically, "Praise, Praise, Praise Saturn as god."This festival lasted a little over a week and ended on December 25th with a human sacrifice, usually a Christian or a Jew. First the person would be wined and dined for a week, then at the end of it they were sacrificed to Saturn. They would also be given gifts each day until the end. During this week all standing laws were made null and void so people took the chance to commit murder and other acts normally illegal. This is where we get the "12 Days of X-mas." The victim was often poisoned with what we call "Mistletoe" or Hemlock. Interestingly enough, Rome was originally named "Saturnia" which is Latin for Baal. December 25th is also Baal's resurrection as an evergreen tree after 3 days in the grave. People decorated the tree to celebrate. The only part of him found was his penis, so this is what was buried that came back as a "Yule log". His grandfather Shem, son of Noach, had chopped him into pieces for building the Tower of Babel and founding Babylon of which Baal ruled as King Nimrod.From: The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic, an Introduction to the Study of the Religion of the Romans, W. Warde Fowler [1847 - 1921], Macmillan, 1899."There are several well-attested features of the Saturnalia as it was in historical times5. On Dec. 17 there was a public sacrifice at the temple (formerly the ara) of Saturn by the Forum6, followed by a public feast, in breaking up from which the feasters shouted 'Io ["hurrah", etc.] Saturnalia'7 [compare: "Merry Christmas!"]. During the sacrifice Senators and Equites wore the toga, but laid it aside for the convivium". [271].In The Drama Before Shakespeare - A Sketch, author Frank Ireson, describes the popular Miracle Play. Notice the description of the devil as "shaggy, hairy," etc. (as Santa), and notice the devil’s trademark "exclamation on entering was ho, ho, ho!":Besides allegorical personages, there were two standing characters very prominent in Moral Plays—the Devil and Vice. The Devil was, no doubt, introduced from the Miracle Plays, where he had figured so amusingly; he was made as hideous as possible by his mask and dress, the latter being generally of a shaggy and hairy character, and he was duly provided with a tail: his ordinary exclamation on entering was, "Ho, ho, ho! what a felowe [sic] am I."(Ireson, Frank. "The Drama Before Shakespeare - A Sketch." 1920 )Siefker also collaborates the devil’s trademark "ho, ho, ho."In these plays, the devil’s common entry line, known as the "devil’s bluster," was "Ho! Ho! Hoh!"(Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 69)The devil’s trademark "ho, ho, ho" was carried over from the early medieval Miracle Plays to the popular old English play "Bomelio," as the following lines from the play verify:What, and a' come? I conjure thee, foul spirit, down to hell! Ho, ho, ho! the devil, the devil! A-comes, a-comes, a-comes upon me,. . .(Dodsley, Robert. A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Vol. VI. The Project Gutenberg Ebook. <www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/7oep610.txt>)Another extremely popular character dominating the medieval plays was Robin Goodfellow (Robin Hood was created from him). Robin Goodfellow was a caricature of the devil, dressed with horns, shaggy, furs, and cloven feet.Author Gillian Mary Edwards in Hobgoblin and Sweet Puck, provides some interesting insight into Robin Goodfellow:One of the most popular characters in English folklore of the last thousand years has been the faerie, goblin, devil or imp known by the name of Puck or Robin Goodfellow. The Welsh called him Pwca, which is pronounced the same as his Irish incarnation Phouka, Pooka or Puca. Parallel words exist in many ancient languages - puca in Old English, puki in Old Norse, puke in Swedish, puge in Danish, puks in Low German, pukis in Latvia and Lithuania – mostly with the original meaning of a demon, devil or evil and malignant spirit. . . (Edwards, Gillian Mary. Hobgoblin and Sweet Puck. London: Bles Publishers, 1974, p. 143)In The History of a Hobgoblin, author Allen W. Wright, reveals "Robin itself was a medieval nickname for the devil" and "Robin's trademark laugh is "Ho Ho Ho!":Robin Goodfellow appeared in more plays around 1600. And there were many 17th century broadside ballads about him. . . Robin's trademark laugh is "Ho Ho Ho!" . . . Robin itself was a medieval nickname for the devil. (Wright, Allen W. "The History of a Hobgoblin." <www.boldoutlaw.com/puckrobin/puckages.html>)The devil’s trademark "Ho! Ho! Ho!" was common knowledge before the coming of Santa Claus.Ho, Ho, Ho" comes from a Roman Requirement that during Saturnalia citizens had to appear before the temple of Saturn (Baal) and yell, "Lo, Lo, Lo, Saturn" 3 times. Basically, "Praise, Praise, Praise Saturn as god."From: The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic, an Introduction to the Study of the Religion of the Romans, W. Warde Fowler [1847 - 1921], Macmillan, 1899."There are several well-attested features of the Saturnalia as it was in historical times5. On Dec. 17 there was a public sacrifice at the temple (formerly the ara) of Saturn by the Forum6, followed by a public feast, in breaking up from which the feasters shouted 'Io ["hurrah", etc.] Saturnalia'7 [compare: "Merry Christmas!"]. During the sacrifice Senators and Equites wore the toga, but laid it aside for the convivium". [271].In The Drama Before Shakespeare - A Sketch, author Frank Ireson, describes the popular Miracle Play. Notice the description of the devil as "shaggy, hairy," etc. (as Santa), and notice the devil’s trademark "exclamation on entering was ho, ho, ho!":Besides allegorical personages, there were two standing characters very prominent in Moral Plays—the Devil and Vice. The Devil was, no doubt, introduced from the Miracle Plays, where he had figured so amusingly; he was made as hideous as possible by his mask and dress, the latter being generally of a shaggy and hairy character, and he was duly provided with a tail: his ordinary exclamation on entering was, "Ho, ho, ho! what a felowe [sic] am I."(Ireson, Frank. "The Drama Before Shakespeare - A Sketch." 1920 )Siefker also collaborates the devil’s trademark "ho, ho, ho."In these plays, the devil’s common entry line, known as the "devil’s bluster," was "Ho! Ho! Hoh!"(Siefker, Phyllis. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1997, p. 69)The devil’s trademark "ho, ho, ho" was carried over from the early medieval Miracle Plays to the popular old English play "Bomelio," as the following lines from the play verify:What, and a' come? I conjure thee, foul spirit, down to hell! Ho, ho, ho! the devil, the devil! A-comes, a-comes, a-comes upon me,. . .(Dodsley, Robert. A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Vol. VI. The Project Gutenberg Ebook. <www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/7oep610.txt>)Another extremely popular character dominating the medieval plays was Robin Goodfellow (Robin Hood was created from him). Robin Goodfellow was a caricature of the devil, dressed with horns, shaggy, furs, and cloven feet.Author Gillian Mary Edwards in Hobgoblin and Sweet Puck, provides some interesting insight into Robin Goodfellow:One of the most popular characters in English folklore of the last thousand years has been the faerie, goblin, devil or imp known by the name of Puck or Robin Goodfellow. The Welsh called him Pwca, which is pronounced the same as his Irish incarnation Phouka, Pooka or Puca. Parallel words exist in many ancient languages - puca in Old English, puki in Old Norse, puke in Swedish, puge in Danish, puks in Low German, pukis in Latvia and Lithuania – mostly with the original meaning of a demon, devil or evil and malignant spirit. . . (Edwards, Gillian Mary. Hobgoblin and Sweet Puck. London: Bles Publishers, 1974, p. 143)In The History of a Hobgoblin, author Allen W. Wright, reveals "Robin itself was a medieval nickname for the devil" and "Robin's trademark laugh is "Ho Ho Ho!":
Robin Goodfellow appeared in more plays around 1600. And there were many 17th century broadside ballads about him. . . Robin's trademark laugh is "Ho Ho Ho!" .
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