Photo from the UNC University Library website.
Today is the last day of the holiday season for us here on Hatteras Island. It is the day that Old Christmas is traditionally celebrated. A day that for many people is a forgotten date. In 1752 the British government adopted the Gregorian calendar to align with the other European countries who had changed the calendar many years prior. By doing this 11 days disappeared from existence and by doing so, moved Christmas day from January 5th to December 25th. Well, either from isolation from news or from pure stubbornness the Outer Bankers kept the original Christmas day in January. Over the years it has changed again to January 6th with the 5th being considered Old Christmas Eve.
These days Old Christmas does not get the attention that December 25th does. Even us islanders have lined up with the “new” date. We observe the birth of Jesus on December 25th and Santa Claus visits our children that night. But, Old Christmas is still remembered here, most especially in the village of Rodanthe on the Northern end of the island. For that village it has become a day of family and community. A day to get together and eat good food, tell stories, and see Old Buck once again.
Who is Old Buck? His apperance is the highlight of the evening’s festivities. Old Buck is a bull that magically has reappeared every year to romp through the crowd. Folklore says he was a massive bull that came ashore in a shipwreck over a hundred years ago. He roamed the island and sired many calves. He was greatly admired and when he died his spirit still lingers here. Old Buck lives among the trees of the maritime forest in the village of Frisco (Trent) and every year on Old Christmas makes the trek to Rodanthe to be admired once again. I love that the people of Rodanthe have held on to this special night.
I have never been to see him at the Rodanthe celebration but my house sits right in the middle of Frisco’s woods. Every year on Old Christmas night my son, Joe, finds a little bag of candy that Old Buck has left for him on the porch if he has been a good boy. We usually have a dinner that is a little special, duck stew or oysters or fish, and remember that Old Christmas is still a day to be celebrated. While it is not as exciting as the Rodanthe party, it is my way to see that another generation knows about Old Buck, and that there is a day called Old Christmas that is remembered on Hatteras Island.
Natalie Perry Kavanagh