In Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, and Liechtstein the last day of the year, or New Year’s Eve in English, is called Silvester. In Switzerland, it’s Altjahrstag or Altjahrtag which means old year day. So, what or who is Silvester?
Pope Sylvester I
December 31 is named after Pope Sylvester I (German spelling Silvester) who died on December 31, 335. He had been the bishop of Rome since 314 and thereby effectively the Pope. He is the Patron Saint of animals which might explain why animals can speak during the midnight hour of New Year’s Eve. Though be careful, when you hear them speak and talk about the future, you will die. Which is probably why we can’t confirm (or deny) if animals really can speak the human language on Silvester.
Not much else is known about Silvester (at least not any true facts) other than that he was involved in building multiple basilica in Rome, including Basilica of St. John Lateran, Old St. Peter’s Basilica, and Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. That this was even possible in the early 4th century, when not that many years before Christians were persecuted and killed, is because of the Emperor Constantine and his Mailänder Vereinbarung (Edict of Milan) of 313. In it, Constantine (who himself converted to Christianity after having a visionary dream) declared that the people in the Roman Empire had freedom of religion.
Legends about Pope Sylvester
We might not know much about the real Silvester and his real life but there are plenty of legends. Most of them were recorded in the Actus Silvestri from the late 4th century and Vita Silvestri from the 5/6th century.
Sylvester and the Dragon
Supposedly, Pope Sylvester slayed a dragon and resurrected its victims. In a different version, he merely bound its mouth. Usually, the legend is understood as Christianity, represented by Sylvester, fighting and beating pagan beliefs, embodied by a dragon.
The stories start with virgins having to bring sacrifices into cave to the dragon, or being sacrificed themselves.
The Vestals were women from the upper class in Rome who swore an oath of chastity and were in charge of the holy fire of Vesta, the goddess of house and hearth. Supposedly, they sacrificed wheat cakes to the dragon but the cult around Vesta was outlawed in 391 A.D. under the Christian Emperor Theodosius I. The dragon was not happy about the lack of sacrifices and the decline of the city seemed imminent.
In a variation of the story, virgins climbed down into a cave bringing the dragon or creature from hell a sacrifice, not realizing they were the sacrifice. When these sacrifices came to a stop, the dragon’s breath brought pestilence into the city and caused the death of many.
In both stories, pagan priests asked to continue the offering for the sake of the city and its residents. Or they challenged him to stop the dragon from harming the city in the name of his God. Sylvester ordered a three day fast and in one of his dreams St. Peter came to him and gave him instructions how to beat the dragon. Sylvester and some other Christians descended into the cave and lock the dragon into the cave by invoking Peter and Jesus. In other versions, he binds its mouth.
Sylvester's Horse
On his way from Rome to Trier, Silvester rode through the town of Hausen (part of Mayen) in Rhineland-Palatinate. In Hausen, his horse lost one of its horseshoes. The horse received a new shoe in Hausen and when the lost one was found it was placed in the church. Or a church was built in that spot.
Nowadays, the parish of St. Silvester in Hausen celebrates a blessing of the horses and their riders on December 31. They then ride around the church three times and finish with a mass. This Silvesterritt (Ride on New Year’s Eve) has been taking place for around 700 years.
Sylvester baptizes Constantine
But the story surrounding Pope Silvester most often told and painted is the one where he healed (from leprosy) and baptized Constantine and in return received the insignia of worldly power over Rome and the entire West Roman empire. This certificate wasn’t just limited to Pope Sylvester but applied to all popes that followed.
It is known as the Konstantinische Schenkung (Donation of Constantine), and supposedly happened in 315 or 317. However, the certificate was written in around 800 when the Catholic Church and the Papacy needed a document to justify their claim to political power. It took until 1440 when humanist Lorenzo Valla proved the “Schenkung” a forgery. One of the mistakes the forgers made was using the name Constantinople when the city at the supposed time of writing was still Byzantion or Nova Roma.
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Sources and Resources
- Wiki – Silvester – dt
- Wiki – Sylvester – engl
- Drachen Fandom – dt
- Excerpts from Daniel Ogden: Drakon. Dragon Myths and Serpent Cults in Greek and Roman Worls, 2013.
- Wiki – Acts of Sylvester
- Wiki – Konstantinische Schenkung
- German New Year’s Traditions
