While the name “ReGiftmas” is of relatively recent origin, the practice of surreptitiously disposing of unwanted gifts through person-to-person sales — or of giving them to an unsuspecting party (see “ReGifting?”) — has a long and colorful history. The earliest known practice dates to Mesopotamia, where Ancient Near Eastern documents unearthed in the late 19th century describe the late 9th century (BCE) practice of “Giving the Unwanted Gift.” The practice followed in the weeks after the traditional month-long wedding celebration in which the father of the bride would trade blemished sheep to an out-of-town broker for fermented beverages of comparable value.

In Eastern Africa in the once remote country of Tanzania the natives believe that “ReGifting” enlightens the spirit and opens up the path to the “Holy One” whom they call ABUBAKAR (A-BOO-BACK-ARE)which means “Executioner”. It was supposedly a sign that if you could please the person whom you gave your gift ABUBAKAR would grant you access into his holy temple where you would supposedly spend the rest of eternity.

Many people believe that one of the local witch doctors of Tanzania had a vision telling them all about this time to give the unwanted gift. It is popularly known today as ReGiftmas although in their language it is call “Reigh-hieft-meis” which means “time of giving”.Europeans first heard of the holiday on the slave ships sent to Africa when the slaves would to each other gifts that did not meet their specific standards. Europeans incorrectly pronounced it ReGiftmas giving us the popular holiday we know and love.
In the Republican period of the Roman Empire, the tradition was revived as “Tribuo Tergum Dies”. As the Imperial Period begins, it soon degenerated into what was derogatorily renamed “Viridis Dies” or the “Green Day”, when green socks were passed, unwanted, from family member to family member year after year. In Western Culture, the tradition survives to this day in the gifting of fruitcakes. Many modern historians believe “Viridis Dies” contributed greatly to the destruction of three Legions and six cohorts of auxiliary troops by Arminius in the battle at the Teutoburg Forest. Recent forensic study indicates the entire Roman force was suffering from a debilitating condition brought on by the specific dye combination used for “Viridis Dies” gifts, which eventually all found their way into the field for cold soldiers feet in the winter of 9 A.D. – and which the Romans (unwittingly or otherwise) passed on to their allies despite the cold conditions. The Roman tradition passed into obscurity upon the death of Tiberius in 37 A.D. and with the edict of the mad Caligula proclaiming the holiday be reconstituted as “Viridis Equus Caput Capitis” or “Green Horse Heads”. As well as being completely insane, it turned out to be very difficult to refit into the lyrics of traditional “Tergum Deis” songs. The observation of the holiday continued in some remote portions of the Empire until outlawed by Justinian in 533 A.D. At this point the tradition of giving fruited cakes became the modified tradition, as the evidence could be eaten when a Centurion banged on your door. (It should be noted this action resulted in the untimely demise of many of the revelers).

In medieval Europe, lower-echelon nobles routinely held the “Feast of Fools,” in which they would exchange brightly decorated objects of limited value (often received as tokens from royalty) for favors from tavern hostesses. The “Fools” in these festivals were seen as the royal patrons, and as word of the feasts spread, so too did the wrath of the royal families. In 14th century Denmark, the late winter “Feast of Fools” gave way to the the springtime “Famine of Fools,” a royal celebration in which disloyal courtiers were publicly excoriated.

According to amateur historian Dean LaVelle, it’s said that the “Feast of Fools” was the proximate cause of Savonarola’s “Bonfire of the Vanities.” He was, LaVelle reports, clearly no re-Gifter.

In Puritan New England, the celebration of ReGiftmas was banned for short period because of its association with Roman Catholic Church and its implicit rejection of vocational exertion. Those unfortunate few who were discovered practicing the traditions of ReGiftmas were fined 15 shillings and forced to wear a large letter “R” on their garments as a mark of their transgression. In the words of Cotton Mather: “Ah! destructive Ignorance, what shall be done to chase thee out of the World! Surely the gift given twice begets twice the destruction!”

Persecuted practitioners of ReGiftmas eschewed public observance and withdrew from the public eye for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Though widely celebrated in secret, the holiday carried an indelible stigma until the advent of online person-to-person sales made the practice more socially acceptable. The recent growth in the celebration of the holiday can be linked to declining economic conditions, and the concomitant “shift to thrift” seen across demographic categories. The holiday has become a significant season for online classified activity, where regifting can be done with relative anonymity.