Articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics.
Legend of Old Buck
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30355
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Very few people have heard of “Old Christmas” or “Little Christmas” which has been celebrated for over 250 years along the coastal regions from Swansboro to Currituck. “Old Christmas” began when Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752 to replace the less accurate Julian Calendar. The new calendar made Christmas fall on December 25th instead of the old date of January 5th. The Outer Banks folks kept the old date to celebrate Christmas. The Outer Banks people are a superstitious lot and according to tradition a ship loaded with cattle sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras in the 1870s. The only survivor was a black and white bull which swam ashore at Rodanthe. Named “Old Buck,” the bull sired many cows and became much loved. Each year on January 5th he was led through the villages of Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo as a part of their Old Christmas celebration.
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