Origin of White Elephant Gifts

White Elephant Gifts
The first time you heard the term, you were probably, like me, extremely curious. How could White Elephants have anything to do with gifts? The name simply did not seem to fit the game, but no one could recall how it had been dubbed as such. Your curiosity can finally be put to rest. I have done the research and the following is the product of my findings. It includes a brief history of the White Elephant, the folklore surrounding it, modern beliefs about them, and of course, the way we commemorate them.

A Brief History
In Thialand and some other Asian countries, white elephants were historically regarded as holy beings. People believed that they would bring fertility, prosperity, and power. The death of such magnificent creatures spelled disaster. As such, the owners of such magnificent beings were required to pamper and serve the elephant with special foods, elaborate housing, and arrange for public access for those who may want to come worship it. Kings were usually the only ones who could afford the extensive upkeep of the beings. Royal White Elephants were some of the original pampered pets. Anything these elephants could have ever wanted or needed were provided in excess. The origin of the elephant gifts began when ancient kings became extremely displeased by an assistant and would make a gift of a white elephant to the assistant. At first, the gift appears as an extreme honor. However, as time goes by, its novelty wears off. The financial burden was sure to slowly cripple people of less than superior monetary means.

Modern Beliefs about White Elephants
The folklore of the White Elephant lives on in many ways. Beliefs of sacredness of the white elephant are not entirely history in some parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Burma where they still participate in parades and celebrations. In most other parts of the world, the mystique and sacred folklore of the white elephant has dissipated. Instead the White Elephant has come to symbolize a prized possession whose maintenance cost exceeds its worth.

Celebrating the White Elephant
Many people, especially in the US, participate in the White Elephant gift exchange celebrations. The game is most often played around the traditional holiday season when Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza are just around the corner. The rules may differ slightly from place to place, but the idea is similar. Participants bring gifts to the exchange. The gifts are typically useless in most respects. Often the gifts are also extraordinarily unusual or amusing. The general form of the game is place all of the gifts in the circle and take turns choosing one to open. Everyone pays attention to the opening of the gift because there is no telling what is inside. Usually, there is a way to exchange the gift after you open it or opportunities to steal someone else's gift. However, to ensure that everyone goes home with only one gift (since that is what they came with), there are typically limits to how many times a player can steal or exchange gifts. Ironically, there is often no single winner, but several "losers" who end up with a less than desirable gift.

Hopefully this article has put to rest your curiosity and the next time you attend such an event, maybe you will pass along the information so you can enjoy the celebration with meaning, thankful that you are not receiving an actual White Elephant.