The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

" Italy Celebrates Religious Christmas wn, The celebration of Christ- mas in Italy, perhaps more than in any other country, illustrates the multiple ori- gins of the festivities we observe in modern times. Christmas in Italy is pri- marily a religlous festival, highlighted by the Christ- mas Novena, a series of church services on nine nights Disoading Christmas and cu Jur Mass on Christmas e. A feature of the obser- vance is the display, usually from Christmas Eve to Epi- plsny (January 6th) of he creche or Perseplo (the word means manger or stable), a Nativity scene with more or less elaborate landscaping and figures of sheep, cattle, and shep- herds, as. well. as Mary, Festivities Representing Many Origins Joseph. and the. Christ. Child. At Epiphany, figures of the Three Kings with their retinues, bringing gifts to the Child, are added. :These Nativity scenes originated in the ti century with Saint Francis of Assisi, who decided to make the Christmas Eve Mass a re-enactment of the birth of Christ, and for many centuries they re- mained essentially an eccle- slastical presentation, with local churches vying for the most decorative creche. In more recent times, Nativ- ity scenes have moved in- to private homes as well. In the early years of the Christian faith, persecution made public observation of Christmas impractical, and it was not until several hundred years had passed that the birth of Christ was given an official date for celebration. It is by no means certain that Decem- ber 25th™is"thé actual anni- versary of the'birth of Jesus, but- it was an 'appropriate date for the observance. It coincided with the Winter Solstice celebrations of long standing throughout the northern world, with the Roman - Saturnalia, 'and with the Jewish Hannukah, Festival of Lights, providing a firm historical base, fa- miliar to everyone in the minating in a Mid- rteenth ZAMPOGNA AND CENNAMELLA are played by Italians dressed as shepherds in front of the Christmas manger at the Piazza Navona in Rome. Similar to a bagpipe, and made of sheepskin, the zampogna was used in the days of ancient Romans. The cenna- mella is a small flute. In a'custom now fast disappearing, bagpipers from mountains of the Abruzzi and Latium come to Rome to play traditional tunes at the start of the Christmas season celebration, usually on November 29, the day commencing the Novena of the Immaculate Conception. Photo courtesy Italian State Tourist Office. then-known world, for a major festival, EARLY CUSTOMS It is not surprising, there- fore,. that many "customs derived from earlier cele- brations have become a part of the Christmas observ- -ance. in Italy. The coming of the Winter Solstice, marking the beginning of longer days, was observed Ain pre-Christian times by the decoration of houses with greens, and this cus- tom, taking on added signi- ficance as a symbol of the rebirth of hope in the com- ing of Christ, is observed in Italy with sprigs of holly and mistletoe, Similarly, the seasonal giving of gifts, already traditional in the Roman custom of giving branches - GRE CONWAY | The days of yesteryear live on with every new Christmas season. May you enjoy your holidays with that good-old-time happy spirit. NS GARDENS picked in the grove of the goddess Strenia was appro- priately converted to the giving of "Strenne," Christ- mas or New Year's presents, . following the later tradition of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ-Child and sym- bolizing the gifts to man- kind brought by Jesus' birth. CHRISTMAS TREE ORIGIN The Christmas tree, which originated in Ger- many, has come slowly into popularity in Italy, espe- cially in the north, but it had its forerunner, espe- cially around Florence, in the Ceppi, or Christmas pyr- amids, composed of shelves of various sizes fixed to a pole. (The word "ceppo" means tree trunk and, by usage, a Christmas gift). On the shelves were placed decorations of greens and small toys and presents. It is possible that the ceppo may have been a replacement for the Yule log. But the burning of the Yule log, another custom of pre-Christian origin, is not unknown in Italy, where there is the pleasant legend that the Virgin Mary enters the homes of the humble at midnight, when the household is at Mass, to warm her newborn Child before the blazing log. ITALY FOCAL POINT The fact that Italy con- tained the capital of the Roman world and, as a logical result, the head- quarters of the Christian Church, has given Christ- mas in Italy a particularly rich observance. Warm Christmas Wishes A sleigh full of cheery wishes is coming your way! Have a very merry Christmas Day! Our gratitude for your support. » 27) % RENNER Fie fod . ) X rs IRR IRENE AS. BETAS x . lg ia ia hdmi dd sini I 4 PORT PERRY STAR -- CHRISTMAS EDITION 1974 -- 15 CHRISTMAS Cioy peace at heart and hearth for Christmas. Warm thanks. Israeli Project Creates Biblical Zoo A grassy 10,000 acres in the Negev, 25 miles from Eliat, has been transformed into a veri- table "Noah's Park" call- ed the Hai Bar which, in Hebrew, means wild life preserve. Breeding herds of most of the 120 ani- mals mentioned in the Bible have been collected and pastured here. il AD wishing you lots of joy and laughter to remember all year. Richard's Beauty Studio JOHN "Hello" to our many friends and neighbors who have done much to make the past year a memorable one for us, we thank you most heartily. 74 " Su [4 rd . = TT cami ---- IH] = (im NITE hdl BALLARD LUMBER AND STAFF WT se TE pA AR Lr R ---- \ TT ACTA Nv CK pn. RR cr Fe