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

EE TRACING RIGIN _~ OF SEASON'S CUSTOMS That Like Town | EEE : ha Born " i Who Chris Lord." I a King Arthur Supposed to Have Celebrated the First: Christmas in : 2 A A Cad In Bethlehem Was 8 Saviour is t the : |) England by a Festival in York in 521; Peacocks Instead of Turkeys Evergreens Long 2 i? o . Sy am . A : wd Fy , . : : SRT £ ov : ; : 5% ) $ « ; Wl + . 3 Tes / F umming Old King Arthur is 'supposed to have 0) Used In Decoration Ne 511 "a a : celebrated = the first Christmas in Holly. Mistl oe aad I A bi York Custom England by a festival held in the © y, Mistletoe and Ivy Appear fi ; city of York in 521, and which lasted Throughout History i =) >> = several days. By the Middle Ages ) ree Ar £ What Remains of St. George / Living Christmas Tree the Christmas festivals had become There is a custom that time has ki x Plays, Early Form of English (By Florence Steiner in "Toy the most popular of celebrations. rot greatly changed, and that is the sy at : Drama Balloons.") The became extremely elaborate in decking of Butish homis With sver A 5 " t . Hear the merry Christmas bells Shakespearsie time, = LosRsions gross y lh hp ae ee 3 3 O01 all the quaint old Christmas As they chime, ag they chine, bai EE MEI WE: 1 sign, has died out very considerably, hE customs which have not yet been for- Adding to the joy and mirth this hi 'there was no work of ! ' In "Poor Richard's Almanac" there Bethlehem or: t'he House of Bread, | gotten, none is more interesting than Of the Christmas time. i. Acandt naaple. save theureeires is a carol. The last verse reads: ~ wag more unciently known as Eph: |the mumming which is given every Listen to their message clear Wt EO \ "With holly and ivy § os rath or Fruitful, but in modern times | year in some of the villages in York- It is heard both far and near, pir oh ° Be burely. rellalios obe So green and so gay, is. called. Beit-lahm or "House of |ghire, Telling us In tones so gay iT The Disa te a J We deck up our houses 5 Flesh." ; With blackened faces grinning un- This is Christmas day. o h : r oo ha All three names are significant to |der paper caps, some altdon of memoration of the oAuiy » is i Christmas S rit Eh Foi ML ity $ | Ir Christians whose interest in it arises | the village boys make their way from Hear the merry Christmas bells teresting to trace the origin o py " F t And laurel conipioat Ro | ». from the tremendous fact that in that | house to house. Trooping into the As they swing, as they swing. of the customs and objects 30 ¢her- Importan acior a ps ' i ; ei little town was born Him Who was | oom where the family is - sitting, Making all the world. rejoice Shading Wis geasan, Bonin \. rightly called "The Bread of Life;" Who was to be :the fruitful Head of a new race, widespread as the world itself; and Who was there born in W human' flesh, though the Almighty ~~ Son of God. | : Its history was by no means all bright -and holy. Jacob hurrylug along. with a deathly sick wife, was compelled to halt nearby, whilo his J greatly beloved Rachel gave birth to the little Benjamin, and then in he. husband's arms died there. . Her > grave is still marked by # rough stone monument! . 1 It was In Bethlehem that the young Levite lived, who Micah hired ---- to be his chaplain. and with whom is 'connected the tragic story in the last chapters of the book of Judges. The terrible tale of wrong doing and reprisals came perilously near to the destroying of the whole tribe of pen- Jamin, within whose limits Rethlenem was. situated. Thither came the wicow, Naomi, and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, - the Moabitess, mourners, bereft of all 'they - held dear. There the young - . Widow. Ruth was wedded to. her "wealthy kinsman, Boaz, thereby be- coming great-grandmother of the Psalmist-King David, and also one ef __ the progenitors of the Christmas King, the Lord and Saviour of Man- kind : . Rehoboam, son of Solomon, made a fortified 'city of Bethlehem (2 Chronicles XI. 16) and later a fam- ous - khan (corresponding to our hotel "was built there protably by "Chimhain, son of Barzillai the Gilea- dite who befriended David (2 Samuel . XVII) when in trouble and was --named-after him- (Jeremiah XL1, 17). : This khan appears to have been a "place where caravans were made up for long journeys, and it was from thence that the rebellious Jews, dis- regarding _God's orders, set off for Egypt, carrying the prophet Jere miah with them. It may have been _that-same khan; or in New Testament terms that inn, at which Joseph and 'Mary (Luke II) applied for lodging, but could. find no other accommoda. tion-than a stable in "a grotto under, or neur it wherein to spend the first of all Christmas Eves, although they _ were both of royal descent, descend- ants of King David himself! "That poor stable became the most famous bed-chamber in the whole world, for.there amidst the cattle was born the holy Baby, Who was God, the Creator of all things, clothed in mortal flesh, and that He might be- tome the Saviour of all who wished it from their sins! >. To the stable came the shepherds called away from their sheep-folds by a herald in the heavens, accompunied by singing choirs of angels, who made the thrilling ' momentous announce- ment: "Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour Who is Christ the Lord" (Luke III), ~ Countless thousands have knelt in sacred worship before that most holy ag) shrine, once "a lowly cattle shed," § the only shelter this evil world could Re jrovide for its Maker, Redeemer and ing, when in pitying love and tender saving mercy He came to visit it, at the Christmas tide! the: enact a strange scene. Fiercely brandishing wooden swords, they all rush upon one boy, reciting verses of which the meaning appears ts be un- known both to performers anc audi- ence. Suddenly this boy falls as though' dead. His vanquishers gloat over him, they bow, and file out of tke room. The vanquished one then gets up sheepishly, bows, and follows the rest. This old Christmas custom embodi- es all that now remains of one of the earliest forms of English drama, the St. George plays. These plays were originally performed on the feast of the national saint, but in course of time they became. attracted to the bigger festival of Christmas. At first their theme was St. George's fight with the dragon, but ir later versions many other characters were introduced, and St. George was killed and reised to life again by-a character called the Doctor. It is undoubtedly this play which the Yorkshire boys enact each Christmas, though they may not realize it. The saint's re- vival has been forgotten, so that in the modern version the unfortunate St. George has to get up and get out rather lamely, _ The wooden swords are derived from the still older sword dances which were incorporated into the St. George plays, while the blackened faces are a legacy of the old Morris ) dance, which in these festivals was frequently confused with che sword dances. In the original Morris dances the performers always blackened their faces, from which. fact it has been thought that th: dance got its name of Morris from the Moors or the Blackamoors, who introduced it into Europe. It would be interesting to know ex- actly what the modern performers of this very ancient play really say. The words, when account has been taken of the inaccuracies and changes of pronunciation, would probably be found to be those which were com- posed by some minstrel, or perhaps. by 'a parish priest, for a St. George play, as early or even earlier than the thirteenth century. Such words were never written down, and so in the course of centuries may well have become, the ' anintelligible babble laughed at every Christmas. Queer Christmas Dishes of the Past Roarted Badgers Seasonal Dish in Somerset--Boar's Head Served at Oxford, A badger, roasted. before an open fire, was the chief dish at a Christ- mas Eve dinner eaten in an ancient 'hostelry at Ilchester, Somerset.. Bad. gor ham was once regarded as a dell: cacy, and Ilchester's "badger feast," as it is called, has been held every With the news they bring. "Peace on earth, good will to men" Sound o'ei all the earth again And we with glad voices sing "Glory to the new-born King." Old Christmas Carol Here we come. a-waissailing, Among the leaves so green, Here we come a-walssailing, So fair to be seen. Christmas for many years past. Slices were cut from the joints as they hung. before the bar fire. The guests washed down the badger with strong ale, which should, according to tradition, be served in horn cups. Boar's head, the true Yuletide dish in Britain, is always served at the Love and joy come to you, And to your waissail, too, Christmas Day dinner held annually at Queen's College, Oxford. The rea: son given for the survival of the cus- tom at Oxford is that it commemor- .ates the escape of a medieval uhder- graduate from a wild boar. The un. dergraduate was walking abroad conning his Aristotle, when the boar rushed at him open-mouthed. With a loud ery of "Graecum est," the stu- dent thrust the volume down the throat of the monster, which, choked by the tough morsel, then and there 'expired. The frills and mistletoe with which the boar's head was decorated were distributed among the choris- ters The brawn should, by right, be sent to the King. At this banquet also strong ale was practically the only drink to be ser- ved, Under the injunctions of the founder the liquor must =be- brewed on the College premises by its own servants, acting under the super- vision of the steward of the week and" the treasurer's clerk. The gra: vity of the ale could only be indi- cated by a whole row of "X's." It is, in-fact, go potent that it is sipped as a liqueur. Mulled ale, concocted with cloves, sugar, nutmeg and beaten egg and served with dry toast was brewed according to a recipe at least two hundred years old ata Shrews- bury hotel where Paganini, the vio- linist, once performed. God send .you happy, God send you happy, God send you a happy New Year! We are not daily beggars, That beg from door to door, But 'we are neighbors' children Whom you have seen before, We have got a little purse Made of stretching leather skin, We want a little of your money To line it well within, Re. God "bios the -master of this house. Likewise the mistress, too. And all your loving children That around the table go. .-- Ye Christmas Tree * While some very justly deplore the wholesale slaughter: of milliois | of young spruce and cedar each year, the delightful German custom of the Christmas tree will doubtless linger on for many years yet. The wide world knows a tree, full strong, And fairer yet than each and all; More worthy of the minstrel's song In cottage low or princely hall. The Christmas tree whose thought of love. The popular myth of Santa Claus entering sleeping homes by way of the chimney seems to have arisen fyom the custom among the early English of cleaning their chimneys on New Year's Day so that luck could descend and remain all year. For many years Santa found only woad- en shoes awaiting him in the chim- ney corners, but as tho wise little heads found that stockings held more, the shoes were displaced. Santa would leave no gifts unless he saw th little shoes or stockings all in a row by the fireplace and so knew that the children were tucked away in bed. Evidently this myth was in- vented by some parents of long ago for their own convenience, and it spread rapidly. Laurel was used in olden days in England at Christmas time in imi- tation of the ancient Romans to whom laurel stood for peace, joy and victory. A house decorated with laurel indicates that Christ had en- 'tered there. Gradually the laurel was replaced in popular esteem. by the holly and ivy. Christmas Trees B Many legends have been written on the origin of the Christmas tree. One popular German tale makes St. Winfrid the orig.nator of the idea. Another credits it to Martin Luther. Tne development of the Christmas tree tradition, resulting probably from many vague stories anc cus- toms from d'ffcrent countries, was most marke. in Germany. A (er man manuscript of 1608 fers to the tree as a regular feature of the Christmas season. It arrived in Eng- Jand at a much later date and in fact, did not become a regular English institution until the time of the mar- ringe of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert, who popularized the custom. Mention is made in the momoirs of Greville of trees being used in Christ- mas celebrations in 1520 at a fete given in honor of Henry VIII It reads: "Three trees, in great pots, were put upon a long table covered with pink linen." One writer describes the custom of gift giving in olden days as follows: "In Old England St. Stephen's Day was - chiefly celebrated under the name of Boxing Day---not for pubil- istic reasons, but because on that day it was the custom for persons in the humbler walks of life to go the rounds with a Christmas box and solicit money from patrons and em- ployers. Hence the phrase "Christ- mas box" came to signify gifts made at this season, even after the boxes themselves had gone out of use. Is king in conceit." Holly and ivy were largely used in church decorations, but mistletoe was not often found in any sacred edifice, as the old clergy looked upon it with great disfavor, since the Druids had used it in their rites. The Druids ca'led "all-heal" and it was laid on their altars as an em- G.own-Ups Lay Aside Dignity On Joyous Occasi What is the Christmas "spirit?" It consists of many things. [irst, or this should be first, the gentle influence of the Holy Child who gave us the greatest uplift of soul the world has ever known. Peace, ser- blem of the "salutiferous advent of viceiand forgiveness, faith, hope and Messiah," according to the "Medallic love. ' | History of Carausis." It is spelt Second, is the more materialistic "mistletoe." The cutt'ng of the sentiment of gifts and gaiety, sec-| mistletoe was carried out with great rets and shopping. | . ~~ !'ceremony. The bards walked first, Actually it is a relief to every singing canticles and hymns, a herald grown-up to lay aside hi: dignity and preceding three Druids with imple- slip out of his responsiblp mantle of ments for the purnose. Then follow- office. gio [ed the Prince of the Driuds, accom- Parents. need no longer play a panied by all the people. He mounted role. If Dad gets gay and foolish the vak, and, cutting the "mistletoe" and works the street vendor's jump. | with a golden sickle, presente. it to ing-jack, or nudges the bank manager the other Druids, who took it with and hands him a somer-saulting-' great respect, and on the first day turtle to wind up, neither of them of the year distributed it among the need to feel ashamed or look over people as a sacred and holy plant, their shoulder to see of the Roard of Church decorsution is very old. In Directors is near. The chance. are! old church calendars Christmas Eve that the Board of Direclors are, each is marked "Templa exornatur. How- and every one of them, enjoying .t! ever this may be, the greatest charm relapse inte childhood in one way or of Christmas is the decorated church, another themselves. . Mother's Pepped Up, Too work. She gets up a bit earlier, filled with the days' plans, because some- days, looking ahead as she used to. And she wants her family to fee! he same way she used to feel. Pernaps she pretends to be tired plains about her back or rough hands; but inside' she is humming with the spirit of Christmas The children ure happy, exceed: ingly happy, but you'd never guess why. We bave missed part of the answer if we think it is Santa Claus and a tree and stockings. : Break For Children The other half is this: Cveryone around them, including mother and daddy, have become 'almost,' It not quite, children-like themselves It » just about the only time of the rear that the big. top-heavy grown-up world gives them, a break. People suddenly become child minded and act and think like boys and girls. A common ground is reached. [he child finds himsel' king instead of pawn. He is not being olayed down to because he likes toys or "is just a kid." lveryone, for some strange And out tor a geod time. with duty and routine in the background Through the year. chi'dren feel that the world stoops to them. and they are forever looking up. everybody is waisthigh, and all the same ice, The spirit of Christmas is mul- tiple, and good for all men. Appetite in Ye Olden Days A report from the year 1690 gives us an idea of the huge quantities of food which in those days people were able to eat. A party of 50 men consumed at one dinner 12 capons, eight turkeys,: two hens, 18 par- tridges, 33 pounds of veal, 20 pounds of .beef, 10 pounds of sausages, not to mention vegetables, sweets, cheese and fruit. ~All- kinds of spices, especially pepper, were highly favored and used, or better, abused in such quan. tities that people's breath often "reeked like a dispensary." Those people did not eat for the sole pur- pose of keeping themselves alive." and com- | reason, has become toy-minded, toq,. Now | the power which makes a man sde beyond the bare walls of (he chuich Mother feels a peculiar elevation and which carries him bark through of spirit, with added zest for life and the ages to worship with the shep- herds at the manger cot in Beth'e- hem Christmas without it: relig aus observance:, for all the feasting, thing mystical is at work within her. gaiety and rejoicing, vould long ago She is back in her own pre-Christm.s have passed away. Feasting Cuctoms Christmas in England has always been a great occasion for drinking and feasting. In fact, an Italiar proverb says of a busy man, thal "He has more to do than the ovens in England at Christmas." In old England they had many Cdishes whith we sodom hea of now | There was frumenty, a dish made of "I wheat which is stil sometimes served in Yorkshire, ale posset, Shropshire "wigs," and carroway buns dipped in ale. = Yule doughs or dows were eaten everywhere, and in Coventry . they made their famous Godecalie. Tansy, too, was a favorite dish. This was made with eggs and cream, flavored with the juice of tansy, an extremely bitter, aromatic herb. In addition there was Christmae brawn, connynges in gravy, and a host of dishes that have since died out. Christmas was never a national festiva' in Scotland. tut at this period of the year 'new sowens were always eaten. These were made from the husks and <iftings of oatmeal mixed with molasses, ani to all ac. ° counts were delicious, When Did It Beg'n? The earliest celebration of the birth of - Christ on December 25th of each year took place in the fourth century. and the custom spread from the Western to the Eastern Church. | Before that date the commemoration | of Christ's Nativity and Baptism was i held on January 6th. The first ,1en- | tion of Christmas is found in a Roman document known as the "Philocalizn Calendar in the year = i 364, and the first time the femival was celebrated in Britain was in 698, when St. Augustine baptized 10,000 converts, In the year. 567 the Council of Tours Ac~lared a 12-day festival from Christmas to Epiphany, and later = 991-1016--the laws of Ethelred or- dained that all strife should (case at Christmas. [In Germany, Christ- mas was etablished in 813 by the Synod of Mainz, and in Norway by King Hakon the Good, in the year 960. 3 A = ant TN SERA BS ST pA Le ro - on CR ens Na" LAr inate An aca, ---- An ~~"