Show new years day L in the long ago gona ONG years ago the who lived in a groat great man different places in the world were very much interested in now new years yeara day lust just as we are and they did dad many things in honor of the day exactly as we do they feasted and decorated their houses and churches and at 12 they were very particular to show in some way that they were rejoicing that another year had begun not all of these people celebrated new years on the same day the ancient romans used to have their new years day in march then they changed to january and a largo large part of tho the rest of 0 the world followed them the jewish people have another day and the chinese and japanese thol still another but whenever tho day falls according io to their special calendar there is always a very important of it the druids druies who were the priests of england before the christian religion was taken into great britain also celebrated new years day T they hey were very interesting and very strange people these druids druies and according to what one reads about them in history one always imagines them as wearing beautiful white robes obes and having tall magnificent fig ures es and flowing floring white beards and hair at any rate they always wore white robes on new years day for that was the day when they cut down the sacred mistletoe for the druids druies think that mistletoe was only a pretty green vine they believed it to be a ml ra culous growth velch would prevent people from being harmed by poisonous food or drink on that day a particularly largo large handsome druid v with I 1 th glistening white beard and hair and rather cold gi geay ay eyes drius always had cold gray eyes we believe and clothed clothe most beautifully in white would climb the oak tree on which the mis toetoe grew and cut it down with a golden olden sickle ile he take it in zis hiis tiis hand because they con sider that respectful enough to the sacred mistletoe which could do such wonderful things instead he be would catch it in a pure white cloth and climb carefully down the tree with it t after this an altar would be erect ed cd and white bulls and prayers offered then the community felt that tor for the following year they would have all the good uck luck possible you see in those days new years celebrations were mere very serious things and all of the core ceremonies attending them were religious I 1 4 ringing in the he new year unpleasant sounds for tho the old man |