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Show I5MERY COUNTY PROCESS. CASTLE DALE. UTAH VSV " U ll 'f &X-,"C- Joe's S) By ELMO SCOTT WATSON t'UINCJ all the mituries that have elnpsed since the birth of Christ gave to whnt are now known as the Christian nations of the world the occasion for celebrating one day lu each year In honor of Him. there have become nssochtted with that day a host of symbols, traditions and customs, contributed by the various countries, which have made It, more perhaps than any other red letter day on our calendars, an international holiday. Wo Americans are somewhat prone to .place Christmas In the same category with the distinctively American holidays of Fourth of July, Memorial day. and Thanksgiving day, without always realizing that we nre only one of the many peoples who are celebrating it. It is a curious fact, too. that associated with this "Christian holiday" are many symbols and traditions of pagan origin The date itself. December 25 (which is now universally" accepted as the birthday of Christ, although there is no exact historical record to establish that olrthdny). is derived from many sources, all antedating the Christian era by many centuries. In fact the historic background for that date Is the earliest period In. the history of mankind, dating as It does from the time when primitive man first began to recognize the phenomena of the changing seasons In relation to his own life. One of these was the winter solstice on December 21 which was observed with festivity In Persia, China and Egypt li ancient times In some parts of Chinn they still hold a thanksgiving feast on December 21 without knowing the reason for it The ancient Egyptians ate goose (the historical precedent for the Christmas goose or turkey of the present day! for dinner in honor of the winter solstice. It is t curio is coincidence that the symbol for goose In the Egyptian hieroglyphics is he same as the symbol for child, so tttm there !' something of an analogy In the Egyptian celebration of the wintei solstice and the Christian cele bration of Christmas in honor of the Christ child. In' ancient Rome the winter solstice was also celebrated, because when the shortest day of the year was over and the December sun began to climb its upward course, the Romans thrilled to the promise of coming spring. The festival they held was In honor of their god Saturn and at that time they prepared a feast which the called the Saturnalia. There were gifts and merrymaking and banquets of true Roman magnificence and their temples were decorated with llowers and green branches. Unde the reign of 'he Caesars d were licensed to dine slaves were liberated their with masters; prisoners were not punished for their misdeeds and war never was declared. Truly it was a time of "peace on earth, good will to men." When the Romans Invaded Britain they brought with them their customs and found that the cele-bra- ' ion of the Saturnalia was somew.iat similar to a celebration held at approximately the same time by the pagan Britons, especlal'y those 01 the Druid priesthood. In these rites the mistletoe, which was held sacred oy the Druids was cut from the sacred oak with a golden sickle by the prince of the Druids. Later when tht mistletoe was hung In the farmhouses the young men had the privilege of kissing the girls under it. plucking, at each kiss, a berry from the spray. When the berries were all plucked, kissing time was over So It was from these pagan Druids thai we re reived the mistletoe as a symbol of Christmas, as we did also the custom of burning the Yule log The Scandinavians, from whom we get some of our Christmas customs, also had the Yule log and burtved Yule tires in the night In honor of Ttior 'the thunder god The Yule log has survived as one of the principal features of the modern English observance of Christmas and around It has grown up a number of traditions or superstitions of Its own. In northern England it Is believed tha if a person comes squinting person or a Into the bouse while the log is burning It Is an omen of bad luck. They also put away the brand remaining from th lule log very carefully for us.' bare-fo..te- d In lighting the Yule log on next year's Christmas fire. Just how all of these customs came to be associated with the Christian holiday, celebrated in honor of the birth of Christ, cannot be definitely determined, for t lie merging of customs of different races nnd nations is such a gradual one that It Is impossible to assign definite dates for the origin of many traditions. The early Christians frowned upon the pagnn ceremonies held at the time of the winter solstice, yet they could not prevent their Invasion of their own holy days. In the earliest The First Christmas fJTn Dabfo'ss at WO weeks before Christmas, Joe was elated to be offered a new job, a real position this time. For five years, since he was thirteen, he ' days of the Christian era Epiphany, January 6, the dny Christ was supposed to have been baptized, was observed 'y the followers of the new religion and eventually the observance of December 25 as Christmas grew out of a sort of compromise between Epiphany, January 6, and December 21. the day of the winter solstice and the high holiday of the pagans. Gradually the Christian Christmas began to replace the pagan festivals nnd the principal holiday of the wintei season began to he observed on December 25. However, a part of the Greek church still observes January 0. ignoring December 25. while the Russians, of their adherence to the Julian calendar observe Christmas some IS days later than do other peoples. Although the first observance of December 25 as Christmas has been lost in obscurity, it is said that Julian 1 bishop of Rome from 337 to 352 A. D., established the festival at, Rome some time between those two dates and It Is probable that by the Fifth century the date was pretty well established throughout the Christian orld. King Arthur Is believed to have held the first Christmas day festival in Britain in the city of York in 521 A. D. Tills festival lasted for several days and so appealed to his people that it became an annual custom. It was about this time. too. that the association of the mixture of Druid and Roman symbols and traditions began to appear in the Christmas celebrations The Christians saw with alarm the association of what they considered heathenish rites with their own ceremonies but they were powerless to check the growth of the alien Influences and the importance of the festival gradually grew until there occurred an event which seemed to the Christians a lust rebuke for the increasing importance of the pagan tradi tions. In S7S Kina Alfred was holding high revelry on Christmas day when he was surprised by 'he Danes, his army cut to pieces and he himself be came a fugitive. In 1223 there was an important Christmas cele bration staged by St. Francis of Assisl In a erotto near Greocio In the Ahrnzzi mountains of Italy There was a pageant at midnight, portraying the Nativity, nnd Thomas of Celano. who was among the worshippers, writes ihat they saw a smiting babe appear In the arms of St. Francis as he bent over the manger. The report of Iiis miracle spread over the land and a convent was built there to commemorate it. Giotto painted a picture of the incident and this celebration and this picideas ture did much to give us our present-daof the Nativity of Christ. By the early Middle ages. Christmas had become the greatest of the annual festivals and, although In some countries, notably England, the pagan elements of the celebration still existed, for the most part the Christian element was emphasized. Churches were decorated and plays concerning the Nativity were given. Carols were sung in the streets and images of the Virgin and Christ were carried about from house to house. There was feasting and merrymaking, too, as well as religious 'eremonles. In the England of Shakespeare's time the Christmas festivities were ery elaborate, lasting mtll Twelfth day, Epiphany and during this So the time- there was no work of any kind. "Merrle Christmas" of O'.d England became estab tished. Then came the period of the Puritans whose straight laced Ideas gave them a keen distaste for Christmas festivities, especially those In which the pagan elements were most evident. So they prevailed upon parliament to prohibit such celebrations and Christmas was made a day of fasting and prayer instead of a day of feasting and fun. But after the Restoration the old cele y ft brations came back, somewhat subdued for awhilv, but eventually rather similar to what they had been before. If the "Merrie Christmas" of Old England with its Yule logs, mistletoe, holly, cheery Christinas carols, Christmas cards, plum puddings and mince pies and all of the other elements which combine to make it a season of gayety, have served to change the original character of the ho'iday, it is equally true that other countries have contributed other traditions which help make it a Joyous season. Germany has contributed the Christ.nas tree and Martin Luther is said to have been the first to set up a Christmas tree in that country Holland has contributed the jolly old Santa Claus as the symbol of cheerful giving and the custom of hang ing up Christmas stockings in which he is to put his gifts. The latter is an outgrowth of the custom of the Dutch children of placing their wooden shoes in the chimney corner on St. Nicholas eve (December C) when the spirit of the good St Nicholas (they called him Sinterklaas. which later became Santa Claus) made his rounds and left is gifts for them. This custom of hanging up stock ings is also said to have originated in Russia In east Russia, among tlip from two custom?. peasantry, there1 was a custom whereby a young girl discovered through divination whom she would have for her husband and the traditional formula in tliis custom was "Come and take my stockings off." Among the professional classes parents placed money in the stockings of their children rt marriage as a gift for the otl.ei partner. Although ilolland Is usually credited with being he contributor of Sinta Claus. as a matter of fact, this symbol of Christmas is a composite ?haracter and under a variety of names he is a legacy from a number of nations. In Holland he is Sinterklaas. or San Nicolaas; In Germany he Is Kriss Kringle, a derivation from Krist Kindli the Christ Child : nnd In France he is Ronhomme Noel or Pere Noel. Father '"hristmns. And In Italy, the children believe that he has a companion on his annual trip, a sort of Mrs. Santa Claus whom they know as La Befana. probably n modification of Hie Italian word for Epiphany But It must not be supposed that any one of the Christmas customs has been contributed hy any one country exclusively. In nearly all of the Christmas traditions there are contributions from several nations and every country claims a share in most of them. America, the youngest of all nations, has Inherited its Christmas customs from all of them, but it has, so we believe, improved upon many and contributed one or two of its own The principal one, of course. Is the Christmas tur key, for the turkey Is But as evi dence of the fact that Christmas Is truly an International holiday, consider these words of on writer on the history of Christmas: "We eat the Egyptian's goose It may have changed to a turkey In Americaas a sacrifice to the sun, thev tell us. We hang the mistletoe of the Druids burn the Yule log of the Nordic pagans. Holly." some authorities say, is our own, symbolizing the crown of thorns the Christ wore to Golgotha. The red berries are drops of blood. We drink the wassail bowl, some of us, handed to our Hps by the Vikings. We decorate the sacred oak which, by the grace of St Boniface, is an evergreen Wt await the coming of the Germanic Santa Claus for our gifts. And we chant peace on earth good wlU to all men,' which, after all is .the tnosf important." had worked for a photographer and was earning only sixteen dollars a week. It seemed to him that he would remain at that humble wage the rest of his life if he did not get out and do something right away. At eighteen a boy should be making good if he is ever going to at least so Joe thought and with a sick father and two younger brothers to help support, he really needed more. So when a competitive firm offered him twenty-fiv- e dollars a week, he jumped at the bigger opportunity and resigned his old place. But Joe was no slacker and although he was "getting through" on Saturday night, the Saturday before Christmas, and though he had to be at his new place bright and early Monday morning, he stuck by his post with his former employer until ail the "proofs" were out. That meant hours of slavery, for in the photographic world, the practically whole year's business is done between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and everconnected yone with It has to buckle down to work, nights as well as days. Thursday, Friday nnd Saturday nights, none of the men went to bod at all. At five In the morning they would skip over to a Turkish bath for a plunge, and recline on the divans for an hour. But seven o'clock found them back at the studio, developing, drying and retouching negatives, making proofs, and getting them mailed to customers. There can be no loafing on such n job as all the work must be done to order in a short tiuie, and cannot be stocked up. Joe showed his pluck in sticking w th the gang, for the work was hard and no extra recompense went with it. He knew the extra work his pals would have to do If he should quit, and so for them he stuck it out. Such is the Christmas spirit In the shops, behind the scenes, where Christmas joy Is made for others overnight, and tired comrades s'and in line, too courageous, and loving to desert each other proud, though muscles ache and home ties call. Joe did not have to stay, but did and no extra pay except the satisfactiongotnc if all when at ten o'clock Sunday morn. "s me worn was finished. At lunch time Monday noon Miss Meechcm of the studio found Joe standing on a street corner and oioppea to talk with him "How do you like your new place?" she asked. "I haven't one," he said. And then toton of JScnjteijcm, HanH ot Subea. far atoap, Qabftftf caue in the olb fcijin. horn our Xort, that Cfjtisto das Baj, far oft toton of Jktljlcijem, jaitfj rtbse of hills anii cliffs iotoljiti, &o stiangclp faboreo tohett fje came, J3p ansjels, fceraloeo, at mgfjt. pother iflarp. girl o fair, Smona all otljct tnomen blest, , GHjo tljcrr, tofjtre animals tocte ium& Sjtto Jesua to pour lobtng breast JBeponb the sate of Bethlehem iSSihjitt green pastures &priatt tier BJere hiafcheb ht SheuIicrbS, lotolp men, Kites. iHfjom angels toabeneb from tjcir tort Chep came not from proub $croo' laijo heart the netos on that cjreai IBut lotolt sheofierbS batching flocfe, Klho gain the great fetar point tfjetaf. nrtarh th rrnni-- I to the BOOT. J?e eame cur Sabior, ttjnst ow Chen let us, humtlp, boitjS raise, IFn 3nb , one kcmi Sing hi praise toil!) &t. HoutS W in answer to her further queries, he m Joe was never anofl ed, "The beasts! They said after Just boy had come last Monday I left there, and as he could begin" once they took him on, aao noevery place for me. I've leen to m in town, and no one wants me It is too late, for after cunsimw B have no more work. I don't what I'll do." o"Do!" exclaimed Miss aiee-tO tM .... ..r. hopt :i,f " "L0 1 VVIiy, COUie I'fc'oover-talkativ- - ' stuuiu where J old mP. Tie! iPinne. need T7n yoa them VOU 1111S9 ribly you five, but teen and pay thin tf" twentr ' l belt Is than this trea ery They a" beasts one No could Have draSSea bacK i ... withstand her arguments, minutes later Joe was i" his former employer. tint t an . Mr. Bangs was abuse the boy had bad, one1 p J(( competitor on the phone Ttt first he w1 ,i t. OUt tO W0H, BO ,v.nt "" boy " thing!'1 not hear the complimentary had to say, nor the abusive that he used to his competetor he slipped out of the studio u minutes and later that day a an delivered at Joe's dear m terious package, plainly to be opened until Christmas. Joe did not have an but his job was permanent, MS " Claus had delivered at ! than better tilings wltt 1 bought himself even to T pay that he had hoped (O, 1927. W-t- cra K.wsp.P" & |