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Show r . r Yuletide messages of love, reverence, hope, reflected in customs from around the world ' The music of carols fills the air, ringing in the brisk December afternoon. The sun, setting early, touches innumerable shaggy evergreens and buildings decked for Christmas with its pinkening ' rays, endowing them with a misty, almost mystical appearance Its Christmas eve, and stores are bustling with shoppers, searching yet for the perfect present for the special people in their lives. Back at home, a sense of merriment prevails as fireplaces are hung with garlands of greenery, and Christmas trees adorned with a variety of dazzling ornaments family heirlooms, glistening metallic balls, candy canes stripped of their plastic wrappings. Upstairs, in a secret place, mom and dad play Santa Claus, and put the final wrappings on the presents. Later, after the children are asleep, they will file silently downstairs, arms overflowing with brightly decorated packages and a multitude of items meant to fill the row of stockings hanging from the mantel. These are the elements of the contemporary American Christmas, a time of merriment for all and more crucially a time of joy, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Some people believe that the true importance of the holiday is disguised by the glitter and the plenty of its manifestations. Most, however, see the many ways of celebrating Christmas as an outpouring of good will and fellowship, an occasion to enjoy and, even more important, to give to friends, to family, and especially to people unpleasure known: the needy who benefit from Christmastime generosity, the lonely who can enjoy Christmas too, thanks to the thoughtfulness of people they have never met. . Virtually every country on the globe has a different way of cel ebrating this important holiday, and all of them merry or seare reflections of its joyfulness. rene In Italy, the presepio, or creche, is the focus of much care and love, as elaborate manger scenes are constructed by eager hands. the manger itself, Everything is put in place on Christmas eve the animals, the angels, the shepherds, Joseph and Mary. But, it is not till Christmas morning that the tiny figure of the infant Jesus is placed lovingly in the crib, traditionally by the mother of the house. In Germany, the country that gave the world the Christmas tree, the tree is the natural center of activity. The mother of the . te house is responsible for trimming it, and absolute secrecy prevails till she has completed her task. For weeks prior to Christmas, she has been baking a vast assortment of cookies in decorative shapes some are used as ornaments for the tree; more are eaten by the happy household. In Poland, the Star of Bethlehem shines its rays over the Christmas festivities, a sign of the end of the Advent fast and the beginning of Christmas feasting. A Star Man and Star Boys pay each household a visit after supper has ended. Garbed in elaborate costumes, they orchestrate the Christmas eve activities, with the Star Man quizzing the children on the catechism, and giving them small gifts as reward for good performance, while the Star Boys regale the household with carols. In Mexico, the poinsettias add brilliance to the Christmas festivities; its bright red and green leaves contribute to Mexicans sense of it as the flower of the holy night. Besides the poinset-tithe other uniquely Mexican contribution to Christmas celebrations is the pinata, a hollow vessel shaped like an animal or person, often fantastical, which is filled with a multitude of toys and candy. The children of the house are each blindfolded in turn, and given a stick with which to break the pinata. When one of them succeeds, they all share the favors that come tumbling out of a, it. ; J have indulged in at one time or another. As the Christmas season rolls around, J fellows vie to hang the sprig of mistletoe from doorways, somewhat hidden from view, only to surprise an unsuspecting young lady with a kiss when she steps through the door and under the mistletoe. Like many other Christmas traditions observed in this country, kissing under the mistletoe would seem to have originated in England. Numerous variations of the custom existed there. I One instructed young men to pluck a I berry from the mistletoe bough each time ; they kissed a young lady. When all the ber- ries were gone, the kissing was over. ' In many parts of England, the Kissing Bunch was popular. This was an ex- tremely elaborate arrangement of greenery such as holly and ivy on a pair of hoops looped inside each other. Also part of the Kissing Bunch were Colored ribbons, apples, oranges and paper roses, and three dolls, representing Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph, which were hung from inside the hoops or, on occasion, arranged in a manger scene. From the bottom of the Kissing Bunch depended a sprig of mistletoe. The Kissing Bunch would be hung in j the center of a room, and all who passed under it would earn the right to seize a kiss. A related custom is practiced in Austria and the Alpine region on New Years Eve. There, the local inn is decked out in green- ery, and the main room decorated with a pine wreath hanging from the roof beams. In one corner of the room, a masked (man lurks. He is known as Sylvester, .appears old and hideous, and wears a wreath of mistletoe. Whenever a young ( ; man or woman passes under the pine wreath, it is Sylvesters privilege to leap out and plant a rough kiss on the individuals cheek. However, his reign is shortlived for at midnight he is chased away a grotesque figure of the year which is now gone. Why all this fuss about mistletoe? What legends, hid in the mists of time, have im- pressed upon this parasitic evergreen which lives upon and par- ticularly the oak, an importance of this sort? cultures have reMany vered the mistletoe. It was probably Sir James Fraziers golden bough, a central metaphor in classical mythology. In Norse mythology, too, it is of central importance, for it was with an arrow made from mistletoe that the Scandinavian hero Balder was killed. His mother, the goddess Frigga, cried passionately and, so the legend says, every one of her tears became the mistletoes white berries. In order to console Frigga for her sons death, the other Norse gods decreed that mistletoe should no longer be an independent plant, but become a parasite and, instead of being the cause of woe, should bring about good will thus was bom the custom of kissing underneath it. The Druids, the Celtic priests of Britain, revered the holy mistletoe, which grew entwined on their sacred oak, and which they believed to contain the soul of the living oak tree. According to Druidic legend the mistletoe, which grew out of the air itself, clung to die oak tree for support. At the New Year, the Druids engaged in an elaborate ceremony which centered on the mistletoe. One Druid, garbed in white, would climb an oak tree and cut down a bough of misdetoe with a golden sickle. Below the tree, to catch the mistletoe as it fell, was a white cloth, for the Druids believed that the mistletoe must never touch the ground lest it be sullied. Once this part of the ceremony was complete, two white bulls would be sacrificed, and prayers were intoned. The Druids believed that the mistletoe had great curative powers, and called it the Applied to barren animals, it would make them bear young, and it was efficacious against poisons, epilepsy, consumption and the like. It was generally hung above doorways or over the fireplace. Christian legend has it that the mistletree, was toe, originally a the wood used for the Cross. However, because of the evil purpose it served it suffered the fate of becoming a parasite, never again to live independently but always to live on another plant. Another related legend states the mistletoe, after being used for the Cross, shrank a fit punishto its lowly, shriveled state ment for the use to which it was put. However, it is its role as a tool of evil for the eventual attainment of good that gives mistletoe its place in myth and legend, and reinforces its importance in the celebration of Christmas. M f ' - In Syria, a quieter tradition of Christmas celebrations prevails. The youngest son of each household reads out loud the story of the Nativity from the Bible, surrounded by his family, who sit quiet and attentive in a courtyard lit by a myriad of flickering cana sobering reminder dles. The gates of each home are locked of past years when religious persecution resulted in all worship being conducted in secrecy. While the child reads from the Gospel, the father of the family lights a pile of wood which has been readied. The blaze is watched closely, for tradition states that the way in which it bums will reflect the familys fortune in the new year. While waiting for the fire to burn itself out, the family sings psalms; when it is burned to embers, a wish is made, and each member of the family leaps over the fires smouldering remains. A very different way of celebrating the Christmas holiday, indeed. It remains a fact that, the world over, the Christmas spirit makes itself felt in a multitude of ways. And, every one, as it should be, is an expression of joy. Mistletoe lore, traditions a Kissing beneath the mistletoe charming custom that virtually all of us All is calm, all is bright vi WHITE CHRISTMAS, as interpreted by the great 19lh century illustrator, Randolph Cn the Washington Irving classic. Old Christmas. Courtesy of Sleepy Hollow Restorations. A How much do you know about the Twelve Days of Christmas? The Twelve Days of Christmas are familiar to most people, chiefly as the raison detre of a fabulous giftfest comprising such unlikely presents as swans, geese, leaping lads, dancing ladies and the immortal partridge in its pear tree, star of in: ! numerable Christmas cards. Everyone, of course, knows Christmas Day itself (which, depending on which calendar you are using, is either the first of the Twelve Days or just prior to them), as well as Epiphany, January 6, the Twelfth Day (according to some systems of counting, the 13th), which signifies the close of the Christmas season. But how many people can recite the Holy Days which fall between the two? The concept of the Twelve Days probably originated as a Teutonic, holdover, which was seized upon by the Church as a convenient link between Christmas and Epiphany, and only a few of the days are traditionally celebrated. These lire St. Stephens Day (December 26), Strjohns Day (December 27) and Holy Innocents Day, also known as Childermas (December 28). St. Stephens Day honors the first martyr of the Christian church, who died a gruesome death by stoning in 33 A.D. Because St. Stephen is the patron saint lightning, ill health, a poor harvest and of horses, the date was considered propispoiled wine. tious for such activities as sweating and This has caused speculation among bleeding horses. sometimes to scholars that the drinking In Sweden, where the holiday was most excess! of wine on St. John's Day arose extensively observed, it was traditional for as a holdover from a pagan wine sacrifice. sometimes a great peasants to travel At any rate, wine drinking on Decemto neighboring farms to care for ber 27th was so widespread that certain each others horses on St. Stephens Day. 17th century German scholars wittily sugAlso in Sweden, St. Stephens Day was the German name gested that Weihnacht customarily celebrated with horse racing, for Christmas might well be changed to presumably a throwback to pagan purifiWeinnacht, wine night. cation rituals which were centered around Childermas, the last in this triad of holy horseback riding and races. days, marks Herod's massacre of the innoSt. John's Day is associated chiefly with cents, by which means he hoped to kill the the tradition of drinking wine which has infant Jesus. been blessed, and which was believed to It is, according to tradition, a particurender the imbiber safe from the effects of larly unlucky date. No one, if he could poison throughout the coming year. help it, would begin something on that This custom commemorates a cup of day. King Edward IV of F.ngland went so poisoned wine which St. John the Apostle far as to postpone his coronation, origidrank when challenged by a pagan priestnally scheduled for Holy Innocents Day, ess to do so as a test of Gods power. Mi; and King Louis XI of France categorically raculously, St. John drank the wine refused to transact business on that date. without ill effects, having first made the Leaving matters of state aside, housesign of the cross over it. wives in Cornwall in Southern England Variations on the theme in regions of refused to scrub their abodes on Childer-a s , and their counterparts in Europe have believers drinking consecrated wine to protect them from a wide Northamptonshire eschewed doing the assortment of ills: not only poison, but wash. dis-tan- ' Needless to say, it was not a popular date for weddings, and no one with his wits about him would consider donning new attire for the first time on Childermas. Customarily, children were whipped (presumably, not too hard) on Holy Innocents Day. possibly to bring home Herods cruel slaughter. More likely, this, too, is the survival of a ritual, as adults, as well as children, traditionally came in for their share of whipping. That it was not considered punitive but was a boon is indicated by the almost universal ritual of rewarding the whipper with sweets or nuts; presumably the beating frequently accomplished with omnipresent evergreen branches was supposed to cause the expulsion of evil spirits. Today, of course, this ritual, like so many others, is a thing of the past. But it is unfortunate that we do not, for the most part, even remember the existence of customs which were, for our ancestors, of great significance: central to their observance and understanding of their religion. For, each custom or tradition remembered enriches immeasurably our understanding, and deepens our appreciation of the heritage which has made us what we are. St. Lucys Day: "Festival of lights brightens SwedishAdvent Mankind has traditionally celebrated the triumph of light over darkness. The n of these Festivals of most Lights is the Jewish holiday of Hanuk-kawhich usually falls in the month of Decepiber, and lasts for eight days. It is a season marked by joyous celebraand, especially, candltion, well-know- gift-givi- elighting. In fact, the Menorah, a candelabra, is one of the familiar and traditional symbols of this fes- tive occasion which commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the who had occupied the temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. The miraculous victory of this small group of Hebrews over the forces of the enemy is paralleled by a miraculous vial of oil within the temple which, though it contained only enough oil to bum for a single day, miraculously lasted for eight days. The Christians, too, have their Festival of Lights which is celebrated on De Greco-Syria- cember 13th, St. Lucys Day. (The name, Lucy, is derived from the Latin word for light, lux.) This holiday is chiefly observed in Sweden, where most households have their Lucia Queen. St. Lucy is impersonated by a young girl, usually blond, who is garbed in the customary flowing white gown, which is sashed in red and decorated with stars. On her head, the Lucia Queen wears a crown of bilberries, in which lighted candles have been arranged. In the early hours of the morning of December 13th, before sunrise has begun to light the sky, the Lucia Queen proceeds slowly throughout her home, singing the traditional Lucia song. She awakens the household, bringing them hot coffee and special buns, known as lussekatter, which are flavored with either saffron or cardamom, and formed into braids, twists or, sometimes, cats. After she has finished this task, she goes out to the barn, bringing food and coffee to the farmhands and special ftxxf for the animals. Later in the day, there is a church ceremony, during which a young girl attired as Lucia, candles burning in her crown, brings light into a darkened church. She is frequently followed by young s These boys garbed as carry staffs crowned with stars and wear caps. How did St. Lucys Day become a Festival of Lights? Lucy, a Christian martyr, who lived in Syracuse in Sicily in the third century AD, and who herself w as cruelly blinded, is the saint who restores sight to the blind bringing light to darkness. St. Lucy is frequently represented in paintings carrying a lamp or torch, reinforcing her position as the bringer of light. star-boy- s. star-boy- Additionally, according to the Old Style calendar. St. Lucy's Day, December 13th, is the shortest day of the year, and thus the darkest the ideal time to celebrate the yearly victory of light over darkness. How the celebration of St. Lucys Day made its way from Sicily to Sweden is something of a mystery. The first celebration of St. Lucys Day in Sweden would seem to have occurred in the 18th century, but it wasnt until the 19th century that the custom of nominating a young girl to take the part of St. Lucy seems to have taken hold, and then only in rural areas. And, it was only toward the end of the 1920s that the holiday was popularized in Stockholm, where the Lucia Queen would lead processions through the city streets. The joyous acceptance of the St. Lucys Day festivities in Stockholm was immediate, ensuring the holiday a permanent place in the Advent calendar, and in the hearts of Swedes. Traditionally served on Saint Lucys Day in Sweden, these sweet, savory buns are golden with saffron and decorated with such delights as raisins or currants or blanched almonds. They are'made in many shapes, among them the familiar braid, a decorative double S or molded into fanciful shapes such as Lucia Cats and Lucia Crowns. The recipe below, including the instructions for forming the dough into Lucia Cats, a large braid and a simple coiled Julkaka are reproduced from the classic volume of Christmas cookery. Visions of Sugarplums (Harper & Row) by Mimi Sheraton. SWEDISH SAFFON BUNS (Saffransbrod) 1 egg, beaten 'A teaspoon dried saffron threads 1 (milk and cream) 4 cups sifted flour, or as needed cup 1 egg yolk beaten 2 envelopes dry yeast 'A cup lukewarm water with 1 tablespoon milk 1 1 egg white, beaten tablespoon sugar 'A cup sugar Raisins or currants, for decorations 1 teaspoon salt Lump sugar, crushed 'A cup unsalted butter Grated blanched almonds half-and-h- Crush dry saffron to a fine powder and steep in 1 or 2 tablespoons lukewarm for 10 minutes. Sprinlde yeast into U cup lukewarm water, add 1 tablespoon sugar, cover lightly and set aside in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. Scald remaining and add 'A cup sugar, salt and butter, and stir until butter melts. Cool to lukewarm. Add to yeast mixture along with strained saffron milk (if you are sure all saffron is dissolved, straining is unnecessary) and 1 beaten egg. Mix well. Gradually stir in flour until mixture is smooth and not sticky, but still soft and pliable. Knead for 10 minutes, or until shiny and elastic. Place in a lightly floured bowl, corner until dust top of dough with flour, cover loosely and set to rise in draft-fre- e double in bulk about 1 'A hours. Punch dough down and knead for 2 or 3 minutes. Shape in any of the following forms, depending on the finished buns or cakes you want. Let rise 30 minutes and take in pre heated 400 oven for 10 minutes. Reduce teat to 350 and bake 30 minutes more, or until golden brown. Makes about 2 dozen buns or large or 2 small coffee cakes. Lucia Cats: Pinch off small bits of dough and roll into sausage Lussekatter shapes 5 to 7 inches long. Place these strips together in pairs, pinching centers to join them and coiling four ends out. Brush with egg yolk glaze and bake. Using a little egg white, stick a raisin or currant in the center of each coil of the hot buns. Julbrdd Saffron Braid: Shape dough into 3 ropes, then braid. Brush with egg yolk glaze and sprinkle with sugar and or grated blanched almonds. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, lower heat to 350s and bake about 50 minutes more, or until cake sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Julkaka Christmas Cake: Shape dough into a large cake. To make the round cake, form one continuous long sausage roll of all the dough and then coil it. With a cuts 2 inches apart around the outside roll. Brush with egg scissors, make 1 yolk glaze and sprinkle with coarsely crushed cube sugar. Raisins may be kneaded into die dough. Bake as for Julbrtd. lf CENTER Y GENTLEMAN arizing a Ida under the mistletoe, a e cartom which prevail to die pirwit day. IDnrtraban t New York Public library A NINETEENTH Pie-tar- Collection. t nch-deep of the Chrirtma mwm in Sweden. Throughout the country, young girl tbvaa I the Lucia Queen, wearing a white gown and a crown of bilberries, which I lighted eandle. This beloved Swedish holiday, a true Ferthwl of light),' la time called little Chrirtma.' 1 |
