| OCR Text |
Show X THE WEEKLY REFLEX, KAYSVII.LE, ITAH Please, Please, Dear Santa Claus 3 oB Under the Holly Bough .. .wl , v N V v, v JM v .. il V - V- S s i u 1, i Ay . ,:W "T" I Mik , . . - iv. e $ c 'Tv i Origin of Qu.iint Traditions the Yuletidc F Lof YULETIDE FESTIVITIES IN OTHER LANDS III! hi'lid'ii 'ii'iihiiii rcmlla mil 'lirHimus ijmiliit iilt-nf iin Ins of old ,'uii Ixiolt i s of I lie to (lie H indent I'nildi n time when (he mistletoe Sprig, in n pie Ts 1 Christmas N ENGLAND, celebrations of three or four hundred years ago charm us with their quaint and simple jollity. The English always remembered everyone from their neighbors down to In 'the their servants. country, an English gentleman always Invited his neighbors and tenants to his great hall at daybreak to Christmas morning. There they were regaled upon toast, sugar nutmeg and good old Cheshire cheese. The house was decked with Ivy and other greens. Under the title of a Christmas hoi," the general English custom. VN' V-- srah'Vrs V s sm one throws a handful of wheat which has been brought for the purpose on It, another chops it down very as the tree must full toward the east just as the sun god rises. It Is then cut Into two or three pieces. The first chip that falls is brought home as particularly precious. Then the logs are taken home, one to each side of the door. The mother breaks on the longer log a small wheat cake of unleavened flour, called poga-ch- lent inineit, hn mi oruen iare-full- y TO SANTA CLAUS e By James Whitcomb Riley Mott tangible of all tha gods that bt, O Santa Claut oar own tinea infancy I At firtt wa teampered to thea now , at then. Take ut at children to thy heart again, vhich still prevails to some extent, a Ae he passes the threshold the mother given to post- - throws at lain a handful of wheat men the clay from a bowl in which also the chip was called has been kept ail day. Boxing Day." Then the log is lighted and immela 1100 Henry I a charter diately the young folks run out and granted to London, making It a city and the "celebrate noipily by firing oft guns Christmas celebration. It Is recorded, and pistols. It Is Important to keep consisted of a feast for rich and the log burning all night The people gathered In the 5r There are no holidays In Scanditreets around blazing bonfires slng- - navia to which both young and old tet and dancing, after feasting npon look forward with so much pleasure as en, deer, ale and mead. The wassail the days of Yule. These days. In ye spoken of so often In many olden times, were also celebrt'd by oks describing England at the time the followers of Thor and Odin. w the crusades, was another evidence Christmas and the days following all gift of money was men and other delivery fter Christmas, which Be wholly good to ut, jatt at of old; At a pleated father, let thine armt enfold down In worship. The Yule cake and Yule Jog, tOd, have their important part In this an dent Saxon tradition for the Christ- Ut, homed within the haven of thy love. And all the cheer and wholetomenett thereof, Thou lane reality, when O, to long Life t unrealities have wrought ut wrong; Ambition hath allured ut, fame likewite. And all that promited honor in ment eyee, Throughout tho world evationt, wile and thifte. Thou only bidett stable a thy gifts: from thy lap. A grateful king Crowned with a little toldier-cap- : 'H re-rult- th ?,?!. tTer'read7 hospitality that the are legal holidays tfisb o the city and offered to ail corners. much is there merrymaking, but it Is Russia on Christmas Eve every- - not to be compared to wbst one witat ,east nesses in the country. In many disnsed kh.SSeS,or t0 nythiug definite about tricts of Sweden and Itorway. among the peasants and farmers, these conT8t Russia for a 'gay' EaCtl on was supposed to tinue for thirteen days and are called some I iatrD- animal, the idea the fretted, Tula days" (thirteen days comiuemorate the fact that of fnle). as born in The day before Christmas. In the stable among omblest of the animals. afternoon, everything Is ready for the cJ'srita among the Bulgarians, big feast. The house has been thoran1 otber have a' legend oughly cleaned, and leaves of Juniper ftat , L m! are conscious on Chrlst- - and fir are strewn on the floor. When in J?!6 SotDe people, believe 'that the work Is finished the family gener.a,gbt the eheep awake and ally go Into the bakehouse, which has rrh ,D proceesloo, that the cattle been made warm, and each member 10-- In A mighty general a nation Thou givest again a rocking-hors- e -- t pride to ride. And wildly glad he gloweth at the grim Old jurist with the drum thou givest him; !t I mas-tenrJ- 3" - The culptore chisel, at thy mirth command, I a a whittle in hi boyish hand; The paintere model fadeth utterly. And there thou ttandest, and he painteth thee? I Mott like a winter pippin, sound and fine that ripe old face of thine. And tingling-re- d Set in thy frosty beard of cheek and chin A midst the snow the thaws of spring set in, their stalls while by a holy takes a thorough wash from bead t all the beasts are able to con--. foot, or a bathjn a large tub. - e k?ther. But It la a mortal sin the only bath many take daringlo attenPt to overhear them; whole year. i 5- !ttan J fashioned ways. Punishable' with sudden deatih"-In- 7 someplace en 6r many festivities, proml- - still eyt. Toung crwa n aong them, a skating or Ice their faces, put kln Switzerland the ski and on their heads or bata, genera y hold sway, stars ou their breasts, and One a swords. wooden Interesting takes place carry long a oh. and on Christmas Eve. The Is furnished with a large farm each visit and of (L!rn family rlhe men rhen Vow tu corninghoysgo to the the forest. licit contributions for In mis- three times and then they Indulge find out that a t w . CUif,n of the Gijeek church, ch!- -f and fun. If they a gfl of the J'r'2 a Player, they viert a rree. young fellow loves ar-bou-stag U ber j S visit her I.td'i vi. , They "FI song. s U'7 n.. 1. 11 to Then tie (JJ tlerode's -- - Jr,a3 -- men-oft- Jur w'ar bia-ke- frl, them-ieive- s vll-ag- d if-f- juu." mas festival season. The cake had the same power as the bride cake has on Christmas night. The Yule log was used to light the Christinas fire the next year because It preserved the bouse from fire during the year and subdued the spirit of - the flames. Its powers were bestowed In the days of the Druids, when the belting fires were lighted and the brands secured from the fire to light the fire the next year. The ancient Saxons burned the Yule log as n symbol of the turning of the sun toward spring. Even the moon contributed Us share to Christmas superstitions, for, as the legend runs. If Christmas comes during the waning of the moon we hall have a very good year, and the nearer to the full moon tho better. Holland, perhaps, has the prettiest custom of all nations for the Christmas festival. On the night before Chrlstmae Hi commemoration of tho t1i e eas t," th e yd u n g fn eh 0f tii their towns assemble and carry through the dark streets a large, bright staff ail the people- go out to greet and give to the bearer of this star of Bethlehem," as it Is coiled, alms for the poor. Seven day before tiielr New Tear. the Chinese worship the Kitchen God by preparing dlshe of candy and various sweets with which they smear Uls mouth. Ijter they burn hlrn amid the firing off of crackers, the deity being sent up In a chariot of smoke and fire to a conference with the king of the celestial regions. The Idea of smearing Ills mouth with sweets Is that he may not say anything but honeyed words, or that his lips tnay stick together and so prevent his talking too much. The Kitchen God, according to story, had been ill treated by his brother and , who' wer? very rtch snd bad many servants, but allowed their brother to work Jtth the servants and cruelty -have dinner wfrb them.-Tiie- lr at last until developed day after day. hi m hea venly tel they tra Jyaea tj ng bim lo a sedan chair tua1eof paper.-"The creation of giving 'gifts at Christmas came, not from presents of gold and silver given t the Christ child. aa many believe, bt. firm an old custom of priests putting on board of all outgoing ships a box of alms. This box was opened at Christmas time and masses said for the givers of the aims, and wps ea'lnl Chre-has come tra-'- s box. and from th and boxes of Christmas our custom i gift giving. rof be-C- W -- m presented of good fora nytnltol of tune, as health, wealth and prosperity, and In (hone days long ago the houae that sported a brunch of mistletoe at Christmas would never he unluekg. It la from flu Druids that the custom of decorating our churches and homes with eiergreens conies, for they belieied that all the sylvan sprites (looked together on these houghs, there to remain until the warm weather rnme. In midwinter the Druids sent around sprigs of Ivy nnd tnlsfle--toto remind the people to decorate their dwellings with evergreens, in order to propitiate the sylvan sprites and secure protection from fronts and wintry Masts Holly herrles long hnv been considered ns giving wonderful power wlien worn In the aha pc of a wreath, which must be made Htid worn In Imitation of a sacred crowu of thorns and of herrles, and the wenrer of tills crown must go alone at midnight on Christmas and ait In the dark, and. In accordance with that ancient tradition. whcn worn on Christmas eve the holly wreutli will evoke visions of spirit forma coining In the air to sing their Noel songs, and ail the beasts will be aeen to kneel a. Thet day passes in preparation for the feast the following day. At sunset one of the men, fitted out with new woolen gloves, brings In the log. w f : slster-fn-law- Ho! Santa Claue our own since infancy Mott tangible of all the gods that be! As firt we scampered to thee now, as then, Take u as children to thy heart again. C a, n,kt lj J,mm, Wtilnwl " Sit It t |
