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Show I THE WONDERS OF' CHRISTMAS The Christmas tree , mistletoe, Yule logs, candles in the window . All these amfmany more, hut where did they all begin? BY T. F. JAMES f Illustrated by Lorraine Fox invented Christmas? The question may make the reader sputter with Christmas is much But indignation. more than the celebration of the birth of Christ. It is trees and candles in the window, mistletoe and family feasting, Santa Claus and stockings by the fireplace, greeting cards and Yule logs a vast number of traditions which do not, at first glance, have very much to do with the momentous birth in Bethlehem. To unravel the mystery of Christmas is a fascinating and inspiring experience for men and women of every faith and no faith. Essentially it is the story of the deepest desire of Who well-trimm- ed the human heart the universal yearning for spiritual renewal and refreshment, for escape from the worry and wear, fears and frets of the world and time. The idea of celebrating on or about December 25 was born thousands of years before Jesus Christ. It began in Mesopotamia, and journeyed from there to Greece and Rome, and up the Danube River valley to the warrior tribes of the frozen North. Many of these ancient peoples were close students of astronomy, and they knew that the last days of December were the time of the winter solstice, when the sun dwindled and the powers of darkness seemed to be gaining ascendance over the forces of light. December 25 was, by their calendar, the turning point, when the sun began to reassert its power once more and give new promise of fruitful harvests. In Rome it was known as Dies Natalis inricti Solis the birthday of the unconquered sun. 4 fices of food, animals, gold and jewels were offered in the temples. A new little world As civilization advanced, man began to see himself as a microcosm a little world and at this end of the old year he detected in his soul some of the same turbulence and chaos that were supposedly occurring on a universal scale. Both the inner world and the outer world apparently needed So refreshment and revitalization. feasts spread from temples to homes, gifts were given not only to the gods Rettmonn , - Trying to make sense out of this annual phenomenon, the Greeks and Romans and' their predecessors reasoned that these last days of the year were a struggle between the gods of the upper world and the monsters of chaos and night. With the fate of the world in balance, the gods needed all the help they could get. Vast Th . . Archive St Jokn Chrysostom, early bishop, announced neu Christmas date in a sermon but to friends and kin. Work ceased so people could renew their strength. Gradually the tradition grew that at this time of the year a mans acts could cast a shadow over all the months to come. It became a good time to cement friendships and conciliate enemies. So gift giving became more brisk, and with it came a shower of New Years wishes. Some even believed that with the proper magic you could see into the future at this time and make resolutions that would stand by you in the coming year. In Rome, what one desired for another was expressed by the kind of presents given: honeyed things, that the year of the recgient might be full of sweetness; lamps that it might be full of light; copper, silver and gold, that wealth might flow in. How7 closely all this resembles aspects of modem Christmas can be glimpsed in the description of the fourth-centuphilosopher, Libanius: The impulse to spend seizes eveiyone . . . People are not only generous towards themselves but also towards their fellow men. A stream of presents pours itself out on all sides ry Candles were common Many other modem Christmas and New Year customs can be traced to this ancient feast. Candles? These were common in countries as different as Italy and Israel. They testified that in this time of darkness the dwellers were on the side of the gods of light. Masquerades? To cheer up themselves and the gods, it was common for the people to put on masks and parade through the streets. When you put on a funny hat or - a mask at your New Years Eve party, youare going back 4,000 years to a kind of whoopee once raised in Babylon and Rome. Noise? Shouts, horns, all these were yells, explosions recommended to encourage the highly and evil gods spirits. frighten Meanwhile, Christianity came to Rome' and slowly grew in spite of persecutions.' But in the first cen- - |