OCR Text |
Show r"i WHOLE WEEK'S CELEBRATION 1 Descendants of Old Spanish Settlers Observed Christmas With Dinners Din-ners and Parties. Among the descendants of the old Spanish settlers we find that they observe ob-serve a week in the celebration of Christmas. This begins one week before be-fore Christmas. In the daytime they have dinners at each other's homes, and in the evenings they give a series of parties at the different houses. In the evening the young folk go to the home of one of their number and knock, and then all begin to "sing. Those within the house ask, "Who is there?" and the answer is, "The Virgin Vir-gin Mary and St. Joseph seek lodging in your house." To carry out the Bible Bi-ble story they are at first refused admittance, ad-mittance, and then the door is opened wide and they are ail given a hearty welcome. On Christmas eve the old and young all join together and have a big celebration. In a large hall they dx up one side to represent the manger, man-ger, and here they very solemnly give a little play in which many take part, the characters being Mary and Joseph, Jo-seph, the wise men, the shepherds and the angels. This play is very real to them, and they all play their parts with a reverent spirit. A Christmas Prayer. Give me the eyes to see my brother's woe: Grant me the vision that perceives his oare, That I, amid my Christmas joys, may go And take some touch of mitigation there. God point the way that I may quicklv find His acre waiting for the clad relle.. i And ope my eyes that I may not be blind To tasks of love hat ease the sting of grief. John Kendrick Bangs. Old Custom Still Prevails. The Christmas feeding of the birds s still prevalent in many of the prov-mces prov-mces of Norway and Sweden. Bunches of oats arp placed on the roof3 of houses, on tres and fences, to furnish fur-nish them with their share of tue Christina s unty. |