Show ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS FIRST celebration WAS HELD IN THE YEAR 08 98 forty years yeara later before it was waa boffl dally adopted vo s christian festival was wai first celebrated in the year 08 observes a writer but it was vas 40 years later before it was officially adopted as a chrls thin festival nor was it until about the fifth century that the dy day of its ita celebration became permanently fixed on december deamber 23 up to that time it had len irregularly observed tit at various times of the year in iii december in april and in slay but most frequently in january in rome the Satur saturnalia nalla or feast of saturn fell at about the same time as our christmas and it marked the greatest yrea Trea test festival of the ilia roman year ear the city abandoned itself to gaiety universal mirth was mas tho the order of tile the day friends feasted friends and foes were vere reconciled all social distinctions were ero laid aside work was stopped ond and no war was ever entered upon at that time one by one other legends and cus tonis tonia have been disproved and overthrown yet none has tiered attack the legends and the customs sacred to ta christmastide it remains with us its and will mill always remain christmas marks the lie winter solstice the days begin to lengthen and the suit no longer journeys away front from the enrit earrk but enters upon its return it Is a promise of renewed light and warmth of the approach of summer and men hailed balled these signs with every expression of kindness when alien christianity spread abroad men adapted the old customs of their ancestors to the new order of things the word yuletide Yule tlde used to give a picturesque flavor to the christmas idea comes from yule an old naras name for christmas the term springs from roin an english word used to designate tile the two months montha of bf december and january one of which ch was wae called the former yule the other the tha after yule there la Is a legend which relates that it was the custom years ago for every saxon saron household to burn the yule log on christmas eve this was a great gnarled root or tree trunk cut the day before and brought into the hall on christmas eve with great corer ceremony nony and accompanied fly by music each member of the household would sing a yule song standing on the center of 0 the I 1 og log in III Ger german ninny and other european countries it was WAR believed by the cliff children that eliat the christmas tree glitter ins ing with candles and brightness and the gifts found beneath the tree were the th work ork of jolly old st nicholas or claus as we e know him this athla kindly saint was no ito legendary character ile he lived about A D and WAS a rioted noted bishop of asia minor ile he was v as looked upon as ai a patron saint of generosity because of his liberality the idea of st nicholas traveling in a sleigh drawn by 1 reindeer originated in the cold northern countries the reindeer were the swiftest animals known and they must needs fly like the file will mind to carry st nick mck tile the rounda of the ilia world orld in ono one night ni AS important its as the g ft gly ins ing and gift receiving on oil drey day Is the feast of dainties preau pread ou oll that occasion hut dut even the chrlie maw dinner has its origin in the distant past feasts were always tle tile accompaniment of any festival tit in eget at the winter solstice every family killed and ate a as a religious legious observance we preserve the custom of eating fowl on christmas but the lie toothsome turkey hai more mora generally supplanted the goose |