| Show the syrian new year I 1 J LL the christians christiana of new york do not observe christmas as an a time tor for santa claus claua the sy 8 rians for or instance who sa live in the lower end of manhattan islar island d in wa washington is hington treet street from the bat battery tery up to alba albany ny street have an old custom of giving their presents on new years veara day then there also la is a difference in the manner of giving the syrian children do not hang up their stockings neither do the parents disguise themselves as santa claus on the contrary the syrian child invariably knows who Is going to be his santa claus and consequently 1 Is treated to no extraordinary surprise there ther a Is ia 1 one thing however of which he remains in ignorance and that thai Is the nature of the present he will receive the child picks ou whosoever he thinks will treat him best in case he succeeds in meeting and greeting him at the proper time on new years day then comes a long vigil for or midnight as the custom so prescribes it 11 that the one who otters offers the first greeting at the beginning ot of the now new year shall receive a fitting reward from the one greeted A good wish for success and prosperity in the first hour of new years day la Is held by the tha syrians to augur well for the following twelvemonth and the one who first wishes good prospects Is entitled to a reward custom prescribes that at the time lime of this new years greeting whatever the one greeted happens to hold in his bis hand becomes the property of the other the one who receives the greeting Is supposed to oe so pleased with it that acting upon the happy impulse ot at the moment be hesitates not to requite his greeter with whatever he be first can lay hold on this latter custom originated in feudal times when the emir was maent in his hia province and hta his followers depended for or their austen sustenance ance upon his bis gifts and what he allowed them of the plunders ot at war of course you cant nowadays sur ar our cr ald to ro ne AU ky pwe A cloce 11 71 1 1 al y qu ekr Y wl 1 0 4 V ta ke yew 5 cl dy tm tk mf 1 2 our w arg let M Is yf tt TM sor ON W Y uia ui 2 vhf zt t 4 vr zim Z im P IRP Y i A T N I 1 W g feia va fei i 4 amm c r feis art te t prise any syrian early new years yeara day fooling with a costly article ile he can be depended on as knowing bet ter for either he would havo have to make a gift of it to the one who first greeted him or else he be branded as a miser wise syrians carry candy to hand band to I 1 the children who greet them new years day I 1 in the long ago ONG years ago the people BONG who lived in a great many different places in the baho world were very much interested in new years day just as we are and they did many things in honor of 0 the day exactly as we do they feasted breasted and decorated dc their houses bouses and churches and at 12 they hey were very particular to show in come way that they were rejoicing tint tin an other year had bad begun not all ot of these people eel cel ed d now years on the same day alie ancient 11 comans nomans used to have their new years day in march then they changed to january and a large part of the rest of 0 the world followed them the jewish people have another day and the chinese and japanese still another but whenever the day falls according to their special calendar there la Is always a very important celebration of it the druids druies who were the priests of england before the christian religion was taken into great britain ulfo also celebrated new yeats years day they were very interesting and very otrange people these druids druies and according to what one reads about them in history one always imagines them as wearing rearing beautiful white the coon conflict ot ol the years ar by KF KENNEDY SEATON 1 4 K THE FIE year it is J lying ying ia I 1 t r of UL the battle bravely ought is i act tr j at t lot last U t the 71 aged d camor r wounded t to die death dealfi r j with time fell awk arrow silently wf the mo moment m ent of leleae with laboured labour ed 3 IT breath the issued of 0 the long contested fight I 1 or vict vict ry or defeat or welcomed truce r j the ne unborn years yean hll aall certainly declare t I 1 and turn each h well timed blow to gain and use lit r 1 I the ile wamer d dying prig curtains curtained JI by it the night it 11 i S e not or knows inow the gain that 11 to DC 1 1 1 out die dici in in faith that right will surely win A and 0 er cr the world will rule eternally the ile year il 6 d dawning mn no your recruit late up the unsheathed woj word ilia aged sire lire but just juil now laid aside aide f and bu ing on hu his armour newly bright n essays him forth to ventures vent yet untried I 1 A alluring il wing dream beguile hit his on onward ond d steps 3 and vision anion bright of vat ries to be won j he feels upon his hi biro brow the laurel crown and h hean afar t the he coveted well done Is I 1 no thought of failure mars man the bliss blissfully full dream f no craven fear unnerve the heart hear t of ti youth great tasks await him and with lill faith as aj i great H he ep into the fray ray and strikes fa x truth 1 wn amy robes and having tall magnificent figures and flowing white boards beards and hair at any rate they always wore wora white robes on new years day tor for that was the day aher they cut down the sacred backed mistletoe for the fihs drujda druids think that mistletoe was only p r pretty groen green vino vine they believed it to be a miraculous ra growth lich would prevent people from being harmed by poisonous food or drink on that day a particularly large handsome druid with glistening white beard and hair and rather cold gray eyes drulis druies always had cold gray eyes we believe and clothed most beautifully in white would climb the oak tree on which the mistletoe grew and cut it down with a golden sickle ile he take it in hla his hand because they consider that respectful enough to the sacred mistletoe which could do such wonderful things instead he would catch it in a pure white cloth and climb carefully down the tree with it IL after this an altar would be erected and white bulls sacrificed and prayers offered ott ered then the community felt that tor for the following year they would have all the good luck possible you isee in those days now new years yeara celebrations were very serious things and ana all of the ceremonies attending them were wera religious ringing in the new year I 1 t unpleasant sounds for or the old ULU |
