The Sun.
London, England, 1827-12-26 00:00:00

PR ICH 7D.

CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS.

'Though the name of these would seem to give them an
exclusive connection with Christianity, it is a fact that the
same, or customs nearly resembling them, are mostly of
Pagan origin. The old fashion, still kept up in some
countries, of the sexes changing dresses, and in this dis-
cuise going about among their neighbours on Christmas
Eve feasting, is supposed to be derives] from the Sipillaria,
festival days added to the Saturnalia, or the Quinquatria.
The yule log, or Christmas block, which is laid upon the
fire to illuminate the house, and, as it were, turn night
into day, is referred by one author to the Cyclops of Euri-
pides ; but the custom was probably Druidical, being only
a counterpart of the Midsummer fires, made within doo►s
on account of the cold weather. Furmety, common on
this eve for breakfast and supper, is absurdly derived by
Bryant from Noah's ark. The Yule, or Christmas feast,
is in fact the mother night, or feast of the winter solstice
(from which the commencement of the year was dated),
common to all the northern nations, and observed long be-
fore the introduction of Christianity. In the North, after
service on Christmas Day, they ran about crying Ule, Ule,
Ule. Evergreens were stuck up, the laurel being, among
the Romans, the emblem of joy, peace, and victory; ac-
cording to Chandler, a relic of Druklism, that the sylvan
spirits might repair to them. 'll4 misletoe is unquestion-
ably of Druidical origin.

Andrews notes that Christmas was represented by an
old man, hung round with savoury dainties. This seems
to have been taken from the Priapus of Virgil and Petro-
nius, who held in a very large bosom all kinds of apples
and grapes.

Christmas boxes originated in the Roman Paganalia,
instituted by Servius Tullius, and celebrated in the begin-
ning of the year ; when an altar time erected in every vil-
lage, where persons gave money. Two of these Pagana-
lian boxes, found under Mount Ccelins at Rome, are de-
scribed by Count Caylus. They were used by the Roman
apprentices, like those of our times, to collect their yearly
gifts, and were made of pottery. In one of them some
denarii were found. The heathen plan was commuted in
the Middle Age, to collect alms for masses, in order to
absolve the debaucheries of the season, which servants were
unable to pay. Priests had similar boxes in ships, and no
box was to be opened till the ship's return. Christmas
presents, consisting of donations of toys, clothes, fruit,
&c. derived from the gifts in the Saturnalia, were subse-
quently made to children in the name of Christ, who, they
pretended, etime through the tiles and windows, and went
over the house with his angels. To these presents a rod
was, generally added, that they might be more easily go-
verned by the fear of correction.
The real Christmas Day appears to be unknown. Ben-
son says that Christ was probably born in April or May of
the Julian year 4709 (the present date being merely that
of tradition). It appears from St. Chrysostom, that in the
primitive times, Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated
at one and the same feast : that Father observes, that it
was but of little while that Christmas had been celebrated
at Antioch on the 25th of December as a distinct feast;
and thus the use thereof came from the west. The Arme,
nians made but one feast of them as low as the 12.1
century.

It is commonly maintained that Pope Telesphorus was
the first who ordered the feast of the Nativity to be held on
the 25th of December. John, Archbishop of Nice, in an
epistle upon this subject, relates that; at.the instance of
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Pope Julius procured a strict ir,-
quiry to be made into the day of our Saviour'a nativity
which being found to be on the 25th of December, they
began thenceforth to celebrate the feast on that day. How-.
ever, the precise day, or even the month, in which our
Saviour
_mil born, is extrenely uncertain. Some, as
Clemens Alexandrinus informs us, affixed it to the 25th of
the month Pachon, corresponding to the .16th of May. But
there are some circumstances which should rather lead us
to conclude that he was born in autumn; as this was, in
every respect, the most proper season of the year for a
general assessment, which took place at the birth of Christ,
and-which required personal attendance; and as there were
shepherds watching their flocks by night when Christ was
born ; and therefore it is probable that the era of the na-
tivity was either in September or Oct., A. U. 748 or 749.
The.religious observances among our Catholic ancestors
partook of the superstition of those times. On the Christ-
mas Eve, at midnight, they rose up to mass ; the sup-
posed hour of the birth being accounted so holy, that the
miracle of changing water into wine was actually thought
to take place in that sacrament. Money was placed on the
altar, and watches kept lest it should be changed, such
money being esteemed to be particularly fortunate in play-
ing at the games of chance which followed. On the
morning three solemn masses were snag, a wooden baby
in swaddling clothes was set upon an altar in the midst of
the church, around which the young men and maid.
ens danced, while the elder ones sung carols, accom-
panied by the organ, the officiating priests mixing with
them, and joining in the harmony. The sports after-
wards were playing at cards for counters, chess, draughts,
jack-puddings in the hall, fiddlers and 'musicians, who
were entertained with a black jack of beer and a
Christmas pie—such pie being made in the shape of a
cratch or cradle—singing the wassail, scrambling for
nuts and apples, dancing round standards decked with ever-
greens in the streets, the (hObby-horse dance), hunting
owls and squirrels, the fool plough, hot cockles, a pen-
dulous stick (at one end an apple, and at the other a
candle,) so that he who bit at the one burned his nose,
blindman's-buff, forfeits, &c. &c. For the purpose of
conducting these amusements there was appointed a lord
of misrule, or master of the revels, called also " Christmas
Prince or King," and in Scotland by the quaint title of
"-the Abbot of Unreason," who was sometimes crowned
and attended with all the paraphernalia of mock royalty
during the twelve days. Plays were performed by the
gentlemen and children of choirs, and at the Inns of Court,
with numerous other amusements. Nor were good eating
and drinking forgot. Barons feasted the whole country,
and a whole boar was sometimes (not merely the boar's
head, stuck with rosemary, and an apple or orange in the
mouth) put on 'the table, richly gilded by way of brawn,
to show a proper hatred to Judaism; accompanied by every
dainty of the season. The bakers used to present their
customers with the yule dough (paste-images), as the
chandlers gave wax-candles. Plum-porridge was also
usual. In the North yule-cakes are still known. - Eating
mince-pies was deemed co essential, that it was thought
the best test of orthodoxy against fanatical recusants. So
eatlyaSl9
and though9Puritanis io the provinces began to object
11,1lytoteolte:tesports
of our ancestors; local
peculiarities are
eesteiloloktieopote uz,4meeouesotdfroto yearl7 old
to
customs
(feasting year,
and will probably, at no distant period, be totally extinct.

AN. ELECTION CASE.—In the year 179 Q,
the representation of the county of Down was strongly dis-
puted between the eldest son of the then Lord HILSBOROUGII
and the late Lord CAsTr.rp.tas.cit ;,, and amongst the
lawyers engaged for thp occasion, was Mr. W. DOWNES,
afterwards Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Previously
to his setting out for Downpatrick, Mr. Dows'Es hap.
pened to meet CURRAN, to WbORI he mentioned that
be was retained for one of the parties; and added,
that he was sorry to understand that much
was expected tp display itself—insomuch, that it was un-
likely but that the partisans of the candidates would pro-.
teed to duelling and bloodshed. " For my part," continued
he, " I shall keep clear of every subject ln;t that connected
with my professional duties." " No doubt," said CURRANi
" you are perfectly well prepared." "Oh yes," replied
Dowtqs, " I have made myself master of all the election
cases." " Very good," replied CURRAN ; yet, however
desirous you may be of keeping yourself clear of contro-
versy and quarrels, some irritable bully may run foul of
you ; therefore I recommend strongly that you should have-
Wogderes case at your fingers' ends." " Woomi's case!"
observed Dowints ivith surprise, "I never heard of that case
before; I am much obliged to yen, my dear fellow, for men-
tioning it ; where shall I And the rep,ort,olit ?" " p am intr.
prised," returned Conami, "that you, so ee.nversant with
elections, !should never have heard the report of Woo-
DEN'S ease. There are twenty shops in town where you
can procure the case itself." Mr. DOWNES, pleased with
the hint, deferred his journey towards the theatre of war
fur that day, the whole of which he employed in ransack,
ing every bookseller's shop in Dublin. At length he men-
tioned his difficulties to a brother barrister whom he met; ,
and was not a little confounded when. the latter, readily
taking the joke, burst into a loud laugh at his simplicity,
and told him, "instead of continuing his researches
among the booksellers, to step across the street to a gun-
smith's shop, where he would find the case in a minute."
—Clubs of London.