Litchfield enquirer., 1847-12-23
CEERISTMA&

1De following arttcte On t"S Vt'Gn Oi I, Christmas, is from the pen of Th'"nas sCamrbeil. lhe famous British poet. We should be glad to publish the 'sOlher side of the que~tiOn "aIsO. Many of the anniversaries snlenniZed hv the Christian church were transplanietl Into II from the heather soil. While Ea&ler has sue eeeded to the .Feralia' oI the Rnmaus. ihetr ean be little doubt that Christmas has taken the place of their .Saiurnalta.'" This festival, ] instituted in honor of Saturn. was celebrated hv them with the greatest splendnr, dehauch- kry, and extravagance. IL was during is dn rVation sn epoch of treedom aud equality; the Aaste. ceased te be master. and the slave [" he slave the former waited a, his own buard up on the lalier The ceremonial ot ihis festival was opened on the ly,h of December. bv the lighting of prnfnsion oi waxea himhea"X 1n the temple of Saturn, as an exaia'"r ~ offering eo the relrntlng god wh" io retn"'er l'mes was warshiped with human sacrifices. At Gis la. active season, lanrels were it"tnsely suspended iN eveIy quarter, and presents were lnterchang' ed on all sides.
 The Christian church was .nxi"ns to abol sh the celebra at on uf these Saturnaia. ih shich she blushed to see her own disciples artaking, and therefore appointed festival n hunor of her Divine Master to sniersrde shem If, during the Roman games the order f social affairs was iLve,;ed. and the mental sas raised to be master, Snrely tt was not un' atuvat that they should. in their purer feal' res be adopted as he mod-l of an annIversa'
 in commemrration of that Christ, the ing of Kings who hal appeared in the Arb of \ menial and had elevated those who eFe the slaves ot their sins. l." be the lords Ad chiefs au,, ,ns the heavenly hosts Tho Heather crig n, the festival oi Christmas nJ bngcr now exihited sacrifices ot bulls cr oais, n was carefully prnned "f those disgust ag features and eXtrav vAgan:es whIch n"ntish' bd and excited d.ha>iny passions, and Vet. 'n efder that ii might not prove revolt'Hg [" the habits and ie-lng, ot the new c"n'eris who vyas called upon tu resign the in-reiiici"uS hlandish of the Sa'urnalia.'' was perHH' he'd ,o retain such ianoxio"s customs itom the Pagan celebration as were not wholly Nrecon. |eilable w,th the bland ard cheerful spirit oi Chris,ianity The torches which had shed heir effnlgence through the temple "i S.''- 3svn. shone with un;liminshed splend"ur' n tn" emOle of Christ ian worship and pr"s>n'eti as \ Be were a symbol of Jesus. that eternal light ' which waa born in,o the " Tld' 10 waken the shole human race t' i,ie a"o ,l,oy 1m,h,otta"y'L which illum,nared the fie Ids ut Bethlehem, and khone about he Shepar,ls n lamp unh iher ieet md liv unt, the,r paths. Tho Sai urndan custom uf derktng the s're"ts and ho"sos "'ti' aurr and bougi,s aud exchanging pr seht', Was plso pre- e'erved anI ms narta'' uesee"ue1 'o bur own times. The m,ci ichdnge o' pi' Aens 7 vas supp ,sel to 'yp y the sp'nual "nd "e"V' bnlv gifts wh cl.mr SLv,Or, by ns co.'nnS' hdd avished upul nlauki"0
 There 10 une cushn n part cu'"r prevalent n lou,e son.nr,.s, apd tT.irriy s" "I,'I in Ets- and, winch sH.k n.iE drsAhueS "he of'sh' O. ur Cag,si,I,I tesuvLies. Add tt "'I' lr'In m,nn sat inc ,,o n--ticS Oi tI,iy, Il Was tI, ras,,cs ;o eject one Us 'ne naser "I the iiou'e- old uIder tt,e ap 'e'i itiOn Oi tne Oiliis' iiIds King 0r l,Ori oi NJ .sruie, an i' assIkn n'iH d ,eetrs .,t ,Overeig ly D'iA ovef tle Ot.Icr SerV- nts .s vel Ast |. lm | Lt. ]nnJrrs Oi ,iIe a.u,is In tais Na, as .oeliei rr.nudS, I.e sasar waited nl Il serv iai as tHc Lord oi .n.e' ule : and the tie,' says a '". mad yc !" the Ogase ,,t every n ,t, e,ilch ''fAonT 'f g'ou ""t sp, were ne p,rItuAi UT t-n. .'ofal.
 In snm. Cathode c"Iaires .nere Is d cuslon dr.ss,n. u,, uupprls, caili CnlIs,inas c.I.- ren. hid,lg them "a CnrlsiInas eve. srith'S ersons m ourst oi ine.r, and sIvI:,s Ieua,"
 the finder: nor i+ il iOiIr"oAn'e thai thIs cus> nm vvas also d,.rl"rd tinln lae Hcal,ien pr..'- lee of sending pup,,e', a> irrsenis nuI'nS ih, atnrnaiia Al Rome, sh's an ancient ca.e"ddr, sweet meats Wei" riesrnied [" 'uc iaihci< ' he Vatican, as well aS ali kIntis q! intie 'tna. es-and these last were t'nnh iI anu "iamcc the cuniectiune's' sn 'ps. Nay, In r. 4,a d, he bake $ used formerly [" bake kind | ba- y, or little image 0i paste, wnIrh ihe! pre-. enied t0 their cu>t"mers-in the shHIe Wa! as handlers give Chi ,Das cande'.
 Before we tske our leave of this subject. W. aNnOi refrain from advertIng [" a singular irA. ition, fT m which Sninp have been wiling to erive ,he name gwen to ihIs festival, in Ii,e cast.t lt IS related by some of the old fathers the church. that on t,Ia nIght of our SavI'iS ,rth, a number of Ion ,iains auG riv+,s were at ned inao wtna-and they add. that ihis ndr cIe took place on the veiy night, and al th.' cry hulr Ot his nsiivilv. In order that tn
 isbeiieyrrs in the ,ru hi "f Frvtla,,"n migtr "a turned inm their ,hrlie'. st. Gh-v-s m avs, in one of h,s Il. mites, that the wat, avn m that nighi. ke1; fd some years with- ut under going aav natural rhsng"-and he oncit.irs that from this circumstance arn-r he trad,i ion we hav' me ,tonrd E'iphanine he first father of the chure h. indeed. nt,crs .. much credit in the tal-. that he ventures t,, nxke use oi it as on" weapon for confnunh,ne he jnfidpls of h:s day. However. the serord athrr of that name. who lived .hirlv Years Is- e., pronounces this tradition to he. whai |, rally appears to have been, a iabie-'h"ugh he kill believes 1t to he the disirrtinn "r q me df erent occurrence. Be all this as it may. ihe Fadition was once of general no,"ririv-'hp enple placed im rlicit faith in it-maHv of rhp Miners sided wUh them-and h"Hr huf inc e"- ghtened ( Chryscstnm were W1able to persuade themselves of it's authenticity. s W .
 s.Chris.mas, says Seklen, 'sncceeds the Sat. Iurnal,a, the same tune, the same number Of hoy lsvs.'
 tOur English apPellation of 'Ch:isima>' riginated in the mass al this season bring eAl d Chrisrs-'n0ss--ii was usual. at this seas"n. ,r the Rornish priests to offer up masses ln ih aints, imploTin< toigrvenass fnr the people "i heir debaucneries. | blcksiidings. at this feS- vsl-The GetHian name t"r this season is Wein-Hachten.' .r Wine .SIga,s, which scme ssiye from the tradition aIInd.'d i". ant. other. rom tn. practice which prevailed among ihe sscient Germans, "f celebrating 'his period "f he year by general dTiDkin .-hn'its, and inter ..f