The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-25
THE FESTIVAL OF YULETIDE.

R0me-The Greatest Festival Still i'm
Engband-Great Munifcencc Of the
Wealthy 1T Cbristmas-A Change In
the Present Day-The Burning OF the
Yule LOg-It Originated i'm the Fires Of
the Druids-The Carols, the Chimes and
Other Ceremonies, sc.
On this day, the first of the Yulede holidays or twelve
days Of Christmas, it may not be unnteresng to the
reader to trace the origin OF the festival which reaches
back far beyond the Christian ern into the remote
antiquity Of druidism the saturnaia and bacchanala,
in which is lost and also to give account OF the
singular ceremonies with which Yuetiae was observed
by our Christian ancestors, and still observed in what
was once "merrie England" Most nations to have
selected the end Of the old year and the beginning Of the
the principal time for religious festivals, and for
national, social and domestic amusements.
In his Commentary on the Prophecies Of Daniel Sir
Isaac Newton explains the philosophy Of the Christian fes
tivAls He says
The heathens were delighted with the festivals of their
gods and unwilling TO part with those ceremonies.
Therefore Gregory, Bishop Of Neo Ceserea Pontus to
the aants and martyrs; hence the keeping Of Christmas
with ivy, eastng, plays and sports, in the Of
the basShsnala and M saa1naa the celebrating Of Nay
vas Of the Virgin Nary John the Baptist and divers OF
the apostles, In the room Of the soemnites at the
trance Of the into the signs Of the zodiac in the old
Julian calendar.
In reference to the heather origin OF Christmas Sir
Walter Scott thus sings
Heap on more wood the wind is chill;
But let It whistle as II will,
Well keep our Christmas merry still.
Each age has deem'd the now born year
The ntiest tn,e for festa cheer.
Even, heather yet, the savage Dane,
Al Jol more deep the mead did drain.
And well our Christian sres Of old
Loved when the year its course had roll'd
Aad brought bithe Christmas back again,
With all his hOepitAble train,
Domestic and religious rite
Gave honor 10 the holy right:
On Christmas eve the bells were rung;
On Christmas eve the mass was sung;
Thai only night in all the year
Saw the stoid priest the chalice rear.
Atpresent the greatest festival Of the Catholic Church
Easter But that not always 80 and in Great Bri
tain and other Protestant countries Christmas still main
tans its asccndancy and is zeaously observed both by
Catholics and Epscopaans The other secs do not pay it
much religious respect, but they join in its fes-
tivy. In Scotland it s but partially observed But
in Germany its celebration surpasses the merrment even
in England One Of the grounds Of objection to was
that the day on which it is observed is not asceraincd to
be the day on which Christ born On the contrary,
the presumption s against it, find in the account Of
the birth of Christ that the shepherds and their ocks
out that night which would not be likely such
a country Judea, at the winter solstice, which Dr.
Shaw in his travels shows TO be severe.
The shepherds on the lawn,
Or eer the point Of dawn,
Sat simply chatting in q rustic row:
Full little thought they then
That the mighty Pan
Was kindly come to live with them below.
TWAS evidently not in winter But the reply is that it
matters not and the precise day cannot be asceraned
that why the church should not appoint
day to commemorate great event. This dHiculty-
the that occurred about Easter-was settled in the
came way by the Church about the year 800, and
Christmas was fixed for the time Of the saturnala.
On the ground Of its Pagan origin and Pagan time Of
Observance and account Of the free and easy
h which II celebrated about the time OF the Reforma
ton the hostility to evinccd by the Purtans Of England
and Covenanters Of Scotland extreme. To these aus
fanatics indeed, all holidays except the Sabbath,
objects Of hatred and disgust But Christmas and
New Years Day were specially denounced. Pryne says-
wo compare bacchanalian Christmas and New
Years tides with these satrnala and feasts Of Janus
shall find such affinity between them both in regard
OF time hey being both in the end Of December and
the LIST Of january and in their of soemnizng
lboth Of them being spent in reveing epicursm,
snd csTDa and o that Me needs
the one 70 be but the very ape issue OF the other
hence Poydor Virgil afirms in express terms that
Christmas Lords Of Misrule (Which custom, saith he, is
chiefly observed in England) together with dancing,
masques mummcres, sage plays, and such other Christ
disorders, In with Christians were derived
from these Roman saturnala and baochanaian festivals
which concludes he) should all pous Christians
etcrnaiy 10 abominate them.
From Macauey VIC learn that such was the opposition
any observance of Christmas Day Scotland In the
cond year Of the reign Of William Ill, Q6s9) that the
Covepanters published manifestocs against it, among
The sins which would one day bring down divine ven.
gance upon the people. But they not satisfied with
this-on Christmas Day they held armed musters and
marched 10 the house Of the minister sackng his cellar
and larder, and sometimes ducking himself in pond.
His furniture was wrecked, and his wife aud children
turned out in the snow Finally he was sent away, and
charged At his peril never to return The church was
locked up, and the worthy reormers carried oil the
the keys About two hundred ministers were thus
pced. These Purans long continued to hurl their
thcmas against the national sin Of the Court o. Sessions
taking vacation the las: week Of December. One
william wilson, fanatic then highly thought Of thus
declares when dying
leave my testimony against the abomnable act Of the
pretended Queen Anne and ner pretended Brtsh--rcay
bruishParament for enactng that which is called the
Yuc Vacancy"
These Calvnists Calvinstc than Calvin him
self for in consequence Of his exerons that the
Observance or he festival revived at Geneva after
an interval 81 some years. These were the more in
consistent as they followed the analoges and precedents
o. the Jews in many things; their descendants the I'll
srims N his country nstu,ng tho Feast Thanks