Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-12-26

Duu, dldS UupTc Will DC many Nlctlllt
places at the festive board this Christmas,
and the happiness of those present will be
alloyed by thoughts of absent loved ones,
who may be sleeping in death beneath the
battles plain, victim to the demon War,
Oh, weary war deeply will its effects be
felt by manya bereayed heart, and many
an ardent prayer will be offered up to the
God of Nations for the speedy return OF
Peace to our beloved land. That these
! prayers may be granted with fullness is
our Christmas wish.
As appropriate to the time, we give the
following interesting facts in regard 20 the
origin aud observance of Christmas, which
we extract from the American Cyclopedia /:
"Christmas Christ and mass is festival
of the Christian church, observed OH De-
eember 25, as the anniversary of the birth
ofthe Savior Its, institution is attributed
by the decretal letters to Pope TelesphoruS
who died A. ID. 13S, and throughout the
subsequent history of the church it has been
one of the most noted of Christian solemni-
ties. At first it was the most movable of
Christian days, often cOnfoundcd with the
Epiphany, and celebrated by the eastern
churches in the months of April and May.
In the first century the urgency of st. Cy-
ril of Jerusalem obtained from Pope Ju-
Illus |, an order for an Investigation to be
made concerning the day of Christ's nativ-
ty. The result of the inquiry by the theO-
logians of the East aud West was an agree
ment upon the 25th of December. The
chief grounds for the decision were the
tables of the censors in the archives
of Rome; and, although, in the opin-
ion of some of the fathers, there was
not authentic proof of the identification of
the day, yet the decision was uniformly ac-
cepted, and from that time the nativity has
been celebrated throughout the church on
the same day. 1t has also been a common
tradition that Christ was born about the
middle of the night. The custom in the
Roman Catholic countries of uslleTing in
Christmas day by the celebration of three
masses, one at midnight, the second at ear
ly dawn, and third in the morning, dates
from the 9th century. The day was con-
sidered in the double light OF a holy COM
memoration and a cheerful festival, and was
accordingly distinguished by devotion, by
vacation from business and by merriment. |
During the middle ages it was celebrated |
by the gay fantastic spectacle Of dramatic |
mysteries and 'morlites, performed by |
persOnages in gr0tesque masks and singu- |
lar costumes. The scenery usually repre- |
sented an infant in cradle, surrounded bv |
the Virgin Mary and ST. Joseph, by bulls |
heads cherubs, eastern magi, and manifold |
ornaments. The custom of singing canti-
cles at Christmas, called carols, which re-
called the songs of shepherds at the birth of
Christ, dates from the time when the COM
mon people ceased to understand Latin.-
The bishops and lower clergy often Joined
with the pOpulace in carolling and the
songs were enlivened by dances and by the
music of tambours, guitars, violins. and or
gans. Fathers, mothers, sons, and daugh-
tiers mingled together in the dance; if in the
night, each bearing in his hand a lighted
WAX taper
"Among the revels of the Christmas sea-
son were the so-called feast of fools and
asses, grotesque saturnalia, which were
sometimes termed December liberties in
which everything serious was burlesqued,
interiors persOnitying superiors great men
becoming frolicksome, aud which illus
trates the prOneness of man to occasionally
reverse the order of society and ridicule its
decencies. In the Protestant districts of
Germany and the north of Europe, Christ
mas is often called the 'children's festival
and Christmas eve is devoted to giving
presents, especially between parents and
and gbrothers and sisters, by
means of the so-eallcd Christmas tree. A
large yew bough is erected in the parlors,
lighted with tapers, and hung with mani
fold gifts, sweetmeats, apples, nuts, play
things and ornaments. Each of these is
marked with the name of the person for
whom it is intended, but not with the name
of the donor, and when the whole family
party is assembled, the presents are distrib-
uted around the room according to their
labels, amid joyful acclamations and con-
gratulations. A more sober scene succeeds
for the mother takes this occasion to say
to the daughters, and the father
fbn wi
worthy and what most faulty in their con- ,
duct.
'Christmas has always been at once re-
Iigious, domestic, and merry making fes-
sival in England. equally for every rank {
md every age. The revels used to begin
IN Christmas and continue after the Can
llemas (Feb. p, every day beginning t
holiday till twelfth-night (Jan.) In the '
louses of the mobiles lord of misrule,' or .
abbot of mreason,' was appointed, whose .
,fflce was to make the rarest pastimes, to y
elight the beholder,' and whose dominion
asted from All hallow eve (Oct. 3l) till I
,andlemas day. The larder was filled with c
apons, hens, turkey, geese, ducks, beef,
nutton, pork, pies. puddings, nuts, plums, o
ugar, and honey. The Italians have the f
Ollowing proverb: lie has more business !
han English ovens at Christmas The
enants were entertained at the hall; and
he lord of the manor and his family EN-
loved every art conducive to mirth, which n
thus described in an old English song;
"On Christmas eve the bells were rung;
On Christmas eve the mass was sung
That only night, in all the year, ~
Saw the stoled priest the chalice rear.
Then open wide the barOns hall, -
To vassal, tenant, serf and all
Power laid his rod Of rule aside,
And ceremony dofed his pride. 4