The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-12-25


the yearly account due the merchant,
thought to make shirn a surprise, in
sending him a fattened and roasted
duck, with the three hundred gold
pieces sewed up in the body. The
merchants wife, however, sharing In
the prevailing prejudices against the
Jews, refused to receive q present
from one of the race. The merchant,
therefore, sold the duck for o dollar
to the poor, praying shoemaker, who
took it home for his Christmas din
ner, and when, on opening the fowl
with the carver, the gold fell out, his
exclamation was, "Praise to st. Nj
cholas" and divided the sum between
his two eldest daughters. The mer-
chant discovering the result of the
experiment in sewing up gold in the
carcass of duck, brought an action
against Giraldi; but the magistrate,
q devout man. on hearing the ceec,
ard learning how the poor man had
been ridiculed for his devotion, not
only ordered Giraldi to retain the
ducats, but sentenced the Jew and
the merchant for their usurious deal
ings to pay fine of one hundred and
fifty ducats for the dowry of the poor
shoemaker's youngest daughter. The
meaning of this legend is, that a be-
neicent Providence watches over and
takes care of the poor, who are
honest, religic US and truthful. The
tradition runs, that since that time,
st. Nicholas pays visit every Christ
mas night to all whom he thinks
worthy of his favors. He is known
altogether by the name-Santa Claus.
In Germany and other Northern Eu-
ropean countries, the traditional be-
nefactor of tho children, with his
Christmas budget for the good chill
dren's stockings. is known as Krish
Observation-Disclosures to be de-
rived from the circumstance that n
representation of the infant Saviour
in the manger, formed part of their
Christmas decoration. Bad children,
instead of tho sugar-plums from
Krish Kinkle, find in their stockings
ethe birchen rod" from Pelsnichol.
The Germans of Pennsylvania
brought their Teutonic customs
the stocking hung ut the foot of the
bed, Krish Kinkle, the Christmas
tree-at an early period into that
State, while Santa Claus came with
the Hollanders into New York.
The ewes or vigils of the different
ecclesiastical festivals throughout the
year, according to the strict letter of
ceremonial rule, are times of pc
nance; but in several instances Gus
tom has appropriated them to very
different purposes, making them sea-
sons of mirth and jollity. All-Saints'
Eve and Christmas Eve, or the even
ing before Christmas Day, being
special instances of this appropria-
ton. Christmas Eve may be said to
be practically the beginning of the
Christmas holidays, though, accord
ing to ecclesiastical computation, the
festival really begins on December
16, the day distinguished in the ca
lendar as 0, Sapientia, from the name
OF the anthem sung during Advent,
though by some it is maintained that
the festival does not begin III the
evening before Christmas Day. The
season is held to terminate on the 1st
Va - SOA toA IlO tuc
Publication of the Virgin-Candle-
mas Day-when, according to the
ecclesiastical canons, all the decora-
tions must be removed from the
churches. In common usage the
Christmas holidays commence on
Christmas Eve and end on January
6, or Twelfth Day, as it is called.
The Christmas tree, on Christmas
Eve, in Germany and the North of
Europe, as also very extensively in
America, is splendor and delight in
the eyes and imaginations of all the
children, and, IN fact, forms the
grandest feature in the festal season
of Christmas among the Northern
European nations, being often called
the Children's Festival The Christ
mas tree seems to be very ancient
custom in Germany--a remnant pro-
badly Of the splendid and fanciful
pageants of tho middle ages. The
custom was early introduced into this
country by the German emigrants,
but was hardly known to England
till within the present century. The
first forming of the Christmas tree in
England is believed to have been
done by German in the household