Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-12-25
ESTABLISHED 1910.


course. announces that mid-winter /
is past, and spring and summer,
are approaching. On similar grounds 1
ane with similar demonstrations, the |
ancient pagan nations observed /
a festival at midsummer, or the /
summer sOlstice, when the sun ar
riVes at the eliminating point OF his 1
ascent on the Dist of June, or longest |
day.
Bv the Romans, this anniversary 1
was celebrated under the title OF sat
urnalia, or the festival OF Saturn, and 4
was marked by the prevalence Of a
universal license and merry-making. /
The slaves were permitted to enjoy for 4
a time q thorough freedom in speech |
and behavior, and it Is even said that /
their masters waited on them as ser
wants. Every one feasted and re-
ioiced. work and business were for a /
time suspended, the houses were /
decked with laurels and evergreens,
presents were made by parents ana
friends, and all sorts of games and /
amusements were INDUCED in by the |
citizens. In the bleak North, the same /
rejOicings had place, but in ruder |
and more barbarQQs form. Fires were /
extensively kindled, both in and out 1
of doors, blocks of wood blazed IN 4
honor of Odin and Thor, the sacred /
mistletCa vas gathered by the Drulds, |
and sacrifices, both Of men and cattle, /
were made to the savage dlVlnltles-
Fires are said, also, to have been KIN
died at this period of the year by the
ancient Persians, between whom ana /
the Druids of Western Europe q rela- |
tiOnship is supposed to have eXlsteq. /
In the early ages Of Christianity, lis |
ministers frequently experienced the 4
utmost difficulty in inducing the con- I
verts to refrain from indulglng IN ths I
DOpular aulusements which were so !
largely participated in by their pagan /
coEntrymen. Among others, the rev /
eIrv and license which characterized !
the Saturnalia called for special AMI
madversion. But at last, eonVlnced
partly of the inetficacy Of such denGn-
Citations, and partly influenced by the
idea that the spread Of Christianity
might thereby be advanced, the church
eDdesVOred to Oamalgamate, Is i were,
the old and new religions, and sought,
! Dy transferring the heathen cereIllO-
nies to the zClemnities Of the Christian
| festivals to make theIg subservient to
! the cause of religion ana plely' A
f,,,nrOu1ise was thus effected between
| clergy and laity, though it must be ad-
mitted that it prc-ed anything but a
harmonious one, as we tnG 2 constant
! though Intellectual prescription by tAe
! ecclesiastical authorities of the favorIte
! amusements Of the people, lncluqlng
/ among Others the sports and reFeifles
at Christmas.
Ingrafted thus on the R0inaIe Satur-
MALTA, the Christmas festivities r.
/ ceiyed in Britain further changes and
notifications, by having s4peradded
! 10 them, first, the Druidical rites and
superstitions, and then, after the arrI-
! Val Of the SaEOns, the various cere-
monies praetiGcd by the ancient Ger
mans and ScandinayiaHs, The result
has been the strange medley OF Chris
tian and pagan rites which contribute
to make ~ the festivities OF the
modern Christmas.
The names given by the ancient
/ GOthS and SaXOns to the festival OF
/ the winter s0lstice was int or HUle,
| the latter term forming, TO the present
! dav, the designation in the Scottish
dialect of Christmas, and preserved
/ also in the phrase of the " EUle log"
/ Perhaps the etymOlogy of no term mas
| excited greater discussion among anti
0uaries. Some maintain it to be de-
! rived from the Greek, QWOy or OutOS,
tbR name of a hymn In hGEcr OF
! Ceresy others say it comes from the
/ Latin jiyH4H5, signifying time OF re-
ioieing. or from its being a festival IN
honor Of Julius Caesars whilst some
also eXpldin its meaning as syEOny-
NOUS with OF or Oei, which in the an
! cient Gothic language denotes feast,
and also the favOTjte liquor used on
such occasion, whence our word ale.
But much more probable Derivation
of the term in question is trOm the
4 Gothic giw or hiui, the origin o.
the modern word Jrheel, and bear
ing the same signihcation. Ae-
cording to this very probable
explanation, the Eule festival re-
peived its name from its being
fhe turning-pOint of the year, or
fhe perio,5 at which the fiery orb OF
day made a revolution in his annual
circuit, and entered On his northern
Journey. A confirmation of this view
is afforded by the circumstance that
in the old clog almanacS a tSHeet u Ihe
/
son Of Yul5-tide.
Throughout the middle ages. and
down to the period OF the RefOrma-
ton. the festival Of Christmas, ,ingrefted
on the Pagan rites Of Nule, continued
throughout ChristendOm to be unlver-
sally celebrated with every mark OF
rejoicing. On the adoption .! new
system of faith by most of the Luther
an nations of Europe in the sixteenth
century, the Lutheran and Anglican
churches retained the celebration OF
Christmas and other festivals, which
Calvinists rejected absQlutAy, de-
nouncing the Observance OF al such
DAYS, except Sunday, as suPerstltlous
! and unscriptural. In reference TO the
| supersU. Ions anciently prevalent IN
Scotland against spinning on Christ
mas and Nuie day, ,and the determlna-
ton Of the Calvinistic clergy to put
down all such notions, the following
! amusing passage Is quoted by Dr.
. Jameson from JbOHe Hdn1itt0n's td-
ciIe YrQietiSo: The ministers Of Scot
land-in contempt Of the Vther halle
dawes Obseruit be Englsnd-cause then
: Wytis and servants spin ia Oppln slchi
| ofUhe people upon Neul day; and theii
, 1 affectiOnuate auditeurS cOnStralnee
: their tenants to yOk their pleuchS on
\ I Yeul day in contempt OF Chrlsts ma
4 tiuitie, Whilk our Lord has not lef
1 | vnpunisit; for THAR oxen ran woo
1madl, and brak tbsir neckis, anC
u leamit tanned sum pleucmen, as Is
u nOtOriOusly knawin in sindrle parte'
= of Scotland In consequence Of th'
Presbyterian form of church govern
j ment, as constituted by John hnol
Z and his cOadiutOrs on the model OF thI
!, / ecclesiastical policy Of Calvin, havlnS
Z taken such firm root in Scotland, TIT
u festival Of Christmas, with other com
u memOrative celebrations retained iron
u the Romish calendar by the Anglican
= and Lutherans, is comparatively un
J. known in the country, at least in tn
Lowlands. The tendency 10 mirth an,
= ioliity at the close of the year, Whicl
I" sa5i;ls almost inherent in human na
81 SSe. bas, ~ North BritOn, been, for tn
Il an, irsBStarTed from Christina
I mo- .Ji P,-; -nas Eve transferred 70 NeN
a,,u an. -; II nav an,s the pfScediag eyS2'hs
r inown by the aPoellation oL tit%gnsS 9ll Z
], 81 ~, In many parts Of the HlSqlanq
I of Scotland. however, aud also ID ~
s comfy of Forfar, and one or TWO Otle
n districts. the day for the great nerrS
Z making is Christmas.
From a curious old song preserve
Z; in the HarIeian Manuscripts IN III
u British Museum, we learn that II wa
y considered peculiarly lucky VIE
= Christmas Day fell on Sunuay, On On
the reverse when il occurred on %
. urday. The intermediate days are, ~
!, the most part, Characterised by nal
y py uniformity of prOpitiOu5 augufS
Il The versificatiOn is of the most rugge
= descri ptiOn, but as an interesting spec