Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-12-24
THE CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL.
An Interesting Historical sketch,

The institution Of Christmas festi,
val is attributed by The spurious De-
cretals to Phosphorus, W no flourished
in the reign of Antoninous Plus OBS
l6l A. d., but the first certain ira
ces of II are found about the time of
Commodus, (l80- 1872 A D. In the
reign of Diocletain (184-305 A. D. }
while that ruler was keeping court at
Nicomeiia, he learned that multi.
tuje OF Christians we're assem- bled in
the city to celebrate the birthday of
Jesus, and having ordered the church
doors to be closed, be set fire to the
building, and all the worshippers per
Ished in the flames.
1t does not appear, however, that
there was any NJ iformity in the pc.
riod Of observing the nativity among
the early churches; some held the fes-
tival in the month Of April or Nav,
others in January. 1t is, neverthe>
less, almost certain that the 25th of
December cannot be the nativity Of
the Savior, for it is then the height
of the rainy season in Judea, and the
shepherds could hardly be watching
their focks by night on the plains.
Christmas not only became the pa.
rent of many later festivals, such as
those Of the Virgin, but especially
from the 9Th to the 9Th century gath
cred round it, as it were, several 9th.
er festivals, partly old and partly
new, so that what may be termed a
Christmas Cycle sprung up which
surpassed all other groups of Chris
tan holidays in the manifold richness
Of it's festal usages, and furthered,
more than any other, the completion
OF the orderly and systematic distri~
button Of church festivals over The
whole pear. Not casually or arbitra-
rily was the festival of the Nativity
celebrated on the 25th of December
Among the causes that cooperated in
fixing this period as the proper one,
perhaps the most powerful was, that
almost all the heather nations re-
garded the winter solstice as the
most important point of the year, az
the beginning Of he renewed life ant
activity of the powers of nature, and
of the gods, who were originally
merely the symbolical personifica-
tions Of these. 10 more northerly
countries, this fact must have made
itself peculiarly palpabIe-hence the
Celts and Germans, from the oldest
times, celebrated the season with the
greatest festivities. At the winter.
solstice, the Germans held their great
Vule-feast in commemoration Of the
fiery sun>wheel and believed that
during the twelve nights reaching
from the 25th Of December to the 9th
Of January, they could trace the per-
sonal movements and interfereDces
on earth of their great deities, Odin.
Berchta. &c. Many ofthe beliefs and
usages of the old Germans, and also
of the Romans, relating to this mat
ter, passed over from beathensm to
Christianity, and have partly surviv-
ed to the present day. But the
church also sought to combat and
Danlsn-and it was TO large extent
successf1l--the deep-rooted heather
feelinc y adding, for the purifca-
ton {. the heather customs and
feasts which it retained, its liturgy,
besides dramatic representations of
the birth of Christ and the first
events of his lite. Hence sprang the
so.called "Manger-songs," and a mul.
ttude Of Christ mas carols, as we'll as
Christmas dramas, which at certain
times and places. degenerated iDto
farces or fools festivals. Hence, al
so originate at later period, the
Christ trees, or Christmas trees,
adorned with lights and gifts, the
custom Of reciprocal presents, and Of
special Christmas meats and dishes,
such as Christmas rolls, cakes currant-
leaves, dumplings, &c. This, Christ
mas became universal social festival
for young and old, high and low, as
no other Christian festival could have
become.
10 the Roman Catholic Church,
lHtcS naSoOc 0tO pCiloi LAOu AZ OuiiSb-
mas-one at midnight. one at day
break, and ne in the morning The
day is also celebrated by the Episco.
pal Church; SPECIAL psalms are sung;
a special preface is made in the Com.
munion service, and 10 England the
Athanasian Greed is said aud sung.
The Lutheran Church likewise OBJ
serves Christmas but most other de-
nominations reject it, in it's religious
aspect, as human invention !" and
as "savoriRg of papistical will wor-
ship" although everybody keeps 1t
as social holiday, on which there is
complete cessation from all busi~
ness. But within the last hundred
years, the festivities once appropriate
TO Christmas have much fallen off,