Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-12-24
Christmas in Spain.

There is no civilized country on
earth IN which children are not made
happy by the promise of the coming
Christmas. But IN every country the
festival is called by a different name.
and it's presiding genius is painted
with a different costume and manner.
You know all about our jolly Dutch
Santa Claus, with his shrewd, twink
ling eyes, his frosty beard, his rudy
face and the bag Of treasures with
which he comes tumbling down the
chimney, while his team Of reindeer
snort and stamp on the icy roof. The
English Christmas is equally we'll
known, and the wonders of the German
miracle-tree, the first sight of which no
child ever forgets. But you are, per-
haps, not SO familiar with the spirit of
the blessed season of advent in South
ern Europe, and SO [ will tell you some
Of the pleasures and fancies of the
Spanish Christmas.
The good cheer which it brings
everywhere is especially evident in
Spain. They are frugal people; and
many a good Spanish family is support
ed by less than the waste of a house
hold on Murray Hill. But there is no
sparing at Christmas. This is season
as fatal to turkeys as Thanksgiving in
New England. The Castalian farmers
drive them into Madrid in great droves,
which they conduct from door to door,
making the dim old streets gay with
their scarlet wattles, and noisy with
obstreperous Cabling. But the head
quarters of the marketing during those
days are in the Plaza Mayor, where every
variety Of fruit and provision is sold.
There is nothing more striking than
those vast heaps of fresh golden
oranges, plucked the day before in the
groves Of Andalusia; nuts from Gran
ada, and dates from Africa; every
flavor and color of tropical fruitage;
and in the stalls beneath the gloomy
arches, the butchers drive their -four
ishing trade. All is gay and joyous
chaffering and testing, greeting Of
friends and filling of baskets. The sky
is wintry, but the ground is rudy and
rich with the fruits Of summer.
At night the whole city turns out in
to the streets. The youths and maid.
ems of the poorer class go trooplng
through the town with tamborines,
castanets and guitars, singing and
dancing. Every one has a different
song to suit his own state of mind.
The women sing of love and religion,
and many of the men can sing of moth
ing better than politics. But the part
which the children take ia the festival
bears curious resemblance to those
time-honored ceremonies we all remem.
Der, The associations of Christmas in
Spain are all Of the Gospel. There is
no northern ST. Nick there to stuff the
stockings of good children with rewards
OF merit. Why, then, on Christmas
eve dc you see the little shoes exposed
by the windows and doors The wise
kings or the East-are -snppasad- to- he
lourneying by night to Bethlehem,
bearing gifts and homage to the heav-
emily Child, and out of their abund-
ance, when they pass by the houses
where good children sleep, they will
drop into the shoes some of the treas
ures they are bearing to the Baby
Prince in Judea. The thunght is never
absent from the rejoicings of Christmas
tide IN Spain. Every hour of the time
is sacred to HIM who came to bring
peace and goodwill to the world. The
tavorite toy of the season is called
4" The Nativity" 1t is sometimes very