Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-12-25
CHRISTMAS.

of festivities. For instance, the mid
night~preoeding ChTiStmas day every
person " gentle and simple attended
high mass, and on Christmae-day three
different services were sung with much
solemnity. The great Alfred saw fit to
publish an edict ordaining, that rye
twelve days after ye Nativitie be
festivale; )" and Bishop Holt assures us
that the whole of the days were dedica-
ted to thigh jinks," and celebrated with
great parade, splendor, and con-
VITALITY. Business was superseded by
merriment and hospitality; utr0 cxr0,
which Horace assures us 'trides on
everybody's back: was for the nonce
kicked of, and the most careworn
countenance frightened up for the oc-
caslOn. ; ~ -"
From Christmas.day to Twelfth. day
the origin of this letter dies fest,ts
was from Alfred's edict-there was q
mad and continuous career of enter
tainments; the mobiles and barOns gave
their countenance TO the various sports;
the palace OF royalty and the laboprer's
cot alike fesounded with tumultuous
joy.
-, = ~,|Now too NJ heard IS
The bap!sss cripple, tuning through the streets
His carot new and oft, amid the gloom
VI midnight hours, prevaild tn accuston d sounds
OF aseful traits, whose harmony-composeA
Ss4oS: osq nst S! of %seh
IL meant to celebrate the coming time"
The custom of strolling from street
to street, playing musical. instruments
and singing seems to have originated
from a very ancient practice which pre-
vailed, of the minstrels attached to the
kings court and retinue of the barons,
who paraded the streets and sounded
the hour from Christmas-eve till dawn.
The "lord mayors music " is q relict
of this custom and it may not per-
haps be generally known that in the
year of grace 1871 "waits" are regularly
sworn before the "court OF burgesses.''
at Westminster, IN act under the au-
thority of warrant, signed by the
clerk, and sealed with the arms of the
city and iibe, y; in addition to which
they were bound to provide themselves
with q silver badge, also bearing the
arms of Westminster. ~
The custom of serving boars' heads
ut Christmas feasts is one to which
much pomp and ceremony formerly at
tached. Henry II. "served his son al
the table as server, bringing up the
boar's head with trumpets before it;
so saith the erudite dignitary of the
Church: hereinbefore quoted. The
various amusements were conducted by
a master of the revels, called the 'ttord
of Misrule," whose duty it was to keep
the best order. he could during the
sports and pastimes. The universities,
the lord mayor and sheriffs, and all
noblemen and gentlemen, had their
lords of misrule. These lords were
animadverted on severely at Cambridge
by the Puritans, in the reign Of the
Scotch Scion, James l., cas- unbecom-
ing the gravity and dignity of the
university inheriting evidently the
mantle Of the "vaine players of inter
ludes :" stigmatised by act of parli4.
ment in the preceding reign.
During tue Commonwealth stern
Noll's puriranical followers i'll brooked
what they were pleased to term s'super-
sti:ious festivals" and amongst these
was Christmas. So determined was the
Puritan party to make clean weep of
all vestiges of "evil creeds and evil
Deeds" that they resolved in council
to attack old Father Christmas and his
concomitauts. The holl y and mistletoe
bough we're TO he exterminated root
and branch, as plants Of the evil one !;
cakes and, spiced ale we're voted not
only superAuous, but simply "impious
libations to superstition" and the
Observation-Disclosures we call them
would have none oft. Accordingly,
! in the year 1947, Cromwell announced
through the mouth of the common
crier, the usual mode of announcing
| anything unpleasant in those days
"that Christmas day should no longer
be observed, being superstitious and
hurtful custom; and that in place
thereof, and the more eGectually to
work change, markets should be held
on the 25th OF December. The news
letters and private correspondence Of
those days are full of indignant com
ment on such an arbitrary proceeding.
This was attacking the people, especially
the country folks, in:theifs most sem
sitive part. It was hardly to be OK
pectea that they would quietly submit
to such a bereavment; nor did they.
The author of this black act aud bis
aiders and abettors came IN time toshe
detested, and made people long for a
more liberal rule in fact, such want
of consideration for the conservative
feelings of the English people could
not fail to bring about the downfall Of
any government. IretoD, who was re-
nnted to have been prime mover in
promptius such AN unpopular edict;
had forever a.. er considerable personal
od1um attached % him; and at his
death in Whitehall, one of a glees"me
mob standing outside tne door, ever 1
the portal of which waA' lasc. 'Ma.
"Decns ct decorum eat p.o Patlla
mori." with bitter irony construe.. ~,
at was a good thing for his cola> ~
that he died. - -. .,3rL
The rosemary, the holly, and the
mistletoe, from time immemora.u have
been plants used for Christmas decora.
tions. Gay says:
"wlen ys:,n r., and Toys the poets erSxn
Then Judge the festival Of Christmas near
Christmas, the Joyous period OF the year.
N M,S , y gs "n all snc yo%, tsp st'0~
The yule log, or yuletide log, so call
ed from huge log Of dry wood spark
ling and cracking in the chimney corner
whilst the yule cakes are baking on d
',gridle "-north- country parlance for
I" griddie lis apparently Of very old
as u concomltant of Christmas
in those parts, an old song running
thus:
Snow all our neighbours ohimneys smoke,
And ynte-tids logo aud burning: =
There 'vens they with baked mcate choke
And all their splits are turTins;"
while the youth of both sexes congre
gate nightly vt neighboring friends
houses to hear Of II !, 1874 &c
"lob"'hlis, glouls, and suchlikc parlous spritcs,
1t is to these gatherings w owe the