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

CHRISTMAS.
How Ii Was Observed in Early Days
Christmas Lore and Christina
The mode of observing this period
OF the year has often varied The re-
igious observances of the day became
universal as regarded the Catholic
Church about the year 800, and our
ancestors looked on it in the mixed
light of religious and joyful season
of festivities. For instance, the mid
night preceding Christmas day every
person ''gentle and simple attended
high mass, and on Christmas-day three
different services were sung with much
solemnity. The great Alfred saw fit to
publish an edict ordaining, that "ye
twelve days after ye Nativitie be
festivale;" and Bishop Holt assures us
that the whole of the days were dedica-
ted to ''high jinks," and celebrated with
great parade, splendor, and con-
VITALITY. Business was superseded by
merriment and hospitality; otro caro-,
which Horace assures us '':rides on
everybody's back" was for thesnonce
kicked off, and the most careworn
countenance frightened up for the oc-
casiOn.
From Christmas day to Twelfth day
the origin of this letter dies festus
was from Alfred's edict-there was a
mad and continuous career of enter
tainments ; the mobiles and barons gave
their countenance to the various sports;
the palace of royalty and the labourer's
cot alike resounded with tumultuous
joy. Ha.e s5Ig
Snow toowas heard
The hap'es cripple, tuning through the streets
His carol new and oft, amid the gloom
Of midnight hours, prevaild tn accustom, d sounds
| Of wa eful a0aits, whose harmony-composed
OF hautboy, organ, violin, and flute,
And various other instruments of mirth-
| Is meant to celebrate the coming time.''
The custom OF strolling from street
to street, playing musical instruments
and singing seems to have originated
from 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 relief
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, an act under the au-
thority Of warrant, signed by the
clerk, and sealed with the arms Of the
city and liberty; in addition TO which
they were bound to provide themselves
with silver badge, also bearing the
arms of Westminster.
The custom of serving boars' heads
at Christmas feasts is one to which
much pomp and ceremony formerly at
tached. Henry II. g served his son at
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 condu cted by
a master Of the revels, called the EsLord
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
animadyerted on severely at Cambridge
by the Puritans, in the reign of the
Scotch Scion, James l., as unbecom-
ing the gravity and dignity of the
university inheriting evidently the
mantle of the 'vaine players of inter-
ludes :" stigmatised by act of parlia-
ment in the preceding reign.
During the Commonwealth stern
Noll's purltanical followers i'll brooked
what they We're pleased to term "super-
sti5ious festivals" and amongst these
was Christmas. So determined was the
Puritan party to make clean sweep Of
all vestiges of Hevil creeds and evil
Deeds" that they resolved in council
to attack old Father Christmas and his
concomltants. The holly and mistletoe
bough were to be exterminated root
and branch, as plants OF the evil one
cakes and splced ale were voted not
only superhuous, but simply 'impious
libations to superstition, and the
Observation-Disclosures we call them
would have none Of it. Accordingly,
in the year 1947, Cromwell announced
! through the mouth of the common
crler, the usual mode of announcing
anything unpleasant in those days
"that Christmas day should no longer
be observed, Eeing a superstitious and
| hurtful custom; and that in place
thereof, and the more etfectually 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 their most SEN
sitive part. 1t was hardly to be ex-
pected that they would quietly submit
to such bereavment; nor did they.
The author of this black act and his
aiders and abettors came in time to be
detested, and made people long for