The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-12-21
MERRY CHRISTMA.S.

On Christmas eve the bells were rung;
The d"msei douncd her kirtle sheen;
Forth TO the wood did merry men go
TO gather in the mistetoe.
The heir with roses in his shoes
That night might village partner chuse;
All hailed with uncontrolled delight
And general voice the happy night
That TO the cottage, as the crown.
Brought tidings of salvation down.
The huge hal-tahle's oakeu face,
Scrubbed till it shone, the day to grace,
Bore then upon its massive board
No mark to part the squire and lord.
Then the grim bosr's head fr"wned on high
Crowned with Gays aud rosemary.
Garnished with ribbons, blithely trow!s;
Then the huge sirioin reekcd; hard by
Plumb pOrridge stood, and Christmas pye;
Nor failed OF Scotland to produce
At such hign tide her savory goose.
England was merry England, when
Old Christmas brought bis sports again.
Twas Christmas brOachei the mightiest ale,
Twas Christmas told the merrieSt tale;
4 Christmas gambol oft would cheer
The poor mans heart through half the year.
The practice of using green branches for
the decoration of churches and houses at
Christmas time is of very remote date. In
early carols the holly and ivy are both
spoken of, but the former more frequently
than the latter ivy, however, became one
of the plants regularly used with holm and
bay, to which gOodly company the mIs;le-
toe was afterward added. Rosemary and
laurel were also among the favorite Christ
mas evergreens, and chaplets of them were
lildue anu WOID Oii Jbc hShSS St't'S
the expressions, ''To kiss under the rose,
and "Whispering under the mistletoe."
The yule-log is of very ancient use. Be
fore chmneys were invented, the fire was
ullt in the middle of the room, the smoke
escaping through the roof. On Christmas
eve, a huge log, the yule-log, was put upon
the fire and each member OF the family III
turn sat down upon it, and sang yuIe.
song, and drank to a merry Christmas and
z-,t In lnrr
had to be abolished when freplaces were
invented, aud in these days the log itself
has fallen into disuse by reason OF the
modern improvements of Latrobe stoves,
furnaces etc. Herrick, in his Ceremonies
for ChriStR,asse, mentions the yule log
Come bring me with a noise,
NV merrie. merrie bOyes,
The Christmas log to the nreing'
While my good dame, sue
Bids We all be free,
And drink to your hearts desiring
with the last yeere branu
Light the new block, ana
For good success in his spending,
On your psateres play,
hat sweet luck may
Come while the log is teendlng.
One oAthe earliest customs was the was
sail bowl and one universally patroniGea.
The first wassail is said to have been as
follows: Rowena, the daughter of Hen
gist, presented the British king Vortigern
with a bowl of wine, saluting him witn,
Lord king wRs-heil," to which the KING
(as previously instructed, the legend says
replied, "Drinc heile," and saluted her
after tie then fashion. Being much smlt-
zen by her charms, the king married tne
fair cup bearer, to her and Der ialhe'
great satisfaction, and the Oaxohs oo1aiueu
What they wanted. This form OF saiuta
hion is found. however, to be much older
tban this romantic scene and to have been
used by the Saxous years before. oofne
accounts say that the Britons had their
rassail bowl as late as the third century;
The followers and worshippers OF odin ana
Thor drank deeply i'll honor OF their gods'
and when converted continued tue prdcIico
in honor of the one God and his saints, ana
it required much patient labor among 'ne
early missionaries to abolish IL.
D,ucipg was a favorite Christmas amuse-
ment. William of Malmesbury tells us
ouaiutly of a party of young folk who were
dancing in the churchyaId, one Christmas
eve. and by their laughter and songs dis-
turbed a priest who was saying his Mass u,
the church. lie begged and entreateo
them in vain to desist and allow him 10
complete his duties uEdisturbed; they only
danced the more and sang the iouueI'
untiI the priest's patience becoming eN-
borstcd. he prayed that they might never
cease dancing. This prayer was heaiu'
and thew continued their dance al through
tho wear Neither heat nor cold, munger,
tbirs., nor fatigue, affected them. lheir
friends made every effort to stop them. .,
brother of one of the girls took her oy tne
ann, and tried by force to bring her away
tbe limb came off in his hand, without ap,
parently causing any pain Or distress 70 Tue ,he
dancer. who lost not single step oi 'ne
performance, and vent on as ste"I,;y "o
before At the end of the year, biSnoP
IT,,har. came tn the place, aud, aosoiVins
the marty: tie dancing ceased. some oi
them died right away Others after s,eJP sIi
of three days and nights, went round 'e"-
ing of the miracle a. t.;,rs of
From the earliest times, the kings %
Enoland celebrated Christmas ana nc SUI
ceedipe holidays with royal fsas'ingsi So -
the tim:e of Henry H., they nad uam .,'a;r
with queer sounding names "haSe G.,a uas
actual merit may have oeen. -, - with