The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-12-25

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| OLD TIMES-sOME INTERESTING FACTS
| CHRISTMAS OF To-DAY-THE CHURCHES
| DECORATIONS At THE EPISCOPAL, CATH
OLIC, AND LUTHERAN CHURCHEs-FEs-
! TIvITIEs AT THE SECOND BAPTIST
CHURCH LECTURE-RooM LAST EvRSING,
ETC., ETC.
This Is Christmas-day, stale piece OF
news, perhaps, but nevertheless the occa-
sion will be hailed with delight by many
hearts. II will he day of retnions and
great happiness in many homes, and one
that will be observed throughout all the
land. With tile Church it is great festi-
val, second only to the Queen Festival,
Easter. At first it was the most movable Of
the Christian festive days, often confounded
with the Epiphany. and celebrated by the
Eastern Churches in the months OF April
and May. In the fourth century, it is said.
the urgency Of st. Cyril OF Jerusalem OBJ
tanned from Pope Julius I. an order for an
investigation to be made concerning Chrisps
nativity. The result Of the inquiry by the
Theologians OF the East and West was an
agreement upon the 18th Of December, and
it has been common tradition that Christ
was born in the middle Of the night.
! HOW THE DAY WAS CELEBRATED IN OLD TINES.
During the middle ages the day was cele-
brated By the gay and fantastic spectacle Of
dramatic mysteries and moralties, per-
formed by personages in grotesque masks
and singular costumes. The scenery usually
represented an infant in a cradle, surround
cd by the Virgin Mary and st. Joseph, by
BULBS heads, chcrubs, Eastern magni, and
manifold ornaments. The custom OF sing
ing Christmas carols, which recalled the
songs OF the shepherds at the birth of Christ,
dates from the time when the common peo-
| pie ceased to understand Latin. The bish-
ops and lower clergy often Joined with the
populace in carolling, and the songs were
enlivened by dances and by the music Of
tambours, yiolins, and organs. Fathers, mo-
theirs, sons, and daughters mingled together
in the dance; il in the night. each bearing
in his hand lighted waX-taper. Many col
ections have been made OF these naive
medieval carols which filled the hours be-
tween the nocturnal masses, and which
sometimes took the place Of Psalms in the
churches. OF perhaps the oldest OF these
collections, only single leaf remains, con-
tanning two carols presented in the Bodleian
library, in volume OF "Ancient Christ
mas Carols" During the last days preced-
ing Christmas it is still the custom for the
Calabrian MINISTRIES to descend from the
mountains to Naples and Rome, saluting
the shrines Of the Virgin Mother with their
wild music, under the poeticaI notion of
cheering her until the birtl-tme of her
infant at the approaching Christmas.
PREPARATORY TO CHRISTMAS.
The bells are rung at dead midnight
throughout England and the continent pre-
| for 70 ti,,oc nff IA
celebration of the mass, for which the
churches in France and Italy are magnifi-
Gently adorned, it is usual for the jewellers
to partake of collation., that they may be
better able to sustain the fatigues OF the
night. Among the revels OF the Christmas
season were the so-called feasts Of fools and
Of aSses-grotesque saturnalia, which were
sometimes termed december Liberties,o
in which everything serious was bur-
lesqucd, interiors personiiying their supe-
riors, great men becoming frolicsome, and
all illustrating the proDeness OF man to oc-
casionally reverse the order OF society and
ridicuIe its decencies.
| In the Protestant districts of Germany
and the north Of Europe Christmas is often
called the -@~Children's Festival" and
Chrstmas-cve is devoted to giving presents
especially between parents and children,
tree. Il large ycE-bough is erected in one
of the parlors. lighted with tapers and hung
with manifold gifts, sWcetmeats, apples.
nus. playthings. and ornaments. Each of
these is marked with the name of the per-
son for whom it is intended, but not with
the name OF the donor, and when the whole
family is assembled the p1 esents are distrib-
uted around the room according to their Ia
bells. amid joyful acclamations and congrat-
ulations. ....
MORE SOBER SCENE.
But more sober scene precedes the fes-
| tivities around the Christmas-tree, for the
mother takes occasion to say privately to the
daughters, and the father to the sons, what
has been observed most praiseworthy and
what most faulty in their conduct. For
merly, and still in some parts of North Ger
many, the presents made by all the parents
were sent to some one person, who, in high
buskins, white robe, q mask, and an enor-
nous flax wig-becoming the bugbear Of
the children-known as Knecht Rupert,
goes from house to house, is received by the
parents with great pomp and reverence,
calls for the children, and bestows the in
tended gifts upon them according to the
character which he hears from the parents
after severe inquiries. A beautiful poem
OF Hebel CHRIST Baum ceIebla>es the Ger
man ceremonies OF Christmas-eve.
1t is All old Swedish tradition that at the
festival of Christmas the men living in the
cold northern parts are suddenly and
strangely metamorphosed into wolves; and
that huge multitude of them meet to-
gether at an appointed place during the
night, and rage so fiercely against mankind
and other creatures not fierce by nature
that the Inhabitants OF that country suffer
more from their attacks than ever they do
from natural wolves.
Christmas Decorations in the
| Churches.
But it is needless to pursue further these
remarks as to the celebration of Christmas
in the past. 1t has always been at once q
religious, domestic, and merry-making fes.
tival. The common custom of decking the
houses with evergreens is derived from
ancient Druid practices. In the churches,
even now the holly, ivy, rosemary, bay,
laurel, and mistletoe furnish the fayorite
trimmings, which are not removed until
Candlemas. The decorations in our churches
this year are specially attractive.
| MONUMENTAL CHURCH.
| This venerable church fully sustains its
reputation OF former years for beautiful and
artistic decorations at the two grand festi.
walls OF the church, Easter and Christmas.
AS for several years past, the chancel only
is decorated, and the beautiful combination
of white and green which composes the
dressing produces most pleasing and ap-
propriate effect. The arch within the chan.
eel, together with the large pillows upon
which it rests, is handsomely draped with
white cloth edged with wreaths of ever.
green, and so artistically arranged that