The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-12-19
Christmas Customs.

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Christmas Customs.
No two nations, two families, or two
persons have the same way of celebrat-
ing Christmas, or any other holiday.
The Chinese have feast which cores
ponds to our Christmas. It is popular
festival devoted almost entirely to the
amusement of children, and in offering
sacrifices and paying homage to certain
deities, male and female, who are sup
posed to take interest in the welfare of
the young. Special honors are paid to
the "Seven Star Mother" or T" Mother
of the Measure" who is supposed to
dwell among the seven stars which form
the dipper in the Great Bear constella-
tion. This goddess is believed to have
power to give children long years of life,
and her favor is specially sought.
The cakes they eat at this time must
be round, like the moon; and the can
dies, of which they devour great guam
titles, are made in all sorts of queer
shapes. This Chinese festival takes
place early in October.
The Christian idea of Christmas, with
its love, charity and forbearance, is most
fully realized in Sweden, where some of
the pagan ceremonials are still indulged
in. The courts are closed old quarrels
settled; old feuds forgotten /; while on
the Yule evening the shoes, great and
small, of the entire household are set
close together in a row, that during the
coming year the family may live togeth-
er in peace and harmony. Isn't there
something particularly pretty and ap-
propriate in that custom? In ancient
Rome all walls of separation were
broken down during the Saturnalia, or
feast of Saturn, which corresponds with
our Christmas holidays and in Italy,
at the present day, masters and servants
not unfrequently meet, and are seated
at common Christmas-table.
In the time of Queen Elizabeth the
Christmas holidays lasted over a month
everybody made merry under the mistle-
tee bough, and fun and frolic ragged
furiously.
The Germans have grated many of
their ancient religious observances upon
their present mode of celebrating
Christmas, and all their ceremonies are
symbolical. They beat the fruit trees,
or shake crumbs about their roots, that
the year may be fruitful, and are much
given to professions in which the
Christ child figures conspicuously.
st. Nicholas is the Santa Claus of
Holland /; in certain part of Switzer-
land he has a wife, who is known as st.
Lucy. She distributes gifts to the girls,
and he looks after the welfare of the
boys. In many parts of Switzerland,
Germany and theNetherlands, st. Mich
olas still distributes his gifts on st.
Nicholas eve-the fifth of December
instead of on Christmas eve.
In Belgium, on the eve of the gdoo
bishops voyage among the chimney
tops, the children polish their shoes,
and filling them with hay, or oats, or
carrots, for the saints white horse, then
put them on the table, or set them in
the fire-places.
The room is then carefully locked.
Next morniug it is opened in the pres
ence Of the assembled household, when,
wonderful to relate the furniture is
found to be topsy- turvy while the little
shoes, instead of horses fare, are filled
with sweetmeats and toys for the
good children, and with rods for the bad
ones.
In France, though New Year is gen.
orally observed rather than Christmas
for the distribution of presents, it is the
Christ-child who comes with an escort
of angels loaded with books and toys
with which to fill the little shoes SO
carefully arranged by the fireplace.
In Poland, and elsewhere, it is be-
lieved that on Christmas night the
heavens are opened, and the scene of
Jacobs ladder re-enacted; but it is only
permitted to the saints to see it.
Throughout northern Germany the
tables are spread, and lights left burn
ing during the entire night, that the
Virgin Mary, and the angel who passes
when everybody sleeps, may find some
thing to eat.
The Chlistmas-tree is of German
origin, and is the principal feature OF
the majority of the Christmas festivities
in some parts of our own country. Ali
our customs have been transplanted
from the old world.
The Bana6ino is the Santa Claus of
Italy, and is a representation of the in
FAINT Savior, being nothing more nor
less than large doll very richly dressed
and cherished with exceeding care.
The singing of Christmas carols is a
very pretty custom still practiced, to
some extent, in parts of England, Ger
many and Scotland and Americans
visiting those countries during the holi-
day season are particularly impressed
with the sweetness of the songs that
break the stiffness Of the wintry night,
and regret that the custom is not more
generally observed.
Our own Christmas-tree comes from
Germany ; our Santa Claus from Hol.
land ; the Christmas stocking from Bel
gium or France; while the "Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year |"
were the old English greetings, shouted
through the streets in the long, long
ago.
They shake their carpets " automati.
cally" out West, by hanging them up
out of doors until thew contract the fevar