The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-12-25

may work Ill TO others.
Those who are afflicted with ague,
should shoot magpies at Christmas
time; and II these are burned to pow.
der, they are said to cure this aggra-
waiting complaint.
When the candles Of the. Christ
mas.tree are lighted, II one would
know whether any Of the assembled
company will die during the year,
they should notice the shadows cast
upon the wall. II any shadow lacks
q head, that person will die.
Here Is queer old legend about the
!" Man in the Moon"
Many years ago, when wishing took
effect, a peasant was discovered, upon
Christmas night, stealing his neigh
boris cabbages. The owner Of these,
in spirit Of revenge, wished the thief
" up to the moon," and was doubtless
much surprised at witnessing the i'm.
mediate accomplishment Of his wish.
For the peasant was quickly trans
ported to the moon, where he remains
to this day, still bearing his load of
cabbages-a constant warning to all
purloiners Of their neighborsf goods.
Every year, on Christmas Eve, by
way Of resting himself, he Is permit
ted to turn around once. And this re-
minds us Of that world-renowned In
divldual-the wandering Jew-who
never rests excepting on this same
mysterious night, and then he must
sit on q plough in q field.
On Christmas and New Years
nights no person should go to bed,
lest the witches come and harm him.
All the doors Of the house must be
carefully closed, lest strange cats or
dogs should enter, who might prove
to be witches in disguise.
Something sharp Of steel, as n
scythe, should be placed In the fodder,
that the witches may have no power
to harm the cattle. Near GetflDgen
1t is thought, that If the fodder is
placed in the open air at Christmas,
the cattle will thrive well.
In the same place 1t Is also believed
that the hop-vine becomes green up
on Christmas Eve, peeping out from
beneath the deepest snow, and then
afterwards mysteriously disappearing.
In Holstein, and also in many other
places, curious custom called Uin-
doping, prevails. On Christmas night
the young men enter through the
windows to see theirtrue-loves, and
remain with them until ,daybreak.
The parents, knowing that this will
be a marriage, do not interfere. fla
maiden does not fancy the sutton who
would enter the window, she drives
him summarily out with albroom-
stick. .
In the year 1912, we are gravely
told, that In England n party Of fif-
teen young women and eighteen
young men were dancing and singing
In the churchyard of a church dedi-
Gated to st. Magnus on the day before
Christmas. Their revels disturbed
the devotions Of one Robert, o priest,
who was celebrating mass within the
church. Therefore, in his ire, he
prayed that these giddy young people
might dance without ceaslng for a
whole year. And, as the prayers OF
the righteous are said to avail much,
this merry company danced on aud
gu throughout the livelong year
knowing no hunger, nor thirst, nor
wear Of apparel, nor even WEAKNESS,
although they wore the earth away
beneath them until they were sunk
up to their middle.
"a Christmas gambol Oft would cheer, :,
The poor mans heart through half the year.
But this merry-making seems to have
lasted from Christmas until Christ
mas again.
In Sweden, the Trolls, who are said
to be queer little people, living in
caverns under the hills, come out to
celebrate Christmas with high revel-
ry, and then 1t is not deemed safe for
any Christian TO be abroad.
The heaths are all covered with
witches, elves, and Trolls, some riding
on wolves, some OH brooms, some OH
shovels, and all Fastening to their
places OF assemblage, where they
dance under the stones. These stones
they raise up OH pillars-and then
under them dance, sing, and drink.
On Christmas morning, between the
time Of cock.crowing and daybreak,
1t is considered to be as much as ones
life Is worth 10 be abroad. IN.
On the wall OF Voxtorp Church In.
SmOland, there Is painting which
representa- knight named Herve Ulf,
who, Que Christmas morning, received
drinking horn from his Troll-wife
in one hand, while with the other he
smote off her head. Then, taking the
horn with him, he rode off to church.
For this act the King commanded
him to call himself Trolle, and to
have for bis coat-of.arms Troll with
out head. This wonderful drinking
horn was of three hundred colors,
and was long preserved In the cathe.
dral OF Wexfo; but when, In the
year 1870 the Danes burned WeXio,
they bore away the horn to Denmark.
It may be useful TO some Of our fair
readers to learn that II water Is drawn
at midnight, In silence, upon certain
holyday nights, as Christmas or st.
Johns Eve, from springs which have
been consecrated to some divinity,
and this water be ,bathed in, 1t Will
impart health and beauty for the
whole year. ID
But this might prove a dangerous
experiment to try, since we are told
that on Christmas Eve, at the solemn
hour Of twelve, all water Is turned in-
to wine. Moreover, 1t is averred by
the gossips, that once upon this
charmed eve woman was foolhardy
enough to go alone to a well to draw
water, and Us she was bending over
the well, she heard a voice saying:
IAN water Is wine. ~.
And thy two ayes are mine OH
and Immediately she was deprived of
both her eyes.
Here Is queer method the Ger
mans have Of quleting a restless baby.
They say: elm the Twelfths (mean-
ing the twelve days Of Christmas) q
txl