The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-01-02
ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS.
Earliest Celebration or the Dny-Customs
o. and Observation-Disclosures Carols
Origin Of tho Use Of RvcrKreens.

Earliest Celebration or the Dny-Customs
and Observnnces-Ch Christmas Carols-
Origin OF tho Use Of EvcrKreens.
From the earliest records on the sub.
iect, We learn that some Christian COM
munities celebrated the festival of Christ.
mas on the first or sixth of January
Others. again, adopted the period OF the
Jewish Passover, the twenty-ninth OF
March ; while yet third body reoog-
nized the twenty-ninth Of September, OF
the Feast of Tabernacles, as the proper
speriod.
Two very popular obseryances belong.
ing to Christmas-the hanging up OF
the mistletoe, and the burning of the
yule log-are more especially derived
from our pagan ancestors. The first OF
these practices owes it's origin to the
veneration in which the mistletoe was
held by the Druids, and the latter to q
ceremony performed by the Scandina.
vians, who, at their feast OF Ja1ul, about
the winter solstice, burned huge fires in
honor of their god Thor.
All through the Middle Ages, and
down to the time of the Reformation the
festival of Christmas continued to be OBJ
served with great rejoicing. On the
adoption of a new system of faith by
most of the Northern nations of Europe
in the sixteenth century the celebration
of Christmas and other festivals, Was
still continued by the Lutheran and An.
glican Churches, although absolutely
denounced by Calviuists, who declared
the observance of any day save Sunday
as superstitious and unscriptural. -
The practice Of singing Christmas
carols appears to be as ancient az Christ
mas itself and bishops, we are told,
used to sing carols on this day among
their clergy. The earliest specimen
which we possess Of the medieval carol
ID to be found in the British Museum.
Itisr composed in Norman French and
belongs to the thirteenth century. In
point Of composition some of the first
carols were quite rugged if not crude |;
and it was not until'the commencement
Of the sixteenth century that any inn
provement in this respect was notice
able. The following, belonging to this
latter period, is now sometimes sung in
England on Christmas morning by chill
dren who wander from door to door.
"When Christ was born Of Mary free,
In Bethlehem, in th.t fair lie,
ANGELS earg the w'rh mirth ardglee,
In Exoelsis Gl ria
"Herdsmen behald these angels bright,
IT, hem "pp airing With great light,
Who said Gods s N il bo n to-n ght,'
In Exceleis G olia.
"This King has coma to save mankind,
A. in 8, lpture truth We dnd;
Theref~re this 8 ng W. have in mind,
I E1oslsis Gloria
"Then Ln,d, for Thy great gra"e
Grxnt us the bG.- to rec Thy face,
Where We may sing 10 Thy solaoe
IL EAc :ls Glor,a."
The decking of houses, churches and
shops at Christmas with evergreens
seems to have had its origin in custom
long prior to the revelation of Chris
tianity observed by the Romans during
the Satnrnalia, when they ornamented
their temples and dwellings with green
boughs. This appears the more OBJ
yious from the fact that we find more
than one early ecclesiastical council
prohibiting the members of the Church
from initiating the pagans in thus deco
rating their houses. This prohibition
was Of no avail, however, as the use of
flowers and Summer branches is in
stinctive amongst nations; and as Christ
himself entered Jerusalem amid waving
sprays of palm and great rejoicing, for
al and arhoreal decorations have OBJ
tanned in connection with the ceremo-
MES of the Church until the present
day and are likely to continue as such
for all time to come.-Sunday Maga.
zine.