The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-12-27
Chrlatmas Customs.

Ghrlstmas Customs.
No two nations, two families or two
persons have the same way o. celebrating
Christmas or any other holiday. The
Chinese have q feast which corresponds
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 10 take interest in the welfare OF
the young. Special honC-s are paid to
the "Seven Star Mother" or Mother
of the Measure" who is supposed tC
dwell among the seven stars which form
the dipper in the Great Bear constelIa'
ton. This goddess is believed TO have
power to give children long years OF life,
and her favor is especially sought
In the time of Queen Elizabeth the
Christmas holidays lasted for over a
month; everybody made merry under
the mistletoe bough and fun and frolic
ragged furiously,
The Germans have grated many of
their ancient religious Obseryances upon
their present mode of celebrating Christ
mas, and all their ceremonies Gre sym
bolical. They beat the fruit trees, or
shake crumbs about their roots, that the
year may be fruitful, and are much
given to procession, in which the Christ
child figures conspicu0usly.
st. Nicholas is the Santa Claus of
Holland; III q certain part of Switzer-
land he has 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 the Netherlands, st.
Nicholas still distributes his gifts on St.
Nicholas eve--the 5th of December
instead of on Christmas eve.
The cakes they eat at this time must
be round, like the moon and the candies,
of which they devOur great quantities,
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 pagon ceremonials are still INDUCED
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 row, that during the
coming year the family may live to-
gether III peace and harmony. Isn't
there something particularly pretty and
appropriate in that custom! In ancient
Rome all walls of separation were broken
down during the SatuTnalia, or feast of
Saturn, which corresponds with our
! Christmas holidays; and in Italy, at the
present day, masters and servants not
unfreguently meet, and are seated st 8
common Christmas table.
! In Belgium, on the eve of the good
bishops voyage among the chimney tops
the children polish their shoes, and fill
ing them with hay, or oats or carrots for
the saints white horse, then put them
| on the table, or set them in the tireplaces.
The room is then carefully locked. Next
morning it is opened in the presence of
the assembled household, when wonder
full to relate! the furniture is found to be
topsy-turvy; while the little shoes, in
stead of horses fare, are filled with
sweetmeats and toys for the good chill
dren, 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 opened, and the scene of Jacobs
ladder re-enacted; but it is only per-
mitted to the saints to see it. Through
out northern Germany the tables are
spread, and lights left burning during
the entire night, that the Virgin Mary,
and the angel who passes when every body
sleeps, may find something to eat.
The Christmas tree is OF German origin
and is the principal feature of the ma
iority of the Christmas festivities in
some parts of our own country. All our
customs have been traDsplanted from the
old world.
The Bambino is the Santa Claus of
Italy and is representation of the in
FAINT Savior. being nothing more or less
than large doll richly dressed and
cherished with exceeding care.
The singing of Christmas carols is
very pretty custom and still practiced
to some extent in parts of E gland, Ger
many and Scotland, and Americans Wis
iting those countries during the holiday
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
GUM or France; while the CHERRY
Christmas and "Happy New Year
were old English greetings, shouted
through the streets in the long, long ago
THERE died at Geneva three weeks
ago NJ. Jacob Vignier, the last scion of
an ancient house, probably the most
ancient of its kind in Europe Fourteen
generations of Vigniers have followed
the calling of notary III the city of
Geneva. For upwards of four hundred
years the business has decended from
father to sou. Never once since the
middle of the fifteenth century until
the death OF this last chief has descen. |
tant in the direct line been lacking to |
oarry il Oh until now.