The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-31
ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS.
Its Customs md II Observation-Disclosures, Yuis
Log and EverEreens.

, Its Customs md Observation-Disclosures, YnIs
Log and EverRreens.
Once again Christmas looks in upor
us just as merry, just as jovlal as ever
, It makes no difference whether tlmet
are hard or not, every one seems deter
mined to enjoy the annual festival te
the utmost. The Christmas gift may be
less costly than it was last year, the
Christmas tree less heavily laden, but
so that there are gifts, and that there is
Christmas tree, around which the lit
tie ones may skip with delight, every
body is happy and contented. Holidays
are too few in this age and in this coun.
try to be slighted, and in all the year
there is no holiday so universally vel.
coined by the young and the old as
Christmas, and so at this time it is well
"Dance and sing and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once year =
The stores are brilliant with beautiful
holiday gifts. the markets are filled with
tempting viands of all kinds. and the
streets are thronged with crowds of
eager purchasers. Busy housewives are
deep in the mysteries of plum pud-
dings, mince pies, and other Christmas
dainties, and the little folks are upon
the very tiptoe of expectation as they
await the beautiful presents which Santa
Claus is to bring them.
One of the prettiest customs OF this
time is that of placing a green tree
laden with gifts, and lighted with wa1en
candles, in the parlor, around which the
family circle and friends are gathered.
This charming German custom OF
illuminating the mistletoe-bough,'
and loading it with presents, may be
compared to the quaint old festival our
ancestors kept when they lighted the
great yule-log in the hall upon Christ
mas eve, and around which they gath
cred merrily to repeat the oft-told
Christmas tales, to eat yule.cakes, and
to drink deep from the iovial wassall
bowl. The yule-log was always lighted
with brand which had been preserved
from the previous years burning-says
that quaint old poet Herrick:
Which quenoht then lay itup again till Christ
mas next return;
Part must be kept wherewith to tend the
Christmas log next year;
And where 'tis safely left the hend can do no
mischief therer'
So that even an old fire-brand, safely
tucked away in some pantry corner, was
believed to keep witches away, and to
protect the whole household from evil !!
Would that modern times had some
such Christmas charm to save US from
murderous disasters.
When Christmas happened upon a
Sunday it was belived to usher in
most prosperous year, and if one wished
to know all the secrets of the weather,
he had only to cut an onion in half,
thus making twelve small cups, fill them
with salt, and let them stand until the
next morning. Those cups in which
the salt was dry betokened the dry
months of the year, and those in which
the salt was found to be wet were to be
dreary and stormy. There was pri-
meval ALMANAC, of the simplest style, to
be had without expense.
From time immemorial Christmas has
been season of feasting and rejoicing.
For many long century old Father
Christmas made his annual visit amidst
the greatest hilarity and the widest
frolics. Celebrations and feasts, such
as we do not dream of now, were kept
in his honor. The tables of the wealthy
were loaded with viands and the doors
thrown Hospitality open to all, 80 that
the poor neighbor was gladdened by
the Christmas bounty as well as the
rich. A quaint old book thus records
the manner in which Christmas was
kept in the times of Henry the Eighth,
by a wealthy family in Cornwall {:
"They kept open house for all corners
and goers, drinkers, minstrels, dancers,
and what not, during the Christmas
time, and usual allowances for pro.
visions for those twelve days were twelve
bullocks, twenty Cornish bushels of
wheat, thirty-six sheep, with hogs,
lambs, and fowls of all sorts, and drink
made of wheat and oat malt proportion
able, for at that time barley malt was
little known or used in these parts"
And here is an amusing account of q
wonderful Christmas pie, made by Mrs.
Dorothy Patterson, housekeeper at Har-
wick. It was made for Sir Harry Grey.
and shipped to London, and its ingre-
dients were as follows: Two bushels of
-four, twenty pounds of butter, four
geese, two turkeys. two rabbits, four
wild ducks, two woolcocks, six snipe
and four partridges, two meats tongues,
two curlews, seven b;Aekbirds and six
PHI cons Now
Wasn't that dainty dish
To set before the king?"
In view of this enormous pie, how in
significant are the proportions of the
dishes which grace our modern board9 It
is appalling to reflect what appetites peo-
pie must have had in those days. No
wonder that as long ago as the year
1866, Edward the Third considered it
his duty to issue an act forbidding his
subjects to partake of more than two
courses and two kinds of meat at table.
Our modern writer's upon the topic of
health would restrict us to still more
moderate diet. Whirtlecraft, in an
amusing old book, thus describes the
good cheer which gladdened the valiant
knights around King Arthur's table at
Christmas:
"They served up salmon, venison and wild boars
By hundreds, and by dozens, and by scores;
Hogsheads Of honey, kilderkins Of mustard
Muttons, and fatted deers, and bacon swine
Herons, and bitterns, peacocks, swan and
bustards,
Teal, mallard, pigeons, widgeons, and, in fine.
Plum pudding, pancakes app!e-pies and
And therewithal they drank good Gasoon wine,
With mead and ale, and cider OF oar own;
For porter punch, and negus were not known"
The most honored dish at the Christ
mas fe .st was the boar's head, which
was brought to the table with great
ceremony, after the guests were all as
sembled. Music, with trumpets, and
the singing of Christmas carols preceded
it. The dish was gaily decked with
green herbs, and lemon was placed in
its mouth. Even to this day the peas.
ants in England make loaves of bread in
the shape of boar's head, and keep it
upon the table throughout the Christ
mas holidays.
By some writer's the boar's head was
considered emblematical of judaism.
But in Oxford university it is said to be
commemorative of the bravery of stu
dent who was once fercely attacked by
a wild boar while he was sauntering
through the neighboring forest reading
Aristotle. When the beast rushed upon
him, the youth, with great presence of
mind, thrust the volume into his open