Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-12-22
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS,
Some Odd Variations Of the Popular Myth of the
Happx Season.


recht, who makes his rounds on Christ.
mas eve. The little ones expect the mys
FERROUS visitors to fill the dishes which
they place on the window-sllls. or the
shoes and stockings which they thrust ur
the chimney with his gifts. They go to
bed with the firm determination not to
go to sleep and miss hearing the donkey
bray which is to announce the arrival OF
the beautiful pair. However, they are
not allowed to leave their beds until early
dawn, when general scramble takes
place. With shouts Of delight or sobs
OF disappointment the various recepta-
Giles for the expected presents are exam
med and the several papers undone in
which the gifts are tied up to prolong
the suspense. Some reveal the coveted
sweets, the long-desired picture book,
the prayed for fairy doll; other contain
palpable hints of the parents displeas-
ure In the shape of birch rod, q written
reprlmand, etc., or are empty altogether.
The lucky recipients are congratulated;
those under cloud laughed at, and harm
less fun reigns supreme throughout the
house.
In similar way ST. Nicholas day is
celebrated in France on the 9Th of De-
cember, and in Lorraine the role of Ru-
precht is played by Pere Fouettard, pre-
cedlng st. Nicholas, who is seated on the
inevitable donkey, in his official robe,
with mitre, cross and long beard. In
the south of Germany, st. Nicholas APP
pears In person ON Christmas eve, or
sends his bearded servant, Ruprecht.
wrapped In furs or hlankets-the more
ogre-like the better-with birch rod in
his hand, and well-filled bag or basket
on his back. Before distributing his
gifts, which consist of apples, walnuts,
oranges, penny dolls, and similar trifes,
he examines the children about their be-
havior since last Christmas, rewarding
the good ones, and expressing displeas-
ure by the character of his presents
bits of wood, stones or raw potatoes-to
the naughty ones. Ruprecht is appealed
to by the parents many weeks previous
to Christmas for keeping in order the
younger members of the family.
In Alsace the Christmas messenger ap-
pears as Lady Bountiful, clad in white,
her face powered with -four. On her
long, auburn hair, made of tow, she
wears crown OF gold paper surrounded
with lighted wax tapers, holding in one
hand silver bell, and IN the other a
basket filled with presents. She, too, is
supposed to arrive on donkey, and is
accompanied by Hans Trapp, the indis-
pensible bugbear, wrapped in bear skins,
the blackened face hidden under SLOUGH
hat, aud in his hand birch rod. Anx-
ious to conciliate even the donkey, the
children place bundle of hay behind
the door for it's accommodation, and q
glass filed with wine as a welcome for
the lady and her attendant, singing a
quaint old German rhyme:
Chrschtkindele, Ohrischtki ndele;
Kumm due que uns eryn
Merr ham frisch's Heubindele
On an e Glasele Wyn.
EB ndele
FRS Essele
FRS Kindele
Z Classic,
Tn bete kenne mer au,
the explanation of which may serve as an
amusement for q holiday afternoon. The
proceedings of Hans Trapp are about
the same as those of Knecht Ruprecht:
but the Lady Bountiful intercedes for
the naughty children on their promise
Of amendment, and places her gifts I'M
der the Christmas tree
The festal has not always been kept on
the 25th of December says an English
writer. When the calendar was altered
from the old style to the new, according
to vulgar superstition, the animals did
not recognize it, and on the eve Of old
Christmas day the oxen are said to de-
voutly kneel on account of having been
present at the nativity.
Many human beings also determinedly
opposed the change, and old chroniclers
tell of an aged couple who made their
way, persistently, to church each year
on old Christmas day, arrayed in their
Sunday best, and finding no appropriate
service there, returned home to read it
themselves.
In old days, in the Isle of Man, Christ
mas eve was kept as general holiday,
and when the church bells rung at mid
night, poor wren was hunted, killed, laid
on bier, and brought into the parish
church with whimsical solemnity, the
dirges being sung in the Manx language.
Bread baked on Christmas eve is sup
posed never to become moldy.
TIE mistletoe has many legend and
superstition attached to it. The maiden
who receives no kiss beneath it at Christ
mas time must not hope to be married
within the year. Clinging, as it does, to
the oak, the favorite of the divinity
Tutanus, the Drnids ascribed many cur
alive powers to it, and at the annual win
ter gatherings of the priests, two white
bulls we're tethered beneath the oak
while the mistletoe was cut with O golden
knife, it's propagation being asclibed to
the missed thrust, which feeds upon it's
berries. It is but rarely found on the
oak now, far more frequently on apple
trees, and most of that imported into
London comes from Worcestershire and
Worcestershire.
The Christmas yule log dates from
Scandinavian feasts, in honor of the god
Thor Travellers raised their hats to it
as it was brought in, and as the fire
burnt up. the liquor dubbed in the
wassail bowl, and old feuds were drown
ed therein: The preservation of this