Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-12-24
CHRISTMAS.

For more than fifteen hundred
years the 75th day Of December ha:
been celebrated throughout Christian
lands as the day of Christ's nativity
or Christmas. In different countrie!
and different ages the modes ofcelebra
ting this day have varied:
During the middle ages Christina:
was celebrated by the gay fantastic
spectacle of dramatic mysteries, ane
moralities, performed by persons ii
grotesque masques and singular cos
tunes. The singing of Christmas car
OILS to recall the songs ofthe shepherds
at the birth Of Christ, originated in the
middle ages, and in this the whole
people participated, even the bishops
and lower clergy, and these exercises
were enlivened by music and dancing
the father and mother joining the
younger people in the dance.
Then the custom of December liber.
ties, when everything serious was bur.
lesqued came into vogue. Interiors
personated superiors. Great men be.
came frolicsome, and the order of So
ciety was reversed for the time, then
followed in the Protestant districts OF
Germany and the north of Europe the
beautiful custom Of making Christmas
a children's festival, and Christmas
eve was devoted to giving presents, es-
pecially to the children, and in Eng
land as well as the southern part Of
this country Christmas has for centu-
ries oeen a season of mischief and
merry making, and there was free Ii.
cense to commit any form of innocent
mischief or practical joking to which
one might be prompted.
In England a "Klnge of Mischiefe"
was appointed whose duty it was to
conduct the "mischiefe" and merry
making. While in our own country
during the days Of slavery; the time
from Christmas eve to New Year was
a holiday, and the colored people held
high carnival. They went from plan
tation to plantation with full liberty to
extract all the fun they could out Of
that week. The air was full of the mu-
sic otthe banjo and jubilee song, the
dance continued from the time the sun
went down until the "break O. day."
and the air was redolent with baked
fresh pork and 'spossum and 'tater."
and while the slaves were thus enjoy.
ing themselves there was license
among the whites that was allowed at
no other time, and the people delighted
in playing tricks upon one another,
and the whole weekw was festival, tap.
plejack wine and boiled cider flowed
free, while the tables at every house
groaned under their weight of delicious
eatables. and IN the remoter districts
few Of the young men with guns loaded
with ''powder and wad," would start
out in the early evening before Christ
mas, stealing noislessly up to a farm
house, would seize a pig or chicken,
and as the cries of the animal would
reach the ears of the owner (unless he
was expecting something Of the kind
he would rush to the door to be met by
volley from the heavily powder
charged guns and pistols of the boys,
followed by their merry shouts. They
were then invited in and treated to the
best the house afforded, when after
resting, with accessions to their num-
Der, they would again start upon their
rounds, and this would sometimes be
kept up until the early dawn. But if
the house to be surprised happened to
be looking out for something and got
the first shot, then the joke was turned
upon the raiders, and they were to
treat.
But while all this enjoyment vas CO.
ing on in the south and west, in the
east, among the puritans, where
a man was not. allowed to
kiss his wife on Sunday, there could
be seen but little propriety in merri-
ment on Christmas, but it must be a
terribly solemn time. But times have
changed since then. and Christmas .
has been made legal holiday by
many Of the states. The beautiful
myth of Santa Claus (St. Nicholas)
vas introduced into this country by
he Dutch settlers in New York and
low either he or Kris Kringle on each
Christmas night visits all portions of :
,ur country, and brings a world ofjoy
nd happiness to the hearts Of the little
mes. Yet there is always danger of c