The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-12-31
THE FEAST Or CIR SIE.AS

( THE FEAST Or CIR SI&-AS.
! Festival days, or holy dag, uH which
/ religious services Werg held, Save tecn
common among Pagan. jewish. NOLAN
I medan and Christian nations. The fc>t#
/ val days observed Al present IN ali Chg,-.
| tian counties are If TWO kinds movable
and fixed: in other words hose whicl.
are always kept on certain day Il ,ha
! year. Among the former j. Easter wilson
! regulates all the movable hoi. day. This
/ festival, which derives its naHg l.un
Saxon goddess Eastre. to whom nou.a-.
was paid in the month of AnI.l. WAS !ilal
| kept by some of the ca,iy ,tu..l.s on
! the first Sunday after 'n1J ".nn in til.
| year. Uniformity WAS established in !. n.
325 by the Council of Nice. which a.
dained that Easier should h" kept in ai
| Christian churches ON the same day.
which should always be Sunday
When, as festival, Christmas w, it&.
! kept in commemorate OF tae bjv.h or
the Savior is not known. There, is, how
ever, a melancholy proaf tina, it Was Oh
served in the time of the Emperor Die
cletan, who reignea from !. -. PSI. =.
history records that the t.;a,:.r. nl,"n at
| Ncometlia, finding Il number Of Chris
tiaus assembled in the churches 10 cell
bratc the Nativity, ordered The doors f.
be suddenly closed and those within them
to be burned. But there does uJt sre!4
to have been any uniformity in the period
of observing the day until Pope jUiiU-
l., in the fourth century, ordered il t. be
kept on the 18th Of December. Il j.
however, almost certain that the bhth Of
Christ did not occur in December. As HAT
is the rainy season in .iudca, when S'rei.-
herds 10 not watch their flock, by Might
in the pastures. Perhaps the season VIII
this festival was fixed near the winter
solstice was that almost all the anctan,
nations regarded that period as an R
! portant one i'll the year. This proha"i.
rose from its being the time ut which .nr
days begin to lensthcn, ana when nature
seems to renew her energies fer the p.,-
production of the warmth ..Iu} trn,1, OF
the seasons.
| Christmas (Chlist-Massi is observed
with peculiar solemnity by certain d.
nominations of Christians, while otl:ca,,
reject it's religious aspect. bat keep j, u
a social holiday. The custom OF decking
houses and churches at Christmas with
| =, =, l,O =.
| priests or ministers Of the ancient Ga1Is.
Britons and Germans-wh0 believed that
the sylvan deities-goddcsses OF the
wordsworth come and dwell among
the trees which retained their leaves
when the other portions of the forests
We're deprived of their foliage. The
planting of tree covered with PIT
sents for the little ones. the names "r
the person for whom the gilt Is intended
being given, but the name If the doDp-
| concealed, has been CUSTOMARY in u-anr
parts of Germany and in the nrrtnoH,
districts of Europe from time innut-
mortal. The Puritan Parliament Of Ing
land abolished Christmas. aud it was '.'
Il long time regarded with hut little ta~og
| by their descendants in New England.
| Christmas carols and music ON that day
can be traced to an early period il Saxon
annals. Under the Tueors i'll England.
| singing merry carols on Christmas Vas
common. But they gradually ber1ia"
ribald and profane and the custom W.
to great extent abandoned. The c'0r>i
collection OF Christmas carols in Eng
| lish bears the date Of lJ2l. Santa Ciau.
| est. Nicholas). whose supposed descent
| in the chimney On Christmas night and
| whose lberality has been !or ages the
wonder and delight Of many juvenile
possessors of toys. ginger Dread and mint
stick, was first introduced under tn
name of Kris kringlc 10 he inhabitants
of the Western Continent oE til" Dutch
residents Of the state 81 New ! orG.
Christmas has been made a legal holiday
in the greater part. L not ia All Of the
States, and is generailf observed either
by religious services, s3uial gatherings
or a suspension Of business.
The custom of spending the last day
OF the year either III devotional exercise
or in withdrawal from everyday pur-
suits appears to be of very high antig"i-
ty. The Romans devoted the latter part
of February then the last month Of TIE
year. to the Februatia OF cNpiatory sac
ritices which have given It's name 10 the
month. and the Greeks employed por-
ton of June, the end Of their year lorI
similar purpose. In almost all tHiStia''
countries the interval between t;.o Ga;iy-
ity and the first day Of the wear. hJs
been set apart for social enjoyment, tn.
Interchange of acts of kindness. and Il
relaxation from tie pursuits and cnu'ni.
ments which have required attention
during the year. Is it any wonder, thc:.
that Young and old. the d" grave aDl ~
gay" hail Christmas. the ligsi ot th's
holidays, with pleasure and giadp