Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-28

1
| from Buckinghamshire and other places,
| began to take slips from the plant and
were greatly pleased to find that each one
| possessed the miraculous quality OF the
parent hawthorn each rooted ut once,
and each bloomed on Christmas only.
Then it happened that certain people who
like to rearrange matters began to med
die with the almanac itself, md they al
tered the date of Christmas, and all other
well-established holidays. 1t was not a
pleasant change, and it was troublesome
to remember that the 1st of May now
came in April but then, as now, no one
ever corrected an almanac. When the
thorn, however, came to be discussed,
some of the people said it would bloom
on Christmas no matter in what month
the day should come, for if it did not,
there would be no significance ut all in it.
There were others more doubtful who
shook their heads, and the end of it was
that, on the evening of Dec. "a (new
style), the people from Quainton, Buck
inghamshire, where the Glastonbury slip
had grown and tlourished, started ont,
two thousand strong, and with lanterns
and candles went to see if the thorn had
budded. The night was clear and cold,
and the bush stood barren and bare.
There was no sign of blossom, and, no
matter what the almanacs said, it was
clear that the staff of Joseph Of Arima-
thea meant to keep Christmas upon its
own day.
This at once decided the people. In
Quainton the church bells rang, but the
minister waited in vain-the people did
not come no carols were sung, the mis-
tletoe boughs were not hung, and all the
games were put off until the real Christ
mas Day should come. Whether or not
the thorn bloomed on the 9TH of January,
or whether, disgusted with changes, it
left off blooming altogether, tradition
does not tell but one thing is upon rec
ord-the Quainton people kept their
Christmas old style. And when it was
found they would do so, even if all the
other villages had done with their mum
mers and carols, and had settled down to
common life again, something had to be
done, and the clergy from the country
around decided that the new Christmas
must certainly be kept, if things were
ever to be made even, but that the old
one should also be holiday and have its
share of festival.
The Original Santa Claus.
"Santa Claus" is an interesting arch.
aism-carryiug the mind agreeably back
ward to those old times which always
have such charm for the critical inves
legations or poetic reveries OF men. This
Cheerful Christmas legend was quite q
new thing to most of us a few years ago
to those, at least, who got their ideas Of
such things from the literature of oul
own language. Santa Claus has come, as
everybody is aware, from Germany to the
new world and the curiosities of this
matter is that in thus coming over the
sea he underwent certain remarkable
kind of transformations sort of eef
change. He was once honored in Deutch
land or Germany for both these names
have exactly the same meaning in til.
Celtic, rs child, fact which none of the
German critics or philologers have con
descended to notice, at least in an distin
guishable way.
Santa Claus was one of the Oldest idea.
of the Celtic west in Pagan times, rs ht
was of the Pagan east before In Chris
tiau times he was still regarded with re
ligious reverence, sitting, as he had sal
for ages in Egypt and elsewhere, in the
arms of his mother Santa Claus was, il
fact, the child Jesus in the middle ages
and throughout that period the festive
creed of Germany and nil Celtic Europe
was that he visited all family dwellings o
. good Christians on the eve of his ami
versary, and brought with him gifts ant
blessings for the children. This beauti
full tradition is still to be found lingering
in Germany, though Santa Claus does no
seem to be specially connected with it b,
, name. The truth of this original belief il
, plainly enough indicated by the wor,
CLAUS" which, in the gothic or ancien
German, means "child and "son." Santa
, Claus formerly meant the Holy Child.
|, 1t is not very difficult to see how tn
change of mems religious beliefs three o
four hundred years ago changed the char
acter of the legend. Those who had pu
: away Catholic sentiment in religion, AM
, wished to have their own OF a more digni
, fed sort. thought it too rude and simple
thing to make that holy child bring knick
l knacks and sweetmeats to the childrel
down the chimney, and SO, by degrees, al
9 tered the old idea, making it a genial
secular fancy in the person of a benevol
ent and jolly old man, such as the Ger
5 mans and others have welcomed for man,
generations, and we in this country hav'
t generally recognized of late years. He i
such CHEEKY and felicitous old fancy
that nobody would ever have thought O
e challenging him in any respect, but for tn
great mistake, so long ngo committed. o
, sending him about the world with tina
t tell.tale Claus pinned on his back, as
, were. He really should himself have re
9 membered, with the rest of his recollec
tions, that his name is interpreted il
t Schiller or Bux-horn 1--WE forget which,
f and should have chosen another.
, This statement, supported as it is b.
| the old Christian traditions clingin
! round the present season of the year, vii
commend itself, perhaps, to the critics G
old customs and old language. But 18th
rest of mankind" "don't see it," and, i
reply to that Gothic lexicon, exclaim, i
the words of Giles Scroggin's ghost, "that'
no ruls!" Santa Claus will still be tn
! ! old man with the beard and the frost
= ace-"frosty, but kindly" And, indeed
:, very properly. The popular instinct
i that is, in these our more modern times
= was right in setting that image of til
> child aside. 1t belonged to far prt
founder sentiment than that of mel
= household game, pastime and festivity
/ aud was inevitably displaced by gener.
= tion in whom the simple old beliefs an
reverence of departed ages lived no lone
! er. After all, it was lucky that SAINT
q "a Claus was turned SO very opportunely il
. to an old man. The other idea coul
. never have come down to such q matte
g of fact age as this; and our Christine
!, would have wanted the happiest genius {
:, its fcstivity--the Santa Claus of the Gle
" man vatcrland
l. yhe Christmas Tide