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

Tors.
What fund of delight existed in the
choosing of the liking and Queen" for
the forthcoming holidays and what a
Wholesale merry-mGking was inseparable
from the Lords of Misrule :" and their
attendant court. What "heys" and con-
tra-danccs enlivened the long winter eve
nings and how the Christmas ball brought
together from all the country around, the
fresh-cheeked youths and maidens in the
merry dance and only ended the festivi-
ties with the old established "Sir Roger
dc Coverly" far away into the "wce sma'
hours y How the Hobby-horsc and the
grotesque Archer with their ridiculous
and mirth-provoking nonsense contribu-
ted their quota to the ever-increasing de-
light of the occasion, and what, in short
in the way of frolic and festiviiy, was
wanting in those gladstone and old-timc
days.
The word "Yule' has so many
different etymologies that nothing is Ger
tain in regard to it, except that it signi-
fies Christmas.
Some authors derive it from the word
Sol, or Sui, the first Danish. the second
Saxon, and Mallet in his Northern An
tiquities' affirms that the Kettle nations
celebrating the sun, were accustomed, Mt
the winter solstice. to hold feast to tes-
tify their joy at the return of that lumin-
airy. They made it the great festival of
the year and called it "Yole" or "Yuul"
from the word "IIiaul," which in Bas-
Bretagne and Cornwall signilied the sun.
10 this day, the Greenlanders keep n
'Sun-feast' at the winter solsiice, which
they doubtless acquired from their Morse
ancestry. Some philologists derive the
word from the Scandinavian, 'heulen, 3"
to howl, and trace its origin in the mad
games OF the Saturnalia 1t is certainly
true that among the Northern nations. a
rude festival, wild with revelry, formerly
existed, which greatly resembled .he
Roman Saturnalia, instituted "in men,
DRY of Noah,' who, Bryant says, Twas
the real Saturn" Whatever the deriya.
ton of the word, Christmas day was, in
the primitive church, observed MS the
Sabbath and like that was preceded by an
eve or vigil hence our present "Christ-
mas eve. On this eve tall Christmas
candles illuminated the house and the
broadly blazing Yule log, stripped of its
bark and year-dried, made the night AS
bright as the day. This huge log or tree
or "Christmas blaze" as it was usually
called, also originated with the Gothic
nations. 1t was their custom to call it
lie "Yule Clog" as by its light it honored
their greatest festival, the feast of the Sun
or Light. Around this, i'll the feudal
ages. the retainers of the great lords and
mobiles gathered and with ale and beer
celebrated their Christmas HOLIDAYS. In
an old and very rare tract of Thomas
Warmistry, he condemns these Christ
mas Blazes" and "Kariles" as "a prac.
tice OF the Devil.
The CHARLES" or Carols of the earlier
days, were not strictly religious songs, as
at present, but We're "festal chansons for
enlivening the merriment of the Christ
mas celebration" and were sung at the
door by young men, maidens and child.
ren. In 1921 Wynkin de Worde printed
n set OF Christmas Carols which are sung
at the present day in Il curious pastime,
called the "Quaaltagh,' in the Isle of
Man, and are gay, blithesome chants,
sung from house to house, bat are not
eligious. The carols of to-day derived
their religious form from the Puritans,
who were bitterly opposed to the spirit
OF mirth and frivolity which every where
accompanied the time. They endeavored
by law and example to suppress the car.
OILS and to certain extent enforced their
wishes. Those old Cromwellian times
were replete with severity and iconocasm.
and thoroughly justified the old proycrb
las bare as the birk at Yule cen
with the restoration, many Of the old
time-honored customs were restored and
with them the carols, which still retained
their devotional spirit. Some, however
OF the old peculiar pastimes and games
were abolished or at least had lost many
OF their characteristics, and among them
morris dancers" and "Mummers" had
receded too far into the past to be eagilv
recalled, and only the memory of those
quaint ceremonials remain. In "Round
about coal fire. "mumerinp" md
"masquerading" were some of tn. amnse.
ments described. "Then comes mum-
ering and masquerading, when the
squire's wardrobe was ransacked for
dresses of all kinds, corks are burned 10
blacken the faces of the fair, or to make
deputy moustaches, anu every one in the
family except the squire himself. is trans.
formed. The Mummers went from
house to house partaking of Christmas
cheer and awaking every one with their
songs and plays. With their protesnna
and hideous masks and with their rx.
changed apparel, for men md women
wore each others garments in the MN.
mings), they quizzed, amused md en-.
hvened the attendant crowd. A poroeors
pageant of this kind was sometimes coIa'
brated at the Kings palace, where in ricb
raiment and bearing splendid gifts. thew
enjoyed the luxurious hospitality Of the
court. A mumming was orponized in
the time of Henry ". by the mayoroltv
OF London and many OF its most nohje
citizens enthusiastically engaged in It
one OF the most hilarious of the olden
burlesques, was that of the "T,ords ~
Mlsruie and for many years it was a
veritaoie institution. I'm the feast of
Christmas, says Stow there was nj.
ways in the Kings house Lord If Mis-.
rue or m 'ster of merry disports. and tho
IKE had We IN the house of every noble.
man OF good worship or honor were he
spiritual or temporal" His Office was to
decide who should make the rarest ma,
tme 10 delight the beholders. He began his
RUE al Halloweve and continued Il until
Candlemas day-in'whicht time "there were
fine and subtle DISCUSSES. masnnes ond
mummeries and playing of cards for
counters, nagles, and points more for
pastime than for game"
christmas prince or "Lorl of Mis-.
rule corresponding to the "Imnerotnr"
at Cambridge, was common temnororv
magistrate at Oxford. Wood In b;s
"Athene Oxonienses" saws the cnstnn,
was not only observed at St Johns cnI.
lege, OF whose prince and Christmns
games he gives graphic descriptian
but was also observed at many otrer ~
the colleges, and particularly at Merton
where from its first foundation ON 6. III
munds day, Christmas Lord was reg;s.
tered as Rex: Fabarum," Or "Rex
Inc most lordly, high sounding titles
W. bestowed upon them, as for instance
tuG magnificent rnnpu-pn1