Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-12-24
Merry Christmas.
The Christmas SeasOn-Its Ori lin and Mer
Fy CustOms-HOw the Aneieat Genera :.
tiOns Observed if-HOW it is OBJ
servea NOW-S inta Claus and
Krish Kinkle, &c., &c.

ST. Nicholas, Santa Claus, and Kris
Kiiikle, whose traditional budget Of goo
things, and descent down chimneys ar
radiant visions of childhood, which folio,
US into maturity and age, have come again
and the replenished stockings, the decorat
ed Christmas tree, and the gifts unde
manifold forms of surprise are making mil
lions of young hearts hilarious and happy
as has been the case on the annual return Q
the event more than a thousand times be
fore.
CHRISTMAS,
so called from the two Latin words, Christ
and Missa, signifying the Mass, or offerin,
of Christ, is the great festival of the &c
clesiastic year, and 80 important and joyou
solemnity is it deemed that a special ex
ception is made in it's behalf whereby in th,
event of the anniversary falling on Friday
Pat day of the week, under all other cir
T'cumstaness fast is transformed into
| festival.
| In Catholic countries mass is alway.
celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve
the hour in which our Saviour is believed tc
have been born, another at day ybreak on
Christmas Day, and third at subsequent
hour in the morning. A beautiful idea en-.
tertained in this connection is that which
represents thorough prostration of the
Powers of Darkness at this season, reliev-
ing mankind, for the time, from their malev-
olsnt influences. The cock is supposed to
crow all night long, and by his vigilance to
scare away all malignant spirits. This be-
lief is finely expressed by Shakespeare, in
"Hamlet," where AGrcellus says of tho
Ghost:
SIT faded Oh the growing OF the cock.
Some say, that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our S3aviour's birth Is celeb ated
The bird of dawning sfngcth all night long;
And then, they say, no spirit can walk abroad"
There was another belief long prevalent,
that the cattle in their stalls fall down on
their knees in alteration of tho infant Saw
our, as the tradition reports them to have
done in the stable at Bethlehem. Bees were
also said to sing in their hives, and bread
baked on Christmas Eve never to mould -
All nature was thus supposed to join in the
great solemnity. The custom Of
CHRISTMAS GIFTS
had its origin in the Roman Pagnalia, which
was instituted by Servius Tullius. B. c.
$50. On these festivals, celebrated at the
beginning of the year, an altar was erected
in every village, and to the box placed up
on it every man, woman and child was ex-
mas box naturally arose from this Pagan
New Years box. There is an impressive
propriety and tender beauty, however, in
thus commemorating the event which gave
a Divine Redeemer to tie lost world, the
greatest gift that is conceivable to man.
kind.
ST. NICHOLAS
is one Of the most popular saints of Catholic
Europe, being invoked as the patron Of
sailors, travellers. captives and the guardian
OF unmarried girls and children. The Dutch
call him
SANTA CLAUS.
The earliest legend of his appearance at
Christmas is derived from the Italians
Giraldi, & shoemaker of Verrara, was very
poor, and could not give his three pretty
daughters even the smallest dowry, and
thus, though each had an admirer, they
were left unmarried. The father prayed to
his patron saint st. Nicholas, that he
would interpose with miracle. A neigh
Dor, rich merchant, one day, overhearing
his simple petition, ridiculed the idea that
st. Nicholas would thus interpose for his
daughters, and told him that his saint was
Buonajuto, the Jew, who lent money at two
per cent. a month. s'He is not so deaf as
St Nicholas the merchant added. "and if
you know how to manage, you can make
four per cent" The poor shoemaker, how
ever, maintained his integrity, and daily
prayed. Christmas meanwhile came, and
the Jew, finding balance of three hundred
ducats on the yearly account due the ner-
chant, thought to make him surprise in
sending him fattened and roasted duck
with the three bundled gold pieces sewed
in hnA ho nt5 20 ovxyifc hnr
ever, sharing in the prevailing prejudices
against the Jews, refused to receive pres
ent from one of this race. The merchant,
therefore, sold the duck for ducat to the
poor, praying shoemaker, who took it home
for his Christmas dinner, and when on open
ing the fowl with carver, the gold fell
out, his exclamation was, 'sPraise 10 st.
Nicholasr' and divided the sum between
his two eldest daughters. The merchant,
discovering the result of the experiment in
sewing up gold in the carcass of a duck,
brought an action against Giraldi; but the
magistrate, a devOut man, on hearing the.
case, and learning how the poor man had
been ridiculed for his devotion, not only Or
dered Giraldi to retain the duoats, but SEN
fenced the Jew and the merchant for their
usurious dealings to pay fine of one hun
dred and Fifty ducats for the dowry of the
poor shoemaker's youngest daughter.
The meaning of the legend is, that benef-
icent Providence watches over and take care
OF the poor who are honest, religious and
truthful. The tradition runs sthat since that
time St. Nicholas pays visit every Christ
mas night to all whom he thinks worthy of
his favors. He is known altogether by the
name-Sdntd Claus.
In Germany and other Northern Euro
pean countries, the traditional benefactor
of the children, with his Christmas budget
for the good children's stockings, is known
as
KRIsH KINKLE,
a name-Christ Eindlein-Christ infant
understood to be derived from the circum-
stance that representation of the Infant
Saviour in the mapger formed part of their
Christmas decoration. Bad children, in
stead If the sugar plums from Krish- Kim
ke, find in their stockings s'the birchen
rod" from Pelsnichol.
The Germans of Pennsylvania brought
their Teutonic customs-the stocking hung
at the foot of the bed, Krish Kingls, the
Christmas tree-at an early period into
that State, while Santa Claus came vita the
Hollanders into New York.
THE CHRISTMAS TREE
is splendor and delight in the eyes and
imaginations of all children, and, in fact,
forms the grandest feature in the festal sea-
son of Christmas among the Northern Eu-
ropean nations, being often called the Chill
dren's Festival. The custom was early in
troduced into this country by the German
emigrants, but was hardly known to Eng
land till within the present century.
AT THE pPEsrNT nav
Christmas, divested of the ancient glories,
it's jolities and exuberance of animal spirits,
is nevertheless season of thousand genial
influences. The gathering of scattered
households around the Christmas hearth
and hoard strenothens the hallOWed feelings