Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-27
WEEK OF FESTIVALS.
Eight Consecutive CommemoratioDs II
the Church.


The church is now in the midst OF be-
devout and joyous celebration Of thu
great mystery of the Incarnation.
Yesterday, in the Roman Catholic anC
Episcopal churches, was the feast OF st
stephen the first martyr. To-day the
church honors st. John the Evangelist
! and tomorrow is ''Childermas Day." the
. Feast OF the Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Tuesday is the feast of st. Thomas OF
/ Canterbury, and Thursday the day known
as "HOgmansy," the feast of st. Sylyes-
ter Pope and ConiessOT, and Friday is
the Feast Of the Circumcision.
To st. Stephen the Proto-Nartyr, as
/ he is generally styled, the honor has been
accorded by the church of being placed in
/ her calendar Immediately after Christ
mas day In recognition of his having
been the first to seal with his blood the
testimony of fidelity 10 his Lord. The
I year in which he was stoned 10 death is
supposed to have been SO A. d. Special
services were held in the Roman Catholic
and Episcopal churches yesterday in
honor OF the Saint.
A special reverence and interest is at
tached to st. John, the disciple whom Je-
sus loved" In the dav of the apostles a
belief came to be entertained that st. John
should never die, and the notion was
doubtless fOstered by the circumstance
that John OutliVed all mis- brethren and
cOadiutOrs in the Christian ministry, aud
was indeed the only apostle who died a
natural death. He died at the age Of 81
IN the year 100 A. -. Though he escaped
martyrdOm the apostle was, nevertheless,
called upon to endure great persecution.
He WAS, according to story, cast into
caldron Of boiling oil, which be not only
remained in for some time, but which he
ultimately emerged from with renewed
health and vigOr. In cOmmem0ratiOn of
this event the Roman Catholic Church re-
tsins in its calendar on May 8, a festival
called, "St. John before the Latin Gati.'
He was at one time banished 10 the Isle
of PatmOs, and worked among the crimi-
malls in the mines. In this dreaTy abode.
he witnessed the sublime and pondrous
visions which he has recorded in the
Apocalypse.
The festival, which is varously styled
"InnOcents Day." ''The Holy Innocents'
Day" and ''Childermas Day" or "Childer-
mas which occurs tomorrow, and will
he observed in ali ritualstic churches,
has been observed from an early period as
a cOmmemOratiOn of the barbarOus masa-
ere OF the children in Bethlehem ordered
by King HerOd with view to destroying
among them the infant Saviour. 1t is one
OF tue anniversaries thaL were retained
IN the ritual of the English Church at the
Reformation. In consequence probably
of the feeling OF horror attached to such
an act OF atrOcity, Innocents Day used to
be reckoned the most unlucky day in the
year, and IN former times no one, if he
could possibly avoid it, began any work
or entered upon any undertaking on this
anniversary. To marry on Childermas
day was especially inauspicious. In
ancient times it was the custom TO ad-
minister to the Juvenile members OF the
family smart whipping on the morning
Of Innocents' Day.
Especial services will be held in Christ
and st. Johns Episcopal churches, and
also in the Catholic churches, in obsery-
ance Of the day.