Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-14

cheer which our people, like their British
cousins, SO closely associate with the occa-
sion. The old English Christmas, as it was
cele brated centuries ago in the great halls Of
the feudal barons may be best known from the
pages of Sir Walter Scott, who frequently
describes it and who in his poem of 'Marmion"
admirably sums it up in few words when he
says:
England was merry England when
H Tl Christlas brought his sports again:
Twas Christmas told the lnerriest tale
Christmas ganlbOl oft would cheer
poor mans heart through half the year"
The December liberties" as the wild gam
bols, FRANKS and mas9uerades of Christmas
time were called, the famous Christmas dinner
OF the barons with its dish of boar's head borne
upon massive silver platter in great state the
whole length of the immense banquevng hall
by the major domo of the household. attended
by large number Of servants and vassals. the
'mummlng' or masquerading the singing Of
Christmas carols, the playing at snap dragon.
hot cookies and all the other Christmas sports
and games, presided over by a specially ap-
pointed officer OF the household called the
lord OF misrule or the abbot of unreasonable
these and countless other features of the old
English Christmas, Scott, that wonderful
wizard of the north" has described as only
he could do it,
The modern English Christmas found its
lures. has most clearly and accurately por-
| trayed its every light and shadow. The Wild
| abandon of its predecessor of centuries ago has
been somewhat restrained, but within the
| limit OF becoming mirth there is still no merrier
Christmas. 1t Is a strange fact, however, that
III England the day after Christmas. or boxing
day" as it is called, is an occasion OF even
greater festivity among the working classes
| than Christmas day itself 1t derives its name
from the christmas boxes or donations of
GhrlStlnls mo yvhi nnlla tod
| on that day by letter carriers, milk men,
butchers boys and other equally useful men,
bers of society.
A SPANISH CHRISTMAS
The Spanish Christmas is largely an outdoor
| celebration as l found while residing in the
city of Seville some years ago. The Spaniards
like the French, are much in the streets at all
| times and even more than usual during the
Christmas season. For more than three weeks
before Christmas the magnificent cathedral of
Santa Maria de la Sede, well as the noble
churches OF San Juan de la Palma, Santa Cata-
| lima and Santa Maria la Blanca, are crowded to
| repletion with devout worshipers every morn
| ing at the mass. which Is sung daily throughout
the year. As boxing day is to the English SO
| Is noche buena to the Spaniards. The words
| literally mean 1.-The good night" but they are
also used in Spain to designate Christmas eve
| which Ii even more joyously celebrated than
| Christmas day itself. Then the whole city
seems to have turned out en- masse into the
| thoroughfares and the great public squares of
| the plaza del Triunfo, the plaza Nueva the
plaza del Du4.e and the plaza de la Constitu-
| cion.
Even the most unlucky pedestrian in all that
| great throng-he who has lost loosely fitting
hat or has had his pocketpicked Spanish pick
| pockets are the most expert of all artists in
| their line or whose ribs have been bruised or
| his corns trodden upon-even he must find
| some alienation of his misfortunes and misery
| in contemplating the scene that meets his gaze
| on Christmas eve in any of the plazas named
Numerous flaming torches throw a rich crimson
glare upon the winning brilliancy Of jellies
| artfully heightened by light placed behind
them to display their Transparency, red fes-
| to0ns OF chorios (sausages), jamones (hams),
| both salt and sweet, thousand dainty combin-
atoms OF hog, fruit and sugar, luckless capons,
| rejecting upon past misfortunes, and fatted
| turkeys lying In letters among aromatic heaps
| of apples, figs, oranges lemons and countless
| other delicious fruits displayed by hundreds
| of vendors who have converted the plazas into
| temporary fair grounds There is the kaleidO-
scopic minging and changing of sex, nation
atty, costume and language, the angry re-
| mOnstrances OF buyers against the exactions of
| vendors, the joyous shouts of children, the
music OF street bands and your own ejacuIa-
| tlons of pain as some big fellow plants himself
on your favorite toe form the obligato accom-
| paniment to the brilliant scene presented by a
Spanish Christmas eve.
| The Italian Christmas presents many features
| identical with the Spanish and the scenes
enacted in the streets OF Florence during the
| Christmas season closely resemble those of
| Seville. Italy pays great attention to the
| Christmas decoration Of her churches and l
| have found it more elaborate than that of any
| other country. On Christmas eve young men
and women assemble at the churches and aid
| in their decoration, collation. being served to
them after midnight mass. The devout Ital-
ians have poetic idea that to cheer and en-
| courage the virgin through the pangs of ma
| ternlty they must play upon instruments and
sing before her shrines on Christmas eve.
KRIS KINGLEs LAND.
The German Christmas has supplied US with
two of our bestknown Christmas customs
hanging up stockings and attaching gifts to
| sprigs of pine, called Christmas trees. From
the German Christmas also come Santa Clans
and Kris Kingle. The latter is corruption of
Christ Kindlin or Christ Child, Of whom they
have the beautiful fable that with his own
hands He places Christmas toys and sweet
meats in the stockings of good children while
those of bad ones receive nothing but a small
birch rod placed in them by one Pelsnichol-
literally nicholas with the fur" that il
st. Nicholas dressed in fur. 1t is a rare sight
in German household on Christmas morning
to see the expression OF abject misery ON the
face Of some poor little wightwho, having been
dlsobedient or otherwise naughty on Christ
HAS eve, MUS Ouly DHCu TOu III us Stocking
instead Of bon bons and play things The
dread of getting the rod from old Pelsnichol
| on Christmas keeps many German child in
| order all the year.
CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO.
There is no country in the world where
Christmas is better observed than in Mexico
as found during my long residence in the
Mexican capital. There, as in Spain, the Nocbe
Buena or Christmas eve is an occasion scarcely
secondary to the Nos Navidad (Christmas) it.
self. The streets and plazas are thronged. OF
| ali the shop windows gay and brilliant in
their holiday attire none is so bright as the
confectionery. Nowhere is the confectioner's
art carried to greater perfection. The window
| OF every large confectionery in Mexico is Q
revelation, crowded as it is with cakes of such
| an elaborate character are never seen in our
own country, many Of them consisting of
numerous alternate layers of the richest creams
OF various colors and fayors, sugared and
glazed fruits &c. If we look beyond the rich
display such q window contains, this Christmas