The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-21

Washington will celebrate Christmas in all its
glory. Santa Claus is alive and his Washington
tour will include every stocking from that Of
Baby Mckee in the White House to those of the
poorest darkey boys who swarm by the thou
sands in our Washington alleys. Tons of tur-
keys, great crates of roast geese, and hundreds
of fat 'possums now in the markets, and
enough evergreen and holly is shown to deco
rate the Capitol, the Washington Monument,
the White House, and all of the big Government
Departments from their tops to their bottoms.
The most interesting of the Christmas celebra-
tions, however, will be those of the legations.
Every Christian nation keeps Christmas in its
own way, and have to-day had number of in
.teresting chats as to Christmas in other lands.
CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO.
Madame Romero, the wife of the Mexican
Minister, gives me picture of the day there.
Said she: ''Christmas in Mexico is always more
or less religious festival. 1t in consequence
by no means so joyous an occasion as in Europe
and this country, where the observarces partake
so largely of social nature Were stranger
to visit Mexico at that time as the guest of
American family of residents there he would
find the same American Christmas customs OBJ
served. We, for instance, would keep the day
in the same way. But you would find it differ
,ent among the pure Mexican families. They
know nothing of hanging up their stockings on
Christmas night, and the Mexican children look
upon New Years and their birthdays as the
times when they are to be made much of and are
sure to receive presents. Every one in Mexico
is named for some saint and the favorite saint is
Guadelupe. Still there is saint for every day
in the year, and the saint days the gift days.
~
glass a calendar on which the list of saint days
is printed, and one has only to refer to this to
keep posted as to the birthdays of her friends
and relatives. The presents given at such times
areregulated by the circumstances of the donors.
Sometimes it is only few flowers, or when the
acquaintance is recent or not intimate visiting
cards only are sent. This is in order that the
,person may realize that his birthday is remem-
bered, and though the acquaintance be slight it
is always taken as a compliment.
HOLIDAY FEAsTs IN MEXICO.
GAS to the Christmas ceremonies" Madame
Romero continued ''there is morning service
in the churches from until II o'clock, at which
time the affairs are decorated with flowers.
The holiday festivities begin a week before
Christmas, and the IOSadOS are observed by all
families whose names will permit. In former
times the POsadoS mixed social and re-
'ligious festival. They began by a procession
headed by the Virgin, who asked to be received
at each house during the period OF her journey
with Joseph previous to the birth of Christ.
During the progress of the procession there is,
of course, considerable praying and singing,
after which the religious features of the occa-
sion are at an end, dancing begins, and meri-
ment terminates in grand supper. The es-
pecial feature of this feast is the Christmas
night salad, Salada de la nOche Buena, made of
lettuce, beets, celery, and mayonnaise dressing.
With this is served boned turkey, jellies, and
black coffee, the flavor of which in Mexico is
especially delicious. This supper Immediately
succeeds the nliSa dc gallo, the impressive mid
night mass The seventh day of the PoSadoS
falls on Christmas eve, when the ndclmentO takes
place. This curious custom portrays by means
of dolls the various races and their occupations,
the puppets being carefully dressed after the
manner of each country represented. Where
the wealth of a family will admit of such
thing individual exhibits are held The whole
is preserved intact for weeks after Christmas,
and nightly exhibited to relatives or specially
invited friends. At the present day the
PosadOS contain far less of their religious chalac
ter than formerly, and are retained almost eX-
clusively as social gatherings"
CHRISTMAS AT THE NORTH POLE.
OF all the noted travellers in Washington
there is not one who has spent sadder Christ
mas than Gen. Greely the head of the Signal
Service. l talked with him last night as to his
Christmas of 1888. 1t was spent in the miser-
able little hut of ice and snow at Cape Sabine
Cape Sabine was reached by the party Of Arctic
explorers in their southwark search for succor
in October, and on the goth of that month Gen.
Greedy and the men under his charge took pos
session of the hut Although the scant supply
of food showed a steady decrease from this date
the men, one and all, seemed by common con-
sent to buoy up their spirits, looking forward to
the great Christmas festival as though it were to
prove, even in that land of drifting snow and
eternal ice, a time of merriment and rejoicing
All the while, with the frightful silence of the
polar night about them, the cruel ice king ever
advancing nearer and nearer with his life-de-
stroying touch, the party of explorers were
looking forward to the winter solstice, the
burst of sunlight through the gloom which
should announce the coming of the Christmas
child, the birthday of the Lord, the grading of
the infant Jesus in Bethlehem.
At length the morning dawus for which all
have so long looked forward, and with the
barometer at 20 93, thermometer at 35,5, break
fast is served of thin soup of peas and carrots,
with a little blubber and some spoonfuls Of
potatoes This meal was eaten at q O'Clock,
after which cloudberres were served out-two
OH al hon mud