The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-12-21
CHRISTMASIN OTHERLANDS
CONTINUED from the Ninth Page ]
AN ENGLISH CHRISTMAS DINNER.

lCOntlnuCd from the Nlntn rage
AN ENGLISH CHRISTMAS DINNER.
"Dinner is more ceremonious meal, served at
or o'clock, and partaken of by large com
pany, for invariably where the owner of coun
try house has no wide circle of guests to invite
down for the holidays the invitations are sent
far and near to friends. During the fortnight
beginning with Christmas Eve and ending with
the 9th of January, twelfth night when the
holidays end and the young people of the party
return to school, for each evening there is some
thing marked off on the programme-games,
dancing, charades, and tableaux, with ball as
a grand wind-up. Turkey is the great dish for
Christmas dinner in England, as in America,
with plum pudding for dessert This is brought
in aflame, crowned with a sprig of holly, which
is everywhere used in the decorations inter
twned with mstletoe.
"Strictly speaking the presence of the latter"
Lady Pauncefote continued, 'is seldom taken ad-
vantage of in our best houses, though it proves
the subject of numberless jests and laughter.
Twelfth night is the grand finale, the evening
on which the holidays come to a close and in
consequence is always marked by some enter
tainment An immense cake is always prepared
especially for that time, and, occupying the
entire centre of the table, is covered with icing
and ornamented with n figure, which holds in
its hands a mysterious little box or basket, in
which are contained presents of jewelry. Slips
of paper are arranged, and the guests then draw
in turn for the presents, which are numbered
and SO arranged that no one is left out of the
! general distribution which follows.
"Roast goose is never served in England at
| Christmas as it is especially dedicated to the
| Goth of September, Michlemas Day, at which
| time it may truly be said to be national dish.
You know it was on that day that, as Queen
| Elizabeth was dining on roast goose, word was
| brought to her of the defeat of the Spanish
| Armada. Ever afterward, in commemoration
| of the day, Elizabeth ordered that goose should
be eaten throughout the length and breadth of
| England"
| CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY.
Christmas in the Fatherand, the coming
the Chrstllind with all its attendant ceremo-
nies and pretty little customs, is thus graphically
described by Fraulein Kotzenberg, of the British
| Legation:
"Chrstmas in Germany is cbildren's day,
when with gifts and kind words we seek to make
merry the hearts of the young people In ortho-
doX families there is beautiful custom of build
| ing the cradle in one corner of the room, where
| in moss of different colors represented the
| plains which the shepherds watched their
| locks by night The little woolly sheep, the
| dogs, the wise men from afar are all represented,
| and above the cradle where the Christkind lies
| comes down the light of the wondrous star in
| the east. On bended knee the wise men show
their alteration of the Child. The building of
this moss cradle and the whole scene is done by
| the mother and father, though sometimes the
children are allowed to take part. The tree is
| usually placed on large table covered with a
fresh, white cloth and set in the middle of the
room, and at the dressing of this only the
| parents are present. Then on Christmas Eve
when it is dark the children are all assembled
awaiting in joyous expectation the sound of the
bell, which will be signal that the tree is
ready. At last it comes, and with happy hearts
the children enter as the doors are thrown open.
What wonderful sight it is that meets their
gaze-the tree, all silvery white, glistening with
the alum sprinkled over it while hot; the can
dies shining like so many stars, glass balls Of
every color showing among garlands of colored
paper, long strings of rasins and figs, plain and
frosted cakes in every shape and design. Be-
meath the tree, heaped on the table in little piles,
the useful presents. the little mitts and caps
and scarfs to keep out the winters cold, the
drums and dolls and sleds jinglng with merry
bells, the picture books and gifts of every kind
Above all, from the topmost branch of the tree,
looks down the figure of old Father Christmas
with his snowy beard and portly form.
''The children file in line about the tree, the
Oldest first, carrying the baby, and last Of all
the little one just walking. AT the piano sits
the mother who strikes chord and the oldest
then goes slowly round the table to discover
which of the gifts is hers. If she pauses before
the heap intended for her the music is very soft
and slow, then as she gradually nears it there
comes great crash of sound, and the excite
ment is intense. This goes on until each in
turn have discovered their presents, when the
father calls them to him, and, taking on his
knee one child at time, has them repeat the
Ittle verse or sing tHe song prepared before
hand for this occasion. Before good night is
said the children cluster round the mother at
the piano and join their voices with her own.
ROAST GOOSE AND PLUM PUDDING IN GERMANY.
son Christmas Day there is roast goose or
venison for dinner and plum pudding for dessert,
with big slices of cake made by the bakers only
at this season. These cakes baked in squares
are nearly three feet, and, plentifully stuffed
with raisins, currants, and citron, do not re-
sembe the dark fruit cake of England and
America. The stuffing of the goose is prepared
in the same manner as mince meat, and is
quite sweet. Around the rim of the dish are
placed boiled chestnuts, which in Germany are
served as a vegetable. We celebrate in Germany
first, second, and third Christmas days on the
25th, Goth, and 9th of December. The holidays
come to end on January 2, but the great
festival after Christmas is st. Sylvester's Day,
which falls on New Years Eve, when cake and
punch is served in the evening. There is a
pretty legend of st. Sylvester, which runs that
y IN al.lD