St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-21
The old CHRISTMAS,
How Our Ancestors CeIebrat-
ed the Universal Fes-
tival. l9ti;
sos
The Merry Lord Of Misrule in
England and Scot ssT
land. ~
o
" d
Gorgeous Court Ceremonials
"A Round of Holiday ,eae
Sport. nd, d..
The Wassail Bowl 60 Quaint
Omens and Queer Supep-ili4
Stitions. + =

Old loves and younger wooing
Are sweet in the renewing
Under the holly bough.''
OF all the old festivals, says Washing
ton Irving, that of Christmas awakens
the strongest and heartfelt associations
There is tone of solemn and sacred
feeling that blends with our convivial-
ity, and lifts the spirit to state of hal
lowed and elevated enjoyment. The
services of the church about this season
are extremely tender and inspiring.
They dwell on the beautiful story of
the origin of our faith, and the pastoral
scenes that accompanied its announce
ment. They gradually increase in
feryor and pathoS during the sea-
son of Advent, until they break
forth in full jubilee on the morning that
brought peace and good will to men. 1t
is beautiful arrangement, also, de-
rived from days of yore, that this festi-
val. which commentaries the announce
ment of the religion of peace and love.
has been made the season for gathering
together of family connections, and
drawing closer again those bands of
kindred hearts which the cares and
pleasures and sorrows of the world are
continually operating to cast loose; of
calling back the children of a family
who have launched forth in life, and
wandered widely asunder, once more to
assemble about the paternal hearth,
that rallying place of the affections,
there to grow young and loving again
among the endearing mementoeS of
childhood.
In most nations Of ancient and mod
ern times the period OF what is popu-
larly called the winter solstice appears
to have been recognized as
A Period of Is ejOIeIng.
The Roman saturnalia, which fell at
this time, Was season of high festiv-
iJy. honored by many privileges and
many exemptions from i'll. Not only in
the spirit of the time, but in many of
the forms whichit took, may a resem-
blance be traced to the Christmas re-
joiclngs of later days. The hymns in
honor of Saturn were the Roman repre-
sentatives of the modern carol and pres
| ents passed from friend to friend, sas
| Christmas gifts do in our day. In the
| Dorthern nations of ancient Europe the
| same period of the year was celebrated
7 by festival in honor of the god Thor,
| which, like the Roman saturnalia and.
! the feSti al of our own times, was illus
| tratcd by the song, the dance and the
| feast, executed after their barbarous
| fashion. and mingled with the savage
] rites of their own religion. The name,
| of this celebration-Yule,J julie, Iul, or
| Iol-has given rise to many.Ydisputes
among antlquaries as to its derivation.v
The Christian festival of the Nativity,
| with which these ancient celebrations
| have been incorporated, appears TO have
| been appointed at very early period
| after the establishment of the new re-
| llglon. Its first footsteps are met with
| III the second century, during the reign
| of the Emperor ConcOrdiuS, but the de-
| cretal epiStleS furnish traces more re-
mote. At whatever period, however,
| its formal institution is to be placed,
there can be no doubt that an event so
striking in its manner and so important
III itself would be annually commemOr-
ated among Christians from the days of
the first apostles who survived the
Lords resurrection. As to the actual
year of the birth of Christ, as we'll as
the period Of the year at which it took
place, many controversies have been
maintained. In the first ages of the
primitive church, and up till the council
of Nice, the
Celebration Of the Nativity
and Tat of the Epiphany were united
on the 18th Of December, from a belief
that the birth of Christ was simultan-
eous with the appearance of the star in
the East, which revealed it to the Gen
tiles. The time Of year at which the ma
tivity fell has been placed by cuntendng
opinions at the period of the Jewish
Feast OF the TabernaoieS, at that of the
Passover, and again at the Feast of the
EXplatlon, whose date corresponds with
the close of our September Clemeris
AleXandrlnus informs US that it was
kept by many Christians in April, and
by others in the Egyptian month Pa
chon. which answers to our May.
Among the arguments which have been
produced against the theory that places
It's occurrence in the depth OF winter,
one has been gathered from that pass
aye i'll the sacred history of the event
which states that There were shep-
herds abiding in the field. keeping
watcn over their flocks by night" 1t is
an argument, however, which does not
seem very conclusive in a pastoral
country and Eastern climate.
From the first introduction of Christi
anlty among the Saxon ancestors, the
period of the nativity seems to have
been kept as season of festival, and
its Observance recognized as a matter
| of state; and the series of high festiyi-
ties established by the Anglo-Saxon
kings were continued with splendor
under the mOnarchS of the Norman
| race. There are accounts as early as
| the twelfth century of the spectacles
| and pageants by which Christmas was
welcomed at the English court, the
monarch then being Henry H., and
| from this period the wardrobe rolls and
| other household books of the English
kings furnish continual evidences of
| the costly preparations made for the
a of ha
| of Charles L., the u
Court Pageants ~
| of this season were got up with extra
ordinary brIlliancy the king, with the
| lords OF Ills court, and the queen, with
her ladies, frequently taking parts
| therein; and at tile Christmas of 1852 33
the queen, says Sandys, got up a pas
| toral III Somerset house, in which. 1T
| would seem, she herself took part.
| There were Mosques at the same time,
| Independently OF this performance. the
! cost OF which considerably exceeded
| $4,000, beside that portion OF the charge
| which was borne by the Office of the
| revelS, and charged to the accounts of
that department. LII the same year a
| grant or S2,2oO was made for the mask
Ing attire OF the king and his party.
SO important were these Christmas
celebrations deemed by our English an
| ceStOrS, and such was the earneStnesS
bestowed upon their preparation, that
a special officer was appointed for that
| purpose, and TO preside over the feSti-
val, with large privileges, very consid-
| cradle appointments, and a retinue
| which, i'll course of time, came to be no
| Insignificant imitation of a princess.
| The title by which this potentate was
usually distinguished in England was
that Or Lord of Misrule, Abbot of
Misrule," or Master of Merry Dis
ports." and his Office was, in fact, that
OF temporary MASTER OF Revels." In