The morning call., 1890-12-21
CHRISTMAS
CHRONICLES.
Ficti0ns and Facts Connected
With the Festival.
VIII 1t Is the Custom to Decorate Our Homes
and Churches-Its Heathsn Origin AMI
Quaint Associations.

HSROBABLY the most universal of all
b@s Christian customs is that of decor
1S"N ating homes, churches, theaters, shops
and buildings of all kinds with wreathS,
festoons, stars and other designs of red ber-
ries and green foliage. 1t is even more gen.
eral than the Christmas tree, since that is
provided only for children and is abandoned
at the age when dolls and marbles are also
given up but people of all conditions, from
the day when Christmas was first celebrated
down to the present time. have observed the
custom of Christmas decoration, aud will
do so while the world lasts.
Like the Christmas tree, the game of snap
dragon, the hanging up of our stocking and
many others CT our now most distinctiveIy
Christmas observances, sports and games,
The custom of Christmas decoration can be
directly traced to a heather origin. When
Christianity shed its first luminous rays over
the hearts of those who had previously chung
TO heather superstitions the early fathers
encountered one of their hardest tasks in
endeaYnring to crush out these delusions
and in trying to induce The people to aba n
don their heather festivities. They found
that the best means of accomplishing this
latter end was to dvest ali such observances
Of undue solemniiy while retaining all their
social aspects and associatng them either
remotely or directly with some person or
thing pertaining to the Christian religion.
1t had always been the custom of
THE ANCIENT BRITISH DRUIDs
To decorate their heather temples with
evergreen. holly, laurel bays and mistletoe
at that time of year when our Christmas
season occurs. and it was one of their favor
lie superstitious that kindly sylvan spirits
sought these ornaments of living green and
lowered near them, untouched and I'M
harmed by nipping frost, until the death of
winter. This custom the worthy fathers
taught their heather converts to associate
with Christmas, and accordingly in the old
church calendar the eve OF that day is
marked "Templa exornantur Diet tie teu.-
pie be adOrned)." The custom of decorat-
ing churches, thus derived from an old
heather usage, has extended throughout all
the many denominations OF Christians until
there is scarcely church of that faith-no
matter what its particular creed-through-
out the entire world that does not place
within lis sanctuary at the Christmas season
wreath or sprig of Christmas green. But it
Is in the great cathedralS OF Europe that this
custom is most deliberately observed.
Throughout Spain and Italy the young peo-
pie assemble in force in the churches every
evening for several days prior to Christmas,
sacred edifice in its holiday garb. After the
midnight mass has been sung with all posi-
bic pOmp and ceremony on Christmas eve or
morning,
MAGNIFICENT COLLATION.
Is served in the basement of the church to
all who participated in the pious work of
decoration.
And what magnificent scope for the deco
raturS art those magnificent old churches
AFFORD! In Seyille-Once the capital of a
Roman province, then the chief metropolis
of the Moors, for q time the capital of Spain,
and even at the present day the most ro-
mantle and picturesque city in all Europe
have seen the grand Cathedral of Santa
Maria de la Sede ablaZe with the glow of
thousand lights, which shOne upon such
complete forest of Christmas green that the
vast interior seemed to have been trans
formed into sylvan grove. This great
structure is the largest cathedral in the
world, after St. Peters at Rome, and its
paintings and other art treasures, in which
1t aboundS, are of ineStimable value, yet,
turn where | would within its walls that
Christmas eve, nothing was anywhere TO be
seen save lights and living green. The mag
nifcent high altar was Il bower of green
trees At all the stations of the cross the
various events in the awful march TO Cal
vary were told in designs of Christmas
green. and l realized for the first time to
what noble and beautiful art Christmas
decoration may be elevated.
less magnificent churches of San Juan de la
Palma, Santa Catalina and Santa Maria la
Blanca, to ind the display of Christmas
green in each quite as beautiful if not quite
so extensive. In nearly all the story OF the
SaYlorS birth, of the great events in his
life and of his death on the cross. were
ylvldiy told in designs of living green.
THE FAVoRITE TREES AND SHRUBS
For Christmas, green from the time of the
old Druids down to the present, have been
mlstletOe, holly, hawthorn, bays, evergreen
and laurel. All of these are peculiarly rich
in those popular legends. superstitions and
quaint associations, known by the generic
name OF folk lore. Long before the time of
those same old DruIds, mistletoe held
prominent place In the very ancient myth0l-
ogy OF Scandinavia. In those quaint old
fabulous chronicles there is told a character
lsuc myth OF that famous Christmas Dough.
Baider, the god OF poetry and eloQuence,
and the son of Odin and Friga. one day told
his mother that dream had convinced him
that he should die by violence To avert
such destiny Frga invoked all the powers
OF naiure-fre, earth, air. water, plants and
anmalS-and made them swear to her an
oath that they would not harm her son, who
then fearlessiy took his place among tie
gods, and in all their combats fought IN
harmed amid shower of arrows. But he
had bitter enemy in the person of a god
named Loake. who, convinced that Balder's
life was protected by some charm, resolved
woman he visited Friga, and in tie course of
their conversation casually asked how it
was that her son, Balder, invariably came
forth unscathed from all the fiercest con-
Hlcts OF the gods.
FRIGA TOLD HIM
How she had invoked the powers of nature
In BaideT5 behalf, and also how she had
neglected the mistletoe, which she regarded
as too Insignificant to harm him. Leaving
her Loake straightway made an arrow of
mIstlet0e bough, with which weapon Bladder
was slain by blind god called Heba.
One Of the best-knOwn Christmas associa-
tons OF the mistletoe is the traditionary
kissing rite" which has pertained to it for
many centuries. The ancient Druids of
Britain invested the mstletoe with a pecu-
LARRY mystic and hallowed character. They
regarded 1t as an emblem of love- and be-
iieyed that it typifed the bene6cent feelings
OF their gods toward mankind. II is doubt
less 10 this old Druidical association Of the
mlssletoe with love that the EngIishman's
right-p0puiarly regarded as inyiulable as
any secured to him by Magma Charta-to
exact the forfeit Of a kiss from any female
whom he can catch under sprig of it dur.
ing the Christmas season is attributable and
this forfeit the damsel is in honor bound to
accord without remonStrance or resistance
of any kind, be she maid, wife or widow.
The hawthorn tree, with its leaves,
branches and blossoms. was another favorite
Christmas green with the ancient Druids,
ana mas continued to steadily increase in
popularity since their time. Like the mis-
tietoe, 1t is peculiarly rich in folk lore, and a
curious and interesting legend is told Of how
II Inst originated in England. 1t is said that
JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA,
The owner Of the new sepulcher in which
the savior was lad after his crucifxion,
and ftom which he rose from the dead
made pilgrimage TO Briton and landed
near Glastonbury Abbey, in Somersetshire.
He and his companions, fatigued by their
long voyage, rested near that town upon a
small eninence which they called Weary
All Hill. name that has chung to it ever
since. Into the. side of this hill Joseph
thrust his dry hawthorn staff, which in
stantiy became a living, thriving tree. 1t
bloOmed on the following Christmas day,
and continued to do so on every subsequent
recurrence OF that festival until the adop-
ton OF the Gregorian calendar. On the first