Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-24
Pagan Origin of Many Of Our Yule-
tide Observances.
THE MYSTIC MIsTLETOE.
Some OF the Christmas SuperstitiOns-The
ID judicial ancestry Of the Snap Dragon
weary-An Hill and It's wonderful Haw-
thorn Tree-Dr. Parr and Mince Pie.
Written for the Evening Star.

Il
| the mirthful, sportive features of it permitted
by the early fathers we're intended to replace
those of the old Roman Saturnalia or feast of
Saturn and those of the winter soistice feasts Of
the ancient Germanic and Celtic races it is Ger
tainly 70; a matter for surprise that the heathen
converts. to whose dispositions and prejudices
! these concessions were made should have re-
tanned many OF their ancient customs and su-
perstitions, several Of which, becoming chris
tanned, have survived till now. The large
yew trees, which the ancient Germans lighted
ard decorated during their great winter solstice
feast Of Jul or Yul, still blossom annually in our
homes as the Christmas tree and from that
hea then usage has developed the beautiful
Christian fable that tie Holy Christ Child--the
infant Jesus-brings and places with his own
hands the fruit of love. good will and kindness
that hangs upon that tree. The great oaks
which. during that festive season, they lighted
upon their hearthstones were transplanted to
England at the time of the Saxon invasion and
for centuries blazed brightly on Christmas eve
in English barcnial halls under the name of
lule clogs or Christmas blocks. Even the
name Of that famous old Germanic feast is a
familiar word today Mt our firesides, where we
speak OF Yuletide and the Yule season as
synonyms for Christmas.
CHRISTMAS GAMES OF HEArHEN ORIGIN.
Many of our most familiar Christmas games
have heather origin and some of their re-
quirements once played a most important par:
III heather rites and mysteries. Every one
knows how. when playing the popular Christ
mas game OF snap dragon" all other lights in
the room are extinguished while we try to
| snatch raisins from blazing brandy but prob
ably few are aware that the ancient British
Druids were accustomed to worship. in temple
otherwise dark. q flame of burning spirits into
which they cast and out of which they plucked
certain sacred objects and that they thus per-
formed some of the most awful solemnities Of
their religion.
SOME sUPERSTITIONS.
In all ages and countries of the world Christ
mas superstitions have abounded. One of the
most famous o, these relates to a thorn tree
near Glastonbury Abbey in Somersetshire, Eng
land. 1t Is said that Joseph of Arimafhea
landed in Britain not far from Glastonbury
He and his companions, fa:igued after their
Ions pilgrimage, rested upon small eminence
which they called Wearv-Au HILL a name that
has chung TO il ever since. Into the side of
this hill Joseph thrust his hawthorn staff which
instantly became living. thriving tree 1t
doomed or the following Christmas day. and
continued TO do so on every subsequent recur-
renee OF that festival until the adoption of tho
Gregorian calendar. On the first Christmas
day of the new style. vast multitude from all
parts OF Great Britain sombled at Weary All
Hill 20 see II the thorn would bloom as usual.
Greatly TO their disappointment it failed to do
so. but on the fifth n the following JANUARY
new style. watch would have been December Us,
old style. 1t bloomeG as usual. and il is said TO
have done so on every subsequent fifth of
January down TO the present time. Miracu-
ious powers In the healing of disease and the
bringing OF good fortune are aScribed to the
flowers borne by this tree Oh Christmas tlay,
and for centuries many pious people made
Christmas pilSrimages to Glastonbury to pro-
cure them: Ihis tree greatly excited the wrath
OF the Puritans In the time of Cromwell and q
story II told OF how one, who was very promi-
nent in the councils of the round-head leader.
made an effort to chop it down. but his AK
slipped and cut him severely, while at the same
time large chip flew up and struck his right
| eye, completely destroying its sight This mis-
hap, which was regarded providcntial pun
lshment effectualiy deferred the Puritans from
me- king any further sacrilegious attempts to
destroy the miraculous tree.
THE MYSTIC sIsrLETOE.
The ancient British Druids attached much
INFO tance to the plants. trees and vines which
| they employed as Christmas decorations for
their temples. The mistletoe, especially. they
invested with peculiarly hallowed and mystic
character. They regarded it as an emblem of
| love. and believed that 1t typifed the benefi-
cent elinSs Of their gods toward mankind. 1t
is doubtless to this old Draidical association Of
the mistletoe with love that the English custom,
which still Cbtains of enforcing the forfeit of a
kris from any female who is caught under a
branch OF 1t at Christmas time is traceable.
In the old Scandinavian mythology there ia
told characteristic fable of this famous Christ
mas bough-thc niis,letoe. Bladder. the god of
poetry and eloJuenco and the son of Odin and
! Friga. enc aay told his mother> that dream
had convinced him he should die by violence
| To avert this destiny Friga invoked all the
powers Of natnre-earth. air fire. water plants
! and arirnals-and made them swear to her an
oath that they would no: harm her SON. who
then fcarlessly took his place among the gods
| and IN all their cOmbats fought unframed amid
! = shower OF arrows. But he had bitter enemy
! in the person of y god called Lok. who con-
WINGED that Baldcrs life was protected by some
charm resolved to fathom ii. Disgui ing him
self rs ALI old woman, he visited Friga and in the
course of their conversation casually asked how
II was tina. her son Balder invariably came forth
unseathed from all TIE fiercest conflicts of the
gods Friga told him how she had invoked the
powers of nature III Bidders behalf, but added
that she had neglected the mistletoe. which she
regarded Is too insignificant to harm him
Leaving her, Lok stra.ghtway made from q
! n.istletoe bouSh an arrow with which BaIder
was slain by blind god called Hecla.
HANGING UP THE STOCKING
The custom OF hanging up stockings on
Christmas eve, like that Of preparing the Christ
mas tree. il derived from the Germans. who
have Il fable iha. while the stockings Of good
children are filed with toys and swee tmeats by
! Chris kingle-a corruption OF Christ Kindlin or
Christ Child-those Of bad ones receive nothing
but a small rod or switch which is placed in them
! by another parsonage, known as Pelsnichol-
| literally Nicholas with fur-meaning ST. Nicho-
las dressed in fur. 1t is a rare sight on Christ
! mas morning in u German household to ace the
expression Of abjcc. misery ard broken-h
cdne@s on the face Of some poor little wight.
| who, having been disobedient or otherwise
naughty on Christmas eve, finds in his stock
! ing only small birch rod, while the hosiery of
his brothers and sisters is filed with bon bona
and play things. The dread of getting the rod
| from old rclsnichol on Christmas keeps many
German child in order throughout the entire
| year.
| CURTAILMENT OF THE FESTIVITIES.
Though Christmas seems to gain rather than
lose in popular favor as the years roll by. yet i.
is worthy Of note that tho Christmas season has
been much curtailed from what it originally
was. For several centuries il began Wi Ii the
eve Of All Saints day or ''Hallow eve" October
81. and continued till Candlemas day, February
2. In England 1t is now computed only from
Christmas eve TO Twelfth night" January 6,
while in our own country it begins on Christ
mas eve and practically ends on Christmas
| night. Yet even now really begins on De-
! cember is. marked in the calendar 20
Sapientia." from the name of an anthem sung
during Advent.
| YULErrDE FARE AND GOOD CHEER
| Ever since long baf0re that f,p,ou, haro 80