The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-12-23
Christmas Customs

ChrissuSs : festival that seems 70 be
more particularly The property Of ehii-
drcn than any ether not thai everybody
does not ioin IN the ceiebrzfi0n with al
their hears. bus that children. IN honor,
perhaps. of HIN ~ho became chiIi are
given theehief part in it. p e-s1res.
In Cornwall. or Christmas eve. tie
cnildren are allowed 70 ~ up II mid
right, and 70 have tssse Of es1sE, 10;
and IN Devonshire they 20. with their
hther and ali the family and friends. out
into the orchard With cider and eAke.
placing the latter IN the sr0teh OF o1s Of
the branches, and thr0~ing the other
over the tree This Is evidently the relie
ofths old pagan rte, bearing every ap-
pezrznce Of the ancient sacrifice, sc
rice to propitizie the Tree 70 eontin1e
il fruitf1iness, although Why il should
be offered on Christmas eve : not sx-
planned.
Indeed, there are many heAfhen Gus
tosus that have been grated upon cur
say Of keeping CHRISTMAS. This wil be
understood when il Is remembered that
the early Christian fathers found ithArd
70 keep their fiocks from joining in the
pagan ceremonies At times Of good seel
inz and j0Ility. They therefore wisely
made their Own csremonies conform %
the sane occasion, 50 that If their people
must celebrate, they could be celebrating
Christian facts Thus the old Roman
Saiu-nalis, tins Of great nsFry-nskins
70 speak mildly, coming Al that season Of
the year, the early fathers thought best
to harnOaize i; vita their Christian
festivities
From the SztGrnaliA are descended the
@Mummers.- band Of people Eho 20
about in masks in England, and enact
some rude play before the doors. What
everthis play VAS in the DAYS Of the
S4turnzlia. il the Christian days Il has
usually been the story ofSt. George and
the Dragon. Old Father Christmas. eroEn-
ed with holly snd carrying Wassail bowl,
introducing s. George, T1rkish knight,
a huge se4ly dragon, and doctor 70 bind
up the wounds, 70 al Of whom the ehii-
dren az the window are delighted 70
throw their half pennies
Again, in Great Britain the priests Of
the new religion boroEed from the
Druids FOR their Christmas Use the OBJ
servsnce Of the winter slistice Eith great
solemnity. and allowed also some ofths
customs Of the ancient Saxons 10 be ab-
served Thus from the Druids Ee have
the mistletoe and from the Saxoas the
Yule leg.
There Is a cheer and generous hosPi-
tAlity about Ysle log Ehich warns one
- think Of L. In the places where s1eh
thing Is really burned, when IT i cut
and dragged along % be plscei on the
hearth, and lizhted from The enbers q
lsst years log pat away f1r that purpose.
every Eayfzrer r8ises his hat 70 il as il
goes along, Il means % much.
From shat the Waits another ac-
compartment Of Christmas dear 70 En-
glish children, have descended IS not GER
tainly ascertsined; but there E4s 4 can
pzny Of -Waifsr a. early As the year 400,
and i s understood that they we're then
strolling players on hsutbops and other
wind instruments; and that Is all they
are to-day.
The only purely Christian Observance
II al these glad, gay ceremonies i the
Carols" The singers have a pictur-
es7Geness a. the g.inner Of their lan-
terms illGuines them b. 6its snd starts
II the darkness on the snow, and their
voices have a sweetness half stolen fiom
their sonss- The Carols are sung n0S
al over the European continent, and n
England usually By a portion Of the
church choir on Christmas Eve, and
ofien on Christmas morning BY certain
Of the children Of the parish. In the
early ages tie bishops sang them among
their clergy
In al these things children have their
snare oel12 tl1 pFllt- ~ H--e7 - r--~-
them; while with the -Mummer
liele girl goes, having no other part han
that OF carrying 3 branch Of Christmas
green The ChristmGs-tree- which j. the
most positive feature Of cbldren's Christ
mas nowadays. Vas not mach knoTa. Il
al all, among the Eoglisa speaking ehii-
drsn until after the good Prince Albert
came 70 England
The very fact that Christmas means
rite celebrating the day Of Christ's birth
gives the children an especial claim upon
the day which beloBgs 70 the Holy Child,
and one Of the appellAfioas of whose pa
tron saint IS Kris Eringle. which means
the Child Christ