The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-12-24

,,ro,It;a 1SCenG years, the an
55 a9nilces OF York had the right Of
nnt on Christmas Day. It was
act nearly cost him his life ba ,l r.,S
m06bed, and severely handled 60
The custom has nnarIu lid .4
quite recently at Helston Church in
cornwall. And we all have heard Of
ene famous dance held every wear in
seville Cathedral during the ceIehra-
Itoii OF the Mass-and nobody faints
at the spectacle. -''iii' %
u point OF fact, ever since the days
vi DAVID, opinions concerning dancing
nave been divided. When he dancad
peIofe the Ark, some people thought
ne was 6ehavlng in foolish manner,
ana told him so. David maintained
ms views and kept up the step.
a curious tale is told of a certain
81 Joseph Cupertino who, one Christ
mas night, was kneeling in church
before the figures of Mary and the
infant, when he was so overcome nv
emotion that he set to work and
danced a pas seul then and there.
Inc old chronicler-I can't help
thinking, with a twinkle in his eve
dfyIy adds: He was observed by a
companion" Picture to yourselves
the amazement of the disciple, seeing
his master so serious and reserved,
caperlng at that midnight hour. One
more story, and We'll leave the merry
dance.
It is told by Butler of certain
| Dishop, Peter of Balsam, who, one
Christmas night, was entering the
cathedral in all the pomp of Grand
| procession. He was capped and mitEed,
and bore his crosier full of apostolic
grace, when he suddenly heard the
| pffferari-the bagpipes of ItaIy-play-
ing their pastoral melodies in the
streets. The sound overcame the
| good bishop, and, with skip and
| bound, he mounted the pulpit and
danced-literally for all he was
worth-to the immense delight and
edification of his congregation.
Of the other Christmas customs I
will say but little. Decorating the
house with green is very old indeed.
| People thousands of years ago used to
think that during the winter it was
too cold for the spirits outside, so as
the spirits preferred green to any
thing else, the good householders
brought the branches and leaves
within their dwellings. In our times
the spirits that come into our houses
at Christmas prefer glass houses, or,
like Diogenes, are to be found in
barrel.
The mistletoe used to be very sacred
to the Druids. 1t is now the shrine
of goodwill, the shelter of manly de-
vOtiOn, and source of much inno-
| cent mirth and seasOnable advantage
taken by men over the ladies. There
were many quaint old customs at
tached to the Epiphany or twelfth
day. The choice of a king for the
occasion, the cake with the ring or
the bean concealed therein, the star;
all these things are well known to
most of us. In Germany the celebra-
| ton of twelfth day is in places curl
ously observed. In the Err mountains
they have kind of play to commem-
crate the visit of the three wise men.
| Everybody is dressed in nightshirts
and top boots. Two angels, three wise
men, Herod and Rupert; a goblin to
brighten children. The wise men
ask questions of HerOd, who pops his
head out of window and gives fool
| ish answers in shrill falsettO voice,
provoking jeers and laughter at his
| blunders.
In Rome to this day three priests,
emerging from three corners of the
cathedral, say masses in three differ
| ent parts of ST. Peters, symbOlizing
the spread of Christianity through the
different portions of the globe, and in
an old ritual still to be seen the colors
of the priests are specified; one is to
be black man, one white and one
green-I suppose they meant to say
Trishur
However, of all the customs associ-
ated with Christmas there is none so
peculiarly seasonable, and when prop
erly conducted so beautiful as the
stances the solemn and beautiful
character has been lost sight of, and
instead of santifying the night with
sweet music, too frequently stupid,
half-intoXicated clowns band them
selves together and disturb the peace
of the neighborhood by their cries,
imagining that they are keeping the
season appropriately berry songs
sung with beer clOgged Threats in
hopes of reaping berry harvests. Any
thing further removed from the idea
of this lovely season, anything less
worthy to celebrate the advent OF
Him whose first name is Wonderful,
whose last is Prince of Peace, it would
be difficult to conceive.
Bnt have heard in the stiffness OF
the winters night the Souno OF VIoi
and hautboys, the well-harmonize.di
carol, breaking upon the silence as If
the '' better world conversed with
ours" :.
Heard at first, perhaps in condi-
ton of sleep, gradually realizing that
the music is of earth, half soothing,
half reproducing us with sleeping at
such a time, when shepherds We're
watching, the music of the waits is
indescribably lovely. Like the lost
chord,
It Quoted pain and sorrow like love over
coming strife,
1t seemed the harmonious echo from our
discordant life:
1t linked all perplexed meanings in perfect
peace,
It trembled away into silence as if it were
loathe to cease.
Wordsworth has charmingly de-
scribed the awaits" / am sure most
of YOU recall his lines dedicated to MS
brother. He says, speaking OF these
Christmas waits:
For pleasure hath not ceased to wait
On these expected annual rounds,
Whether the rich mans sumptuous gate