Connecticut western news., 1891-12-24
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS.

Celebrated as Holy Day Since the Year
 of Our Lord 9s.
 At midnight on the 25th of this month the birthday Of the Saviour of mankind will have been celebrated for the seven teen hundred and ninety second time, for Christmas was first kept as a holy day A. D. 9S. We have no means of de- termining the exact date of the Saviour's nativity.
 As to the year, preponderance of opin- ion and of such evidence as we have teems to favor that of or B. c. As to the month, Decen Der is the height of the rainy season in Judea, and, there fore, the fact, as stated by the New Tes- lament, that shepherds were watching their focks on its plains while stars were shining in the heavens on the night of the Saviour's birth, makes it extremely unlikely that it could have occurred in that month. Many learned treatises have been written and plausible argu- ments advanced to prove that it must have taken place in October, but the question will ever remain in abeyance. For the first three centuries Christmas was one of the most movable of all re- igious festivals. The Eastern church observed Jan. 6 as the anniversary both of Christ's birth and circumcision. But in the Fourth century Pope Julius I or dered an investigation of the matter, and after long deliberation the theolo- gians of both the east and the west united in appointing Dec. 25 to be kept as Christ's birthday. It seems not i'm probable that in selecting Dec. 25 as the | date of the greatest event save one-the crucifxion-in the worlds history the | worthy fathers were influenced by de- sire to supplant the many heather fes- tivals of the winter solstice, such as the Saturnalia, or great festival of Saturn and Ops, which began on Dec. 19 tor after C8sar's reformation of the calen- | dar on the 17th) and continued for seven days.
 This presumption is made more prob | able from the fact that for many centu- ries the festivities of Christmas were prolonged until Twelfth night" Jan. 6, and even till Candlemas day, Feb. ?, while they usually began as early as the night before All Saints Day; or Hal | loween, thus showing the desire of the | early fathers of the church to make the | heather converts to Christianity feel that they had lost nothing in harmless pleasure and enjoyment by the substi- tuition of the Christian festival for the heather one.
 l Not only did the Romans observe this period of the year as time for mirth and rejoicing, but many of our most | e.. l from the old heathen festivals which | Christmas replaced. The custom of | giving Christmas presents, now so uni versally observed, was derived from the old Roman Saturnalia or Feast of Saturn, above mentioned, at which it was GUS tomary for all the members of house. hold to offer gifts to one another.
 The Yule clog, or log-the great stick of timber placed in olden times upon the Christmas fire-was derived from the Saxon feast of Jul or Yul, at which a similar piece of timber gave the princi- pal fire and the principal light. The Yule clog and the superstitions con- nected with it are among the most ven erable of Christmas associations. The Yule clogs that blazed in the vast halls of the old English feudal barons of the Middle Ages were huge trees, and we are told that even just before the close of the last century the mansion of an Eng fish gentleman residing near Shrews- bury was totally destroyed by fire in consequence of too large Yule log hay ing been lighted on his hearthstone. When the Yule clog was not all con- sumed before dawn and burned on into the light of Christmas day, it's ashes were carefully preserved until the next Christ, mas eve.
 The custom of decorating churches, dwellings and places of business with evergreen, holly, laurel, bays and mis- tletoe at the Christmas season has also a heather origin, being perpetuation of an observance of the old British Druids, whose belief it was that kindly sylvan spirits sought these ornaments of living green and hovered near them, untouched and unharmed by nipping frost, until the death of winter.
 Those same old Druids attached much importance to the mistletoe, investing ii with peculiarly hallowed and mystic character. They regarded it as an ern. blem of love and believed that it typi. fled the benefcent feelings of their gods toward mankind. It is doubtless to this old Druidical association of the mistle toe with love that the English custom which still obtains, of enforcing the for felt of kiss from any female who is caught under branch of it at Christmas time is rraceable.
 By the celebration of Christmas, with its grand liturgy, its magnificent music and its pictorial and dramatic repre- Bentations of the principal events in the life of him whose birth it commem orated. the church sought to replace these heathen festivities and to lift uI the minds of the people to something higher and holier, though from the tirs1 the day was regarded both as a holy commemoration of most sacred event and as mirthful, joyous festival. IT the Middle Ages the festive observances
 of the day often so far overtopped its
 more sacred features that the clergy were frequently compelled to check the unseemly merriment of their focks. The name of Christmas assigned te the festival was derived from Christ an6 the Saxon lndesse or mass. and the two words were combined to denote specia
 service in honor of the birth of the Sor
 of God.
 Probably one of the most generally
 known of the old Christmas observances
 next to the giving of presents, is the
 singing of Christmas carols. These were pious canticles designed to replace ths ribald songs of the old heather festivals | and the custom of children and ever grown people going about from house
 to house singing them at the door or Christmas eve and being rewarded witt