Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-12-24
a SHAKER CHRISTMAS.
HOW THE FESTIVAL IS KEPT BY
THESE RELIGIOUS CELlBATES.


Tho Day Is one Of Great Significance to
Them and r Observed with Great
Soiemnity Their Songs, Marches and
Shaking The Christmas Dinner.
No one probably celebrates the glad
Christmas holiday in a more peculiar
way than do the Shakers, those strange
yet industrious celibates who were
brought over from England considerably
over century ago by the good old
Mother Ann Lee There are several
colonies Of these queer people in the
Y United States, and all enjoy the same
VI pleasures, if there can be such thing in
their lives, and all believe in the same
doctrines. Years ago these honest but
misguided people--discovered that the
! Scriptures directed all men and women
to live apart They believe that Be-
cause the Messiah did not marry it is a
sin for them 10 do 50, and consequently
there is but one love in their lives, and
that love Of religion.
The Shakers have a manner ana style
4 peculiarly their own and worship God
in every breath Believing as they do
in the Messiah, they think it duty To
i celebrate the birth Of the Saviour, and
Y their service on Christmas day is most
beautiful and impressive.
The remark ''still as a Shaker meet
\ ing" has often been heard, and those who
have attended a meeting of these devout
! people know that a word is never spoken
until the ''spirit moves, and ~ it goes
from Sunday to Sunday until Christmas
comes, which with them means j day Of
the greatest devotion. The day to them
does not bring the Joys, pleasures and
4 dissipations Of the world, there il no Civ
ing of gifts, no belief in St. Nicholas. no
T Christmas tree and no pleasures, i'll fact
nothing but prayer. No preparations
are made for the glad festival
7 The morning before Christmas the
celibates move toward the little church
in couples. The men 90 by themselves
Y and dress i'll the conventional black, with
broad brimmed hats and gaze straight
before them They never smile. for to
smile is a sin i'll their belief Tne w0m-
en- follow the men, and wear Shaker bon
nets Of yellow straw and gray gowns,
and look prim and quaint. "a large
white handkerchief covers the chest in
I primitive simplicity. Quietness reigns
4 throughout the day, never word being
/ spoken. In fact the spirit does not
move, and the people stand there fur
hours like statues. At sundown they
= 90 to the dormitorie5 and retire.
/ Christmas morning they w To the
church again and pass the holiday in
" prayer, song and religious gloridcation.
They stand perfectly quiet and mute un-
7 til the ''spirit moves" when each one
gives his Or her experience, for on this
day above all they delight in testifying
to their great and complete happiness.
A Shaker church is entirely different
from the worlds peoples church In
stead Of seats or pews, as are usually
u seen in churches, there is a big open
I space, and the men and women range
7 themselves on opposite sides of the room.
1 One of the elders makes short address.
Then all is qUietness. After about half
an hour q dozen or SO Of the younger
people, either male or female, OF perhaps
both, enter the center Of the space and
begin solemn march.
! The Shakers sing beautifully and their
v tunes are remarkably pretty, sprightly
and quick in character, and have a won
derfully fascinating air. The rich, deep
bass voices harmonize perfectly with the
clear, sweet and high tenors and so-
pranos. Almost irresistibly the feet and
hands Of all commence keeping time
with rythmical beats. Soon the entire
body Of Shakers are moving around the
singers. As the music increases the
men and women circling around be-
VI come 50 imbued with the beating of the
notes that their bodies swing and rock,
Y their feet dance ana shuttle, their hands
and arms swing and beat the mir, alI in
4 perfect keeping with the music This
grows more intense until they all drop
from sheer fatigue. Quiemess again
4 reigns for nearly an hour, when the
same performance is gone over, and then
over again, until sundown, when all re-
pair to the dormitories to enjoy the only
meal in the year in each others com
pany, for on every other day the men
and women eat by themselves.
The Christmas dinner Of the Shakers
is not like the Christmas dinner Of the
worlds people. There are no wines, fruits
nor delicauies They have turkeys,
ducks, chickens ana plain bread and
butter and vegetables Of every kind,
well cooked and in the greatest album
dance. The women occupy one side Of
the table, the men the other. Tie elder
sits at the head and involSes divine bless
ing, then each man and woman rises al-
4 ternately and lifting their right hand
say, "God is love" They then begin
eating, and during the meal not word
is spoken, each one helping himself OF
herself to what they desire. They drink
an enormous quantity Of milk during
the meal. At the conclusion Of the
Christmas dinner all rise and sing. The
clear voices of the celibates make the
banquet room ring with soft and
charming melody. The hands and feet
of all keep time.
After the song tho elder raises his eyes
heavenward and chants prayer in
which all join, after which they march
from the room in couples. the men to-
gether and the women by themselves,
and 90 To their dornitories. The re-
mainder Of the night. while the world
outside is enjoying itself in every con
ceivable dissipation, is given up to song
and prayer, and all night long the voices
Of the Shaker sisters and brothers are
heard through the halls
The Shakers are kind hearted and gen
erous. They are very hospitable, and II
is one Of their principles to entertain and
honor all who come into their little
world. For days before Christmas they
find great pleasure in sending good
things to the poor in the neighborhood
and no matter how poor man may be,
he is sure Of 4 good Christmas dinner if
he lives in the neighborhood Of a colony
o. Shakers. Buffalo Express.