The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-12-25
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS.
Celebrated as u Eoiy Dag Since the Year
OF Oar iurd 90.

4
teon hundred ard niae.v.second time.
for Christmas was first kept as holy
day a. D. 9S. We have 30 means of de
termining the exact date of the Saviours
nativity.
AS to the year. prepondcrance of opin-
ion and of such evidence rs we have
seems to favor that OF 4 or ) B. c. As
to the month. December is the height Of
the rainy season in Judea, and, there
fore. the fact, rs stated by The New Tes-
lament, that shepherds were watching
their aocks on its plains while stars We're
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-
lgious festivals. The Eastern church
observed Jan. O rs the anniversary both
of Christs birth and circumcision. But
III the Fourth century Pope Julius / or
dcrcd an investigation of the matter,
and after long deliberation the theolo-
gians OF both the east and the west
united in appointing Dec. % to be kept
rs Christ's birthday. 1t seems not i'm
probable that in selecting Dec. 2j as tho
date of the greatest event save one-the
CrucitiSiOn--in the worlds history the
worthy fathers were influenced by de-
sire to supplant the many heather fes-
tivals of the winter sOlsticc. snch rs the
Saturnalia, or great festival OF Saturn
and Ops, which began OH Dec. 10 Tor
after CRsars reformation OF the calen.
dar on the 11th) 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" Jau. 6,
and even till Candlemas day, Feb. .,
while they usually began Us early us the
night before All Saints Day, or Hal
lowcen. thus showing ;he desire Of the
early fathers Of tie church to make the
healhnn converts 10 Christianity feel
that they had lost nothing in harmless
pleasure and enjoyment by the substi-
tuition of tine Christian festival for the
heather one.
Not only did the Romans observe this
period of the year as time for mi. tn
and rejoicing, but many Of oar most
familiar Christmas usages G"e derived
from the Old heather festivals which
Christmas replaced. Tho custum Of
giving Christmas presents, now so uni
versally observed, WAS derived from the
Old Roman Saturnalia or Feast of Saturn,
above mentioned, at which i. WAS GUS
toiuary for AL the lAeluborS OF house
hold to offer gifts To one another
The Yule clog, or lOg-tae great stici;
Of timber placed III ollcn times upon the
Christmas ire-was derived from the
Saxon feast of Jul or Yul, ut which Il
similar piece of timbcr gave the princi-
pal fire and the principal light. The
Yule clog and the superstitions con-
nected with It are among the most VEN
cradle 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 jus. before the close Of
the last century the mansion Of an Eng-
lish 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 Iuie clog was not all con-
sumed before dawn and .bGgned on into
the light of Christmas day, its ashes Wore
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 tn. Christmas season has also y
hcathen origin, being IL ptrpetaari.n of
an observance Of the cd Dritinh D.l!ds,
whose belief it w;.s iLat kindly sylvan
spirits 5ough. these ornaments of living
green AMI lowered near them, untouched
aAd uuharMed by uipping frost. until
the death Of winter.
Those sumo old DrHilj attached much
importance to the mistic.oa, investing it
with II pec'..iarly hal.owed and ayetic
character. They regarded it as an en-
blem Of love and believed that Il typi-
fed the beEel.cpnt feelings o! tLey gods
toward manaind. 1t is doubtless to this
old DruidiciI associatiou OF the mis- tlo-
toe with love that thc English custom,
w!.:ch s,,l! obtains, Of enforcing the for
felt OF y kiss ir1in ANY female who is
caught unGcra branch of il at Christmas
time is irGceabla
BY thee, lebratiou OF Christmas, with
its grand liturgy, its magnificent music
and its pictorial and dramatic lrprc-
seItatioY5 Of the principal events in tbs
lie Of MIN who's, billh il commem-
Grated, the church sought to replace
these heather festivities and to lift up
the minds of the people to something
higher aud hc.icr, though from the first
the day WIS regarded both as holy
ccmmcmuration Of Il most sacred event
and as Il lnir5Atul, joyous festival. In
the Middle Ages the festive oOaerYances
of the day often So far oyegtoppcd its
more sacred features that the clergy
We're frequently compelled to check the
unseelnly lnerrhn-nt Of their flocl:s.
The name OF Christmas assigned to
the festival was derived from Christ and
tina Snyop tr,anssia M rpuss and tb. tu,p