Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-12-31
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS.
Celebrated as Holy Day Since the Yea,
of Our Lord 9S.

will have been celebrated for the sevan
teen hundred and ninety-second tina
for Christmas was first kept as HOLY
day A. ID. 9S. We have no means of da
terrnining the exact date Of the Saviours
nativity.
As to the year, preponderance of opip.
In and of such evidence as we havs
seems to favor that of 4 or 5 B. G. Az
I 70 the month, December 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 hocks on its plains while stars were
shining in the heavens on the night Of
the Saviour's birth, makes it extremelv
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 win ever remain in allowance
For the first three centuries Christmas
was one of the most movable of all re-
ligious festivals. The Eastern church
observed Jan. 6 as the anniversary both
Of Christ's birth and circumcision. But
in the Fourth century Pope Julius | 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. 1t 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-
rivals Of the winter solstice, such as the
Saturnalia, or great festival of Saturn
and Ops, which began ON Dec. 10 Tor
after Caesars 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. 2
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 10 Christianity feel
that they had lost nothing in harmless
pleasure and enjoyment by the substi-
tuition Of the Christian festival for the
heather one.
Not only did the Romans observe this
period Of the year as a time for mirth
and rejoicing, but many of our most.
Christmas usages are derived
from the old heather 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
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
srable of Christmas associations. The
Yule clogs that blazed in the vast halls
)f the old English feudal barons of the
Middle Ages We're huge trees, and we are
old that even just before the close of
he last century the mansion Of an Eng
ish gentleman residing near Shrews-
bury was totally destroyed by fire in
of too large a Yule log hav-
ng been lighted ON his hearthstone.
When the Yule clog was not all con-
umed before dawn and burned on into
he light of Christmas day, its ashes were
preserved until the next Christ
mas eve.
The custom of decorating churches,
dwellings, and places Of business with
vergreen, holly, laurel, bays and mis-
letoe at the Christmas season has also a
Ieathen origin, being a perpetuation of
n observance of the old British Druids,
whose belief it was that kindly sylvan
pirits sought these ornaments Of living
reen and lowered near them, untouched
nd unframed by nipping frost, until
be death of winter.
Those same old Druids attached much
Importance to the mistletoe, investing it
nth peculiarly hallowed and mystic
haracter. They regarded it as an EN-
lem of love and believed that it typi-
ed the beneticent feelings of their gods
,ward mankind. Il is doubtless to this
Id Druidical association of the mistle-
De with love that the English custom,
Inch still obtains, of enforcing the for
ut of kiss from any female who is
aught under branch of it at Christmas
me is traceable.
BY the celebration of Christmas, with
5 grand liturgy, its magnificent music
nd its pictorial and dramatic repre-
'ntations of the principal events in the
fe OF him whose birth it commem-
-ated. the church sought to replace
lese heather festivities and TO lift up
lie minds of the people to something
gher and holier. though from the first
le day was regarded both as a holy
of most sacred event
a Il