The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-12-25
A SHAKER CHRISTMAS.
HOW THE FESTIVAL Is KEPT BY
THESE RELIGIOUS cELIBATES.

Tho Day Is One of Great Significance to
Them and Is 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
broughtover from England considerably
over century ago by the good old
''Mother Ann Lee" There are several
colonies of these queer people in the
United States, and all enjoy the same
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
sin for them to do so, and consequently
there is but one love in their lives, and
that love of religion.
The Shakers have a manner and style
peculiarly their own and worship God
in every breath. Believing as they do
in the Messiah, they think it a duty to
celebrate the birth of the Saviour, and
their service on Christmas day is most
beautiful and impressive.
The remark ''still as Shaker meet
ing" has often been heard, and those who
have attended a meeting of these devout
people know that word is never spoken
until the esprit moves" and so it goes
from Sunday to Sunday until Christmas
comes, which with them means day of
the greatest devotion. The day to them
does not bring the joys, pleasures and
designations of the world, there is no Civ
Christmas tree and no pleasures, in fact
nothing but prayer. No preparations
are made for the glad festival.
The morning before Christmas the
celibates move toward the little church
in couples. The men go by themselves
and dress III the conventional black, with
broad brimmed hats and gaze straight
before them. They never smile, for to
smile is sin in their belief. The wom-
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
primitive simplicity. Quietness reigns
throughout the day, never word being
spoken. In fact the spirit does not
move, and the people stand there for
hours like statues. At shutdown they
go to the dormitories and retire.
Christmas morning they go to the
church again and pass the holiday in
prayer, song and religious glorifcation.
They stand perfectly quiet and mute IN
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
seen in churches, there is a big open
space, and the men and women range
themselves on opposite sides of the room.
One of the elders makes short address,;
Then all is quietness. After about halfi
an hour a dozen or so of the younger
people, either male or female, or perhaps
both, enter the center of the space and
begin solemn march.
The Shakers sing beautifully and their
tunes are remarkably pretty, sprightly
and quick in character, and have a Won
derfully fascinating air. The rich, deep
bass voices harmonic 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-
come so imbued with the beating of the
notes that their bodies swing and rock,
their feet dance and shuttle, their hands
and arms swing and beat the air, all in
perfect keeping with the music. This
grows more intense until they all drop
from sheer fatigue. Quietness again
reigns for nearly an hour, when the
same performance is gone over, and then
over again, until shutdown, 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 de1icacies. They have turkeys,
ducks, chickens and 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. The elder
sits at the head and invokes divine bless
ing, then each man and woman rises al
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 or
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 a soft and
charming melody. The hands and feet
of all keep time.
After the song the elder raises his eyes
heavenward and chants Il prayer in
which all join, after which they march
from the room in couples, the men to-
gether and the women by themselves,
and go to their dormitories. 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 it
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 good Christmas dinner if
he lives in the neighborhood of a colony
of Shakers.-Buffalo Express.
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS.