News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-12-24
A SHAKER CHRISTMAS.
HOW THE FESTIVAL is KEPT BY
THESE RELIGIOUS CELlBATES.

HOW THE FESTIVAL IS KEPT BY
THESE RELIGIOUS CELlBATES.
The 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 more peculiar
way than do the Shakers, those strange
yet industrious celibates who were
brought over from England considerably
over a 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 a
sin for them to do so, and consequently
there is but ono 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 q 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 esprit moves" and so it goes
from Sunday to Sunday until Christmas
comes, which with them means a day of
the greatest devotion. The day to them
does not bring the joys, pleasures and
dissipations of the world, there is no Civ
ing of gifts, no belief in st. Nicholas, no
Christmas tree and no pleasures, in fact
nothing but prayer. No preparations
are made for the glad festival.
The morning before Christmas the
celbates move toward the little church
in couples. The men go by themselves
and dress in 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 sundown 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 un-
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 ''world's peoples" church. In
stead of seats or pews, as are usually
seen in churches, there is n big oper
space, and the men and women range
themselves on opposite sides of the room
Ono of tho Cldcrs lnt,lscs a short address
Then all is quietncss- After about hal
an hour dozen or so OF the younge
people, either male or female, or perhap
both, enter the center of the space an(
begin a solemn march.
The Shakers sing beautifully and theil
tunes are remarkably pretty, sprightlJ
and quick in character, and have won
derfully fascinating air. The rich, deer
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 hand;
and arms swing and beat the air, all II
perfect keeping with the music. Thl;
grows more intense until they all droI
from sheer fatigue. Quietness agar
reigns for nearly an hour, when th'
same performance is gone over, and the1
over again, until sundown, when all re
pair to the dormitories to enjoy the onl!
meal in the year in each others com
panv, for on every other day the mel
and women eat by themselves.
The Christmas dinner of the Shaker
is not like the Christmas dinner of tn
worlds people. There are no wines, fruit
nor delicacies. They have turkeys
ducks, chickens and plain bread an
butter and vegetables of every kind
we'll cooked and in the greatest abun
dance. The women occupy one side c
the table, the men the other. The eide
sits at the head and invokes divine bles;
inc, then each man and woman rises a
ternately and lifting their right han
say, ''God is love" They then begi
eating, and during the meal not a wor
is spoken, each one helping himself {
herself to what they desire. They drin
an enormous quantity of milk durin
the meal. At the conclusion of I'll
Christmas dinner all rise and sing. I'll
clear voices of the celibates make I'll
banquet room ring with soft an
charming melody The hands and fe'
of all keep time,
After the song the elder raises his ey'
heavenward and chants prayer
which all join, after which they marc
from the room in couples, the men t
: gether and the women by themselve
and go to their dormitories. The +
mainder of the night, while the wor
outside is enjoying itself in every CO
3 ceivable dissipation, is given up to sol
and prayer, and all night long the voic
of the Shaker sisters and brothers a
heard through the halls.
s The Shakers are kind hearted and ge
: erous. They are very hospitable, and
g is one of their principles to entertain al
:, honor all who come into their lit
Q world. For days before Christmas tn
e find great pleasure in sending go
> things to the poor in the neighborhoc
d and no matter how poor man may
d he is sure of a good Christmas dinner
he lives in the neighborhood of a colo
t of Shakers Buffalo Express.
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