The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-12-25
A SHAKER CHRISTMAS.
HOW TIE FESTIVAL I3 KEPT pY
THESE RELIGIOUS CELleATC9.

J tH'ih thH - ODScfNeu WIN f"rnt
! soiemnity-Thcir Songs, unrchcs aud
| shakine-Thc Christmas Dinner.
No one probably celebrates tho glad
! Christmas holiday in more peculiar
| way than do the Shakers. those strange
/ yet industrious celbates who were
! brought over from England considerably
! over II century ago by the good old
Mother Ann Lee" There are several
| colonies of these queer people in the
I United States, and all enjoy the same
! pleasures. if there can he such Il 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 1T is
! sin for them 90 do so, and consequently
/ there is but one love in their lives. and
| that II love of religion.
+ The Shakers have n manner and style
peculiarly their own and worship God
in every breath. Believing as they do
Ill the Messiah, they think it "a duty to
celebrate the birth of the Saviour, and
J
beautiful and impressive.
The remark "still rs Shaker meet
ing" has often been heard. aid those who
have attended II mceting of these devout
people know thac Il word is never spoken
until the spirit 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
/ 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
celibates move toward the little church
in couples. The men go by themselves
and dress in the conventional black, with
broad br.mmed hats ANA gaze straight
before them. They never smile, for to
smile is II sin in their belief. The WON.
en- follow the men. and wear Shaker bon
nets of yellow straw and gray gowns,
and look prim and quaint. \ large
white handkerchief covers the chest in
primitive simplicity. Qrietness reigns
throughout The day, ncrcy Il word being
spoken. In fact the spirit does not
move, and the people stand there for
hours like statues. At sundown they
so TO the Gormtorios and retire.
Christmas morning they go TO the
church again and pass TIE holiday in
PRAYER, song and religious gloriiication.
They stand perfectly quiet and mute I'M
til the spirit moves" when each one
gives his or her experience, for on this
day above all they deli sht in tes;ifyiug
10 their Gceat and complete happiness.
y Shaker church is entirely different
from the worlds peoples church. In
stead Of seats or pewS, us are usually
seen III churches, there il big open
sp-ce, ana the men and women range
themselves on opposite sides of the room.
One of the elders makes short address.
Then ali is quietness After about half
an hour q dozen or SO Of the younger
people. either male or female, or perhaps
both. enter the center of the space and
begin Il solemn march.
The Shakers sing beautifully and their
tunes are remarkably pretty, spriShtly
and quick III character, and have a won-
derfully fascinating air. The rich, deep
bass voices harlnoni2e perfectly with the
clear, sweet and high tenors and So
pranOs. Almost irrcSistibly the feet and
hands OF all commence keeping time
with rythmical beats. Soon the entirA
body Of Shakers are moving around The
singers. As the music increases the
men and women circling around be-
come SO im6ued with the beating OF the
notes that their bodies swing and rock,
their fee; dance aal shuttle, their hands
and arms swing and beat the air, all III
perfect !;eepiug with the music. This
grows more intense ul,!i they all drop
from sheer fatigue. Quietaess again
reigns for nearly an hour, when the
same performance IS gone over, and then
over agaiu, until sundowu when AL L.
pair to the dormitores to ENJOY the only
meal in tie year in cach oiher', COM
pany, for oa every other day the men
and women eat By themselves.
The Christmas dinner Of the Shakers
is not Ike the CAristla9S dinner OF the
worlds people. There are no wines, fruits
nor delicuces. They have turkeys,
ducks, chickens and plain bread aud
butter and vegetables OF every kiud,
well cooked and in the greatest Gbun-
dance. The women occupy one side Of
the table, She men the other The elder
sits at the head and iavo,ies divine bless
ing, then cacA lAaH %Gl woman rises Gl-
ternately and lifting their right hand
say, "Goa Is love" They then begin
eating, and curing the meal not y word