The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-11
THE CHRISTMAS TREE
observances in Different Countries In
which , Decorated Tree La Used.

which \ Decorated Tree Is Used.
OF course the Ygg Drasill Ash and the
Irmen Saule are, geographically, the near.
est archetypes OF the German Christmas
trees that have spread so much over Eng
land since the marriage OF our present
sovereign. But on that pair Of grand sym
Dol givers it is not needful here mInutely
to dwell. Here at home, perhaps, the only
genuine native instance OF the Christmas
tree now easily discovered By US was tn.
wassail Tor vessel, or wesley bob-that Is.
bunch-ef holly and other winter greens,
put together like bower" hung with
oranges. apples and colored ribbons, and
sometimes inclosipg pair OF dolls also
decked with ribbons. which was still car
ried about on e stick on Christmas day In
Yorkshire some forty or fifty years since.
Let US therefore, in default of better.
take flight to Japan, where we shall ind
q dozen centuries ago in its sacred book.
the ''Kozhiki, !" the then doubtless most an
cient legend OF the adorable five-hundred-
fold Saka tree, which the gods pulled up
by the roots on the heavens mountain
Kagu, and they then hung. as to its top
branches, with sacred jewels, mirror and
blue and white peace offerings to the shin
ing goddess of the heavens, devoutly re-
citing grand ritual the while.
This might almost have come from
Lucian, where be described those trees,
covered with ornaments and sacred attri-
butes, which were brought each year TO be
burnt offerings in the temple OF the god
dess Atergatis at Hierapolis, of Syria
And he gave US an even more savage,
though coexistent type in the great trees,
loaded with goats, sheep, garments and
gold and silver objects hanging 70 the
branches, which were burned before the
Syro-Phenician gods at the same fes-
tival The pine of Cybele and Attis, as
still to be seen on the ancient bas-rehefs,
h hung with bells, a reed flute, wheel
and so on, and there are sacred birds among
the branches and a ram and bull standing
for sacrifice beneath. Pictures and other
votive objects were attached to the laurel
of Apollo.
The central theory that PROFOUND for
all this and all other tree worship is that
the tree that was really worshiped, OF
which all these decorated ex-voto'd trees
were mere idols, was the abstract universe
tree whose trunk was the cosmic axis,
whose roots were in the under world and
whose branches spread aloft into the skies
and bore up the heavenly hostess. Every
thing in nature grew on, was q fruit Of,
this tree, which was the Hindoo parijata
and kalpavriksha, yielding all the objects
of desire (alias every mortal thing') and
also the Hanian harvisptokhm, the tree Of
all seeds.
But before dealing any further with
eastern instances, let US bark back TO Eng
nd Innk NJ nf ~
survivals of this tree-which survival i:
not in any way connected by date with
Christmas, remember-in the Besant
which, until 1880, was carried in procession
with music at Shaftesbury (alias Shaston,
| on the Monday before Ascension Thursday
| 1t was a trophy some four feet high, con
structed on framework and covered with
| ribbons, flowers and peacock S tail feathers
Around it were hung jewels, coins anc
other objects Of value lent by the loca
! gentry for the purpose. Hutchin's His
| tory of Dorset said in 1903 that this "be
| son" or bryant" was sometimes valued al
| as much as Il 500. 1t is futile to theoriz'
any but sacred pagan ritualistic Origin
| for this puzzling and 0or the matter il
| hand most important observance.
! And if we now go eastward again. and
| change the scene TO buddhist Siam, Ala
baster shall show US at cremation cere
i monies framework made to represent
tree whereto are tied lines and nutshels
i instead of which are put lottery ticket
and money. These, which are called Kara
phruk (Kalpavriksha) fruits, are scramble'
for by the crowd after the ceremony. Ant
the scavenger caste of upper India hav
! professions of their deity Zahir Pr, II
which they carry bamboo pole deckec
| with bright colored cloths and crowned b,
a huge bunch Of peacook's tail feathers a
| the top. Fans and lunches of cocoanut
are also slung from the pole. The ICON
| ventional" made up tree that we see Of
endless Babylonian cylinders was oabtles
q similar artificial Christmas" tree o
May Q.atin, majus); and one Of the bilin
quail hymns translated by Professor Sage
describes how the place of the tree 70
which these idols were inevitably sym bols
is the central spot of the earth, while it
fruits-obviously the stars-are of brillian
crystal and reach into the liquid vast
| National Observer.