The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-12-24
What Christmas Means.

At midnight on the 18th Of this month
the birthday Of the Saviour ri mankind
will have been celebrated for the seventeen
hundred and ninety second time for Christ
mas war first kept as holy day \. ID. -.
We have no means Of determining the
exact date of the Sayiour'- nativity.
AZ 10 the year, prepondcrancc Of opinion
aud Of such evidence as we have seems to
favor that of 4 or ) i. &. As to the
month. December j. the height of the rainy
season in Judca, aud, therefore, the fact,
as stated by the New Testament, that shcp
herds were watching their flOcks on its
plains while starr were shining in the heay-
ems on the night of the SayiourS birth
makes it extremely unlikely that it could
have occurred in that month. Many learned
treatise- have been written and plausible
arguments advanced Ia prove that il must
have taken place in October but the queS-
lion will ever remain in allegiance.
For the first three centuries Christmas
was one of the most movable of all religious
festivals. The Eastern church observed
January q rs the anniversary both of
Christs birth and circumcision. But in
the Fourth century Pope Julius | ordered
an investigation Oi the matter, and after
long deliberations the fhe0logians of both
the east and the west united in appointing
December - to be kept as Christi birth
day. II seems not improbable that IN Sc
IectiHz December - as the date of the
seatest event save onc-thc cruciixion-
in the worlds history, the worthy fathers
were Influenced by desire TO SuppIant the
many heather festivals of the winter sol
stice, such as the Saturnalia or great les-
iival OF Saturn and Ops, which began on
December ~ Tor after Caesar reformation
of the calendar on the l7tl) aud continued
for seven days.
This presumption is made more probable
SroB the fact that for many centuries the
festivities Of Christmas were prolonged
until Twelfth Night, Jan 6, AID even
till Caudlemas day. Feb. ,, while they
usually began as early as the night before
Al Saints Day, or Halloween, thus show
ing the desire Of the early fathers Of the
church TO make the heather converts To
Christianity feel that they had lost nothing
in harmless pleasure and enjoyment by the
substitution of the Christian festival for
she heathen one.
Not oniy did the Romans observe this
period Of the year IA time for mirth and
rejoicing, but many of our most familiar
Christmas usages are derived from the old
heather festivals which Christmas replaced
The custom Of giving Christmas presents,
now 50 universally observed, was derived
from the old Roman Saturnalia or Saturn,
above mentioned, at which it was custom
airy for all the members Of y household to
offer gifts to one another
The Yule chg, 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 a
similar piece Of timber gave the principal
fire and the principal light The Yule
clog and the superstitions connected with
it are among the most venerable of Christ
mas associations The Yulc clogs that
bIazed in the vast halls of the old English
feudal barons of the Middle Ages were
huge trees, and we are told that even just
before the close of the last century the
mansion Of an English gentleman residing
near Shrewsbury was totally destroyed by
fire ia consequence of too large ulc log
having been lighted ON his hearthstone.
when the yule clog was not all consumed
before dawn aud burned on into the light
Of Christmas day, itsashes were carefully
preserved until the next Christmas eve.
The custom of decorating churches,
dwellings and places Of business with ever