The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-03-05

similar Celebrations by Jewand Pagan
Centuries Before Christ.
Christmas holidays do not begin
with the year I. They began before
that. In Jerusalem, as the days
heightened and the daylight COM
menced to get the better of dark
ness the people kept the Feast of
Tabernacles. The sprays of green
with which the churches and our
homes are made beautiful to-day
have grown from the branches Of
olive and palm and pine and myrtle
of that Hebrew festival. And the
lights which glitter from the Christ
mas candles are lighted from the
CRATE lamps, which, i'll the court of
Herod's Temple at that great feast,
cast their glow into the streets of
the holy city.
In Rome at that season they kept
the Saturnalia, the celebration of
the winter solstice. Saturnalia at
Rome was a time or holiday for
children. All the schools were
closed. Indeed, the boys and girls
had a more complete and delightful
vacation under the old Saturnalia
than they have under the new, for
duriu that season there was ces-
sation Of all punishment, the birch
being in unaccustomed idleness.
There was neither school nor scold-
ing.
The clerks i'll the Roman shops,
however, had no more vacation
than ours have. All the stores were
open till II o'clock in the evening,
and were crowded all day long. The
streets were full of purchasers, and
all the passers-by bore bundles.
Everybody was getting gifts for
somebody.
The same long lists were then
made out in Latin that are now set
down in English, and checked off
in tally of the gifts-this for little
Claudius, and that for little Azure
Illus, and that for little Virgilia; and
what shall we get for Tullus3 and
what for AgrIppa? and how will
this do for Portia! The greatest
crowds were at the doll stores. Some
of those old dolls are still staring
out of their wide eyes to-day,
wondering at the people who Won
der at them in the museums ofNew
York and London. Once they were
fondled by little fingers, and cares
sed by little mothers, and attired
in little togas, Were they put III
Saturnalian stockings? I know
not. Certain it is, however, that
they were the commonest of gifts
at those old Pagan Christmas times.
Every baby had a Christmas doll.
l can find no trace, i'll that old
day, of Santa Claus. That good
saint, whose name was Nicholas,
lived in the middle ages, and show
ed his kindness of heart and his
love for little children by throwing
in gifts through the windows of the
houses Of the poor. One of the
best saints i'll the whole calender to
have in remembrance just at Christ
mas time! 1t is not likely that
the Roman mothers told their child
rem much about old Saturn, a grim
ogre of a bad reputation who was
reported to have keen appetite
for tender little children.
In one respect the pagan Satur-
MALTA was more Christian than the
Christian Christmas. All distinc-
tons of rank were laid aside.
Slaves, we are told, sat at table
with their masters. Sometimes
the mistress and her daughters got
the Christmas dinner, and the cook
and chambermaid and the nurse
girl sat at the table in the state
dining room with the coachman
and the butler, while the master
of the house carved at the side table
and the ladies served the courses.
This was a Renaissance, they say,
of that long distant golden age
when Saturn ruled and Adam
delved and Eve span, and every
body, no matter what his station,
was a gentleman.
Thus there was Christmas be-
fore Christ. He came and lived His
wonderful life and died and rose
again, assembled into heaven and
the Church began. Nothing was
more natural and right than that
they who loved Him should strive
to keep the anniversary of His
blessed birth, But the exact date