The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-25
YE 0LDE Time YULETIDES.

Christmas arouSeS In hearts and homes
a spirit distinct from all other festi-
walls. Nations and races observe and
commemorate events embodying some
phase of national life or characters
tic, religious or political But the OBJ
servance is purely local. The Christ
mas festival has no bounds. The spirit
of cheer and good will and of merry
making, the distinctive features of the
children's festival, incenses the civil
ized globe and penetrates all hearts.
The manners of celebrating the day
are now as various as they were In
olden times. Modern innovations are
many, yet they are but modification
was probably foreordained that the
birth of Christ, which was to be for
time immemorial a festival of Joy and
gladness. should occur at a period
when the pagan world was celebrating
its greatest season of rejoicing. The
Saxons and a number of northern ma
tions celebrated the25th of December in
honor of Thor. The festival was also
called Mother Night, Midwinter. Guile,
Gwyl Yule, and various names of SIM
liar character, whose exact derivation
has been a subject of dispute among
antiquaries; some maintaining the
words were significant of the revolu-
ton of a wheel, while others equally
eminent interpreted them as meaning
festival, or holy day.
The Romans celebrated the birth of
Mithras, commemorative of the return
of the sun, on Dec. 25.-But by far the
most important pagan festival that oc-
CURED at this time of the year was
that of Saturnalia. The exact origin
of this feast cannot be traced, but the
festival is known to have existed be-
fore the foundation Of Rome, and to
have referred to the golden age of Sa-
turn. Doubtless the character of these
IL. 4. ttx..I1
ry, revelry and dissipation of which
the word "saturnalia" is at the present
time synonymous. The custom of CIV
ing and receiving presents was fea-
ture of the season then that has been
handed down through successive gen.
erations to the present time. The fes-
tival of Saturnalia lasted week. and
during that time masters and slaves
were on an equal footing. AS this
celebration drew to a close a king or
ruler was elected, from which custom,
probably, originated the Lord of Mis-
rule, or Twelfth Night King, who
forms such a feature of the festivities
in England.
The Greeks, Mexicans, Persians and
other ancient nations all hold festivals
of great magnificence at this season of
the year.
The early Christians of the eastern
and western churches made differ
ence in the celebration of the day, the
one keeping IL on the Epiphany, Jan. 8,
and the other always on Dec. 25. This
dissimilarity continued until the fourth
century, when the eastern church made
the change, and henceforth commemor-
ated the birth of Christ on Dec. 25.
During the reign of the common
wealth members of the Puritan party
made efforts to prove that our Savior
was not born at this season of the
year. Their arguments only proved the
fallaCV nf their SOninQ and narlia-
ment found that, although IL could con-
troll many things, II could not change
the day of nativity.
The custom of using greens in decor
alton also dates to the ancient days of
paganism, and was symbol of JOY and
festivity as IL is at present. When the
holly wreaths appear in the windows it
ds a signal that the holiday season has
come, and the dawn of Christmas finds
the churches abloom with greens and
flowers. Though ivy and holly are both
mentioned in the earlier Christmas
carols, the supremacy is always given
to the holly, the ivy being considered
more suitable for solemn occasions.
The ivy was, however, in later days
extensively used as a suitable decora-
tion. The mistletoe is also closely in
terwoven with the associations of the
season, and figures prominently in his
tory. The pagans held ii in veneration,
believing that 1t was the golden branch
mentioned by Virgil when he made his
descent to Sheol The Druids also re-
garded il with reverence, as did the
Celtic nations, who believed that ii
possessed peculiar medicinal qualities.
The Druids celebrated a festival in its
honor about the time the Christian
world now celebrates Christmas. They
held that II possessed a charm against
witches. The traditional mistletoe of
to-day is fraught with a new and soft
er innovation and instead of dispelling
the witch, IL assumes to draw the fair
sorceress to the swain who Is lucky
enough to catch her under the mistle-
toe bough. The branch should. how
ever. be full of berries, as only as many
kisses are legalized as there are berries
on the bough: and one must be plucked
and presented every time the lad is
lucky enough to catch his lassie on the
favored spot.
1t cannot be proved that the apostles
celebrated the day, though there is lit
tie doubt but that they did. IL Is, how
ever, authentic that Clemens Romanus,
about the year 20. ordered that the
feast of the Nativity be celebrated on
Dec. 25, and at that time some of the
apostles were still living.
As the church in the early middle
ages instituted dramatic representa-
tions of divine legends. at a time
when reading and writing were mono
polized by religious orders and all i'm
presslonS on a peopie idncy hao u De
made through the eye and ears, one of
the most popular mysteries, as these
early stage plays were called. was the
Christmas story-the birth of Christ.
These representations of the Christ
cradle. as they were called in France
and Germany, are still exhibited in
churches, Catholic and Lutheran, all
over Europe. From the early hymns
sung by the peasants as well as by the
monks at these monasteries. came the
Christmas carols, or noels. as they are
called in French.
Some of these managers" are pro-
duced with care and elaboration. and
though they do not give the dialogues
and conversations of the old times.
they give the holy representation in
places with movable figures. who nod
and kneel and on the entry of the
three kings or wise men of the east. Of
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