The herald., 1896-12-20
SANTA WASN'T THOUGHT OF
But They Had q Great Deal Of hiIari.
Gus Fan
Gift Making Only an Incidental Custom
Of the Day-Mistletoe, the Yule Log
and the Boars Head Features.

tion to link the ways of the present day
with those of the seventeenth or even
the eighteenth century.
It seems probable that the folks of
half dozen generations ago crowded
more merriment into the Christmas sea-
son than we of this age Go. and they
went about it with the same prearranged
care that commercial prince now de-
votes to some great financial coup. But
the fun was of a boisterous kind, quite
Inconsistent with the crowded ways of
living these days If one of those old
merrymakers could come to life on
Christmas day and celebrate the festival
in the way fashion and custom demand
ed in his time, he would probably find
himself in the lookup charged with rude
ly disturbing the peace.
Noise, bluster, .feasting. drinking and
horse play were the chief features of
the old time English Xmas. Gift making
existed, as it had for many previous CEN
turtles, but that was merely an Incl
dental feature and not nearly so i'm
portant as the work of the pompous but
Ter. upon whom devolved the RESPONSE
bility of carrying into the dining hall
the great boars head. What a bleak
Christmas it would be nowadays if
gift making were secondary to bringing
In q boar's head!
THE FIRST TASK.
The old time Christmas began a week
before the arrival of the day, just as the
shoppers of today rush out with fat
purses to lure the holiday bargain. But
purchasing girts did not bother the
heads or weary the bodies of the old
world folks.
The gathering of holly and mistletoe
for the decoration of house and church
was their initial task, and it was per-
formed by the village en- masse, headed
by brave pipers and fiddlers, who filled
the forests with the gay melodies of
Christmastide., It.was the Pagans who
first used holly and mistletoe for OBJ
servances, and'the practice was adopted
by the early Christian churches. The
Greeks and the Romans used them in
their religious ceremonies, as did the
Druids and the Celtic and Gothic ma
tions. So the young maid of today who
stands alluringly under sprig of mis-
tIetoe may And satisfaction in knowing
that she is following the precedent of
centuries.
THE DRUIDICAL WAY.
In Druidical times the simple peasants
Hooked in crowds to join the professions,
in which the Druidical priests were the
foremost actors. The train was headed
by the bards singing canticles and
hymns. A herald preceded three Druids,
furnished with implements for the pur-
pose of cutting the mystic plant-up-
right hatchets of brass, entitled celts,
fxed to slaves. Then followed the prince
or chief of the Druids, accompanied by
all his flock and followers. The chief
mounted the oak.iwfth golden sickle
detaching the mistletoe, and present
ing 1t to the priests. who received and
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erence. On the first day of the year the
branches, after resting on the Druidical
altars in the interval We're distributed
among the people as q sacred and holy
plant, the Druid priests crying THE
Mistletoe for the new year"
Many were the superstitions attaching
to this plant. Among the latter day
charms associated with it, when sus-
pended in a bunch in the servants hail.
was the traditionary and favorite OBJ
servance of kissing the maids under its
branches. the :. superstition prevailing
that the maiden who missed being heart
lily kissed under the mist1etoe at Christ
mas would forfeit her chance of early
matrimony, and certainly not be mar
ried in the ensuing twelve months.
HAULING THE YULE LOG.
A medieval Observance which always
followed the gathering of holly and
home of the Yule log. The favorite Yule
log was cross grained block of elm, or
the rugged root of tree of fantastic
and grotesque form. and this was drawn
home to the kitchen, or great hall, with
the same merrymaking that attended the
gathering of the holly. Before the
crowning event of kindling the Christ
mas log. from the charred remains of
its predecessor of the year before there
were sports in plenty to be performed
Ofttimes these logs were directed to be
provided by the lords of the manor
The furnishing of Christmas logs was
form of tenure; thus the cellarist o.
st. Edmundsbuly held under the abbey
the manor Of HardwicIs, and was bound
by the conditions of his title to provide
annually four Christmas stocks, each
eight feet in length.
Formerly the members of the family
and guests sat down in turn on the Yule
log, the throne of the master of the
revels: sang Yule song and drank to a
merry Christmas and happy New Year.
As part of their feast, Yule dough or
Yule cakes were consumed. These bore
impressed figures in the shape of an i'm
age. sometimes they We're made In the
form Of an infant, nor was the manger
overlooked. f-r rlf1f
Another employment for the log. ere
its confiagration. was provided by the
old Christmas gambOl of drawing Dun
out of the mire," an ancient institution
often mentioned. The Yuie stock, drawn
into the middle of the floor, became
Dun. the cart horse" for the nonce;
the cry was raised that he had stuck in
the mire. Two of the company, with OF
without ropes, advanced to extricate
Dun. After various real and feigned
exertions they called for more help, un-
til all present were mixed up in the
rough and tumble eXertion. The fun
arose from the horse play of the revelers
falling about and contriving to roll OF
drop the log on each others toes. This
was kept up with hearty enjoyment un-
I'll, the fun being exhausted, a"Dun was
drawn out"
THE SINGERS AND WATTS
The carol singers and waits" were 6
regular feature of the day. The former
visited the homes of the rich and filled
the wintry air with their music, while the
waits" performed on musical instru-
u1ents and were largely employed fol-
The Christmas plays and kindred amuse-
u1ents. Those who were not employed
went from house to house dressed in
Erotesque costumes and received gifts
aof money for, their performances.
shouting out ChristmNSHerses, and every
4 YVES eAIscted oSshdy appreciation
VI dropping 4 coin into the box carried
the rhymsr for thSt> particular pur-
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