The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-01-04
the bird served upon a dish as nearly a!

n X or SeVG0al AC9EUuTa1S 55I1utlMluSS fWdS
a favorite amusement lii England at the
( holiday season. Parties OF nlllnmers,
wearing masks and fantastic attire, vert
about the streets, singing songs, playing
practical jokes and claiming drink money
from the househOlders and people whom
they met.
In Germany, Christmas trees have been
known ever since the Introduction of
Christianity. Before that time the dress
ing Of a tree with candles and presents
was a feature of the mid-wiuter Diuidi-
cal festival, so that in fact the German
Christmas tree dates back to an era be-
fore the dawn of written history.
Our Christmas customs are a. mixture
of Drlidical and Pagan obseryances. The
use OF the Christmas tree has descended
frGm the German Druids. Dressing the
houses and churches with green is a relic
of Pagan worship IN Rome, so also is the
sending Of presents to and fro.
The children at Bethlehem are told by
their mothers that on Christmas Eve.
choir of angels always sings above the
place where Christ was born. Travellers
say that on this scores and sometimes
hundreds Of children may be seen in the
open ar, looking up into the sky, waiting
to hear the angels sing.
Nince pies are first mentioned in 1896
as in common use at Christmas times.
Culinary authorities declare that they
might be eaten as early as December IA.
They were made of mutton mixed with
haisons, cloves. allspice, nuts and many
other indigestible stuff that happened to
occur to the mind OF the manufacturer.
The ivy is never used for Christmas
decoration 1t WAS once sacred to Bac-
chus and constituted almost the sole leafy
decoration at the Roman Saturnal-a. The
early Christian clergy, desiring to Wean
the people from their Pagan practice as
far as possible, forbid the use of the Ivy,
and the prohibition has lasted until the
present age 4u.
The names of the three magi who Wis
tied Christ are variously stated by dit
ferent authorities. One gives them as
Melcho;r, Balthazer and Jasper; another
Appel.us. Amerus, and Damsacus; third
declares that they were Magalath, Galga-
lath and Sarsas.n, while fourth, reject
ing all these, af1irns them to be AtOr, Sa-
tor and Pratorus.
On the evening of December "a several
notable characters of history were born,
among them being Galba. John OF Eng
land, William Warburton, the critic;
George Crabbe, the poet, and Eugene
Scribe, the French dramatist. On the
same day there died Vasco da CANA the
great explorer; Nine. de Genlis and Huge
Miller, the geologist.
On December 25 there were born Sir
Isaac Newton, William Collins, the Eng
lish poet; Richard PEARSON, the great crit
ic and classical scholar. On the same day
there died, among others, the Roman poet,
Persius, Adrian l., Pope Of Rome; the En-
peror Leo v, Sir Matthew Hale, the jur-
ist, and Rev. James Hervey, author OF the
famous calculations.
The yule log in England IS relic of
Druidisln; it's name is believed to be a
corruption of the wheel log, wheel in
Druidical symbolism typifying the march
of the sun. The lighting of the yule fire
is reminiscent Of the sacred fires klndled
by the Druids in midwinter in the round
towers which yet remain in many parts
of Great Britain, Ireland, France and
Spain.
Christmas trees were unknown in Eng
land until the reign of Queen Victoria.
After the present Prince Of Wales had
become 8 or 4 years old, Prince Albert
ornamented a Christmas tree for the
IQSd piCdSSu tuS pCOPAC, oAAN N9 oAAAANS
mas trees were every year made fea-
ture of the court celebration, the fashion
soon spread among the English.
A favorite Christmas game in England
is snap-dragon. A plate or bowl OF BRAN
dy is prepared and lighted, into which
raisins are thrown and then p.ucked out OF
the burning brandy with the bare fingers.
The feat requires considerable dexterlty
IL law, 10 n
bl;stered fingers are as common in Eng
land the day after Christmas as burned
hands in America on the 9Th of July.
Down to the reign of Henry Will, and
occasionally since, a Lord OF Misrule'
was appointed to direct the amusements
of the court during the holidays. He pre-
sided over the festivities of tine season.
prepared the games, directed the sports,
and saw that the court was kept properly
amused during Christmas week. The Of
fec was considered highly honorable, and
the Lord of M;srule' was generally some
wealthy noblemam who was willing to
spend money lavishly in promoting the
festivities of the court. 1T is of record
tlnat during the reign of Elizabeth, Essex,
as Lord Of Misrule," spent in one Christ
mas season $4,000 of his own money on
the court games.
Mumming was abolished in England by
an edict of Henry VIII, in which heavy
fine and three months imprisonment were
denounced to all persons who went about
the streets in masks or extravagant attire.
The reason for this ed:ct was the fact that
a plot to murder the king had been dis
covered, the conspirators intending to take
advantage of the Christmas season, dis
guising themselves as nlummers and I'M
der pretense of desire to entertain the
king with their songs and dances to pene-
trate to the court and fail upon him in the
midst of the sport. The plot was divu]ged,
nary arrests were made, and the edict fol-
lowed to prevent the recurrence of such
scheme.
The Roman Saturnalia were held at the
season corresponding to our holiday peri
cd. The Roman festival was characterized
.by extreme license. For the time being
slaves were free to speak and act as they
pleased, and all classes were on equality.
The evil effects of the Saturnalia were felt
in many ways. Robbers took advantage
of the season of masqueradiDg to piunder
houses, while many prominent persons
were assaulted and beaten in the streets,
and sometimes murdered by their enemies
disguised as masqueraders. Long before
the time Of Christianity the government
of Rome made efforts either to suppress or
to regulate the Saturnalia, but with little
effect. and during the time Of the emper-
Ors disorders were more marked than I'M
der the republic.
According to tradition, the bodies Of the