Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-12-23
lOLD TIME CUSTOMS.
By Winonaa Butler.

uCdAAS AAAOISCA CSutuTleS. Ou Lu0 uTSL
Christmas morning the angels sang:
Peace on earth, good will to men,"
The glad refrain has been repeated
each Christmas season in every Chris
tian land, though the character of the
music varies greatly.
Our ancestors were in the habit of
forming companies which went from
house to house, singing Christmas
carols In the streets. These beautiful
carols would break the stiffness of the
winter night or early Christmas morn
ing, making most delightful begin
ming to the merry day.
But these holy jubilees had as rivals
the mingling instruments Of those
wandering spirits of harmony-the
Waits" One author writes: Many
and many time have we been
awakened by the melody of the Waits,
and have lain and listened to their
wild music, it's solemn swells and 'dy-
ing falls kept musical by the distance
and made holy by the time, till we
could have fancied that the morning
stars were again singing as of old they
sang together for joy and that the
sounds of their far anthem came float
ing to the earth
The German children probably be-
lieve more firmly in Kriss Kringle, or
Santa Claus. than do the children of
any other nation. Germany is the birth
place of Kriss Kringle, and the Won
derland of fable and poetry. German
children are taught to love the
Christ-child. In many parts of the
country it is the custom, on the morn
ing before Christmas, to let figure
representing the Christ-child wave
past the window of the room where the
little ones sleep. Half awake only, in
the gray of the morning they see this
little child-figure fit dimly past, and
| they go to sleep again in the blissful
consciousness that the Christ-child has
not forgotten them, and that they will
have an abundance of presents around
the tree in the evening.
A beautiful custom in Norway and
Sweden is the Christmas feeding of
birds. Bunches of oats are placed on
the roofs of houses, on fences and
trees. Carloads of sheaves are
brought into town for this purpose, and
both rich and poor buy and place them
everywhere. The sentiment is that
man must be very poor indeed if he
cannot spare farthing to feed the lit
tie birds on Christmas day. In many Of
Tho uol1ovc o1d p,ouptoiD do1oc of tho
countries watch is kept during the
whole of the night, and all are merry;
candles are kept burning at the win
dows, and the people flock to church at
four o'clock in the morning, each car
rying torch.
In some districts, Immediately after
the service, everyone hurries from
church, either on foot or in sleighs, for
there is an Old saying that he who gets
home first will have his crop first har-
vested. At this holiday season the
peasants dance on straw, and the peas
ant girls throw straws at the timbered
roof Of the hall, and for every one that
sticks in crack lover will come
counting during the year.
In old English times, at the close of
the church services it was customary
for the clerk in loud and emphatic
tones to wish all the congregation a
Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year. In those good old times an Eng
lish gentleman would throw open his
hall at daybreak to all his tenants and
neighbors. Beer, blackjacks, toast and
cheese were plentiful. The great sau-
sage must be boiled by sunrise, or else
two young men must take the cook by
ket place till she is ashamed of her
laziness.
The "Yule log is great log Of
wood, sometimes the root Of a tree,
brought into the house with great
ceremony on Christmas Eve, laid in
the fireplace and lighted with the brand
of last years log. While it lasted
there was great drinking, singing and
telling of tales. Sometimes it was ac-
companied by Christmas candles, but
in the cottages the only light was from
the ruddy blaze of the great wood fire.
The Yule log was to burn all night; if
it went out, it was considered sign of
| ill-luck.
The Christmas dinner was the Gen.
trail feature of all the gay festivities.
The table was literally loaded with
good cheer The boar's head held the
place of honor and was iordly affair.
brought in by the butler: attended by
a servant on either side with large
wax light The head was carried on a
silver dish, the tasks piercing bright
red apples, while between them an
orange was laid, the whole graced with
an abundance of sauce. When this,
''the rarest dish in all the land" was
placed at the head of the table. one of
the company sang carol suited to the
great occasion.
The Christmas peacocks were also
gorgeous, the bird being flayed, roast
ed and then sewed UP again in all the
splendor of lis brilliant feathers, a
piece of cotton saturated with spirits
being placed within the giided beak