The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-12-25

IeastlnG. cnftaua cn%fatn-. Had Hn-rQ.
pirate Worship. and the firs' tia., ~
ever Week WAS dedicated by on,
AHgia-Sfsatf ancestors ~ the sofa,
deltt. Christianity appropriated the
fagan festlyai- ~ ita own cult with as
lie" Innovations as possible, So AZ 10,
To sllot.k too ~,ntiel, the conseryosi,e
easetriihitlties ef, its converts. Aud
tins tie time OF Year 81 The universal
safuihaiia Was fixed upon AZ The pre-.
| tise %l,etIea al the birth of Christ. the
spiritual Sun, s.tlie Sun of rirhtpous-
ness.' Who WIS 10 bring gladness and
bealing beneath His wings. Tbe
ssftptaral phrase is II plain allusion to
Tue Solar serpent worship which pre-
vailed III Syria, as in this country and
throughout the world. An ancient
iIefaefsm of its divinity was 4 ci,c'r.
egg. or sun, with lowering wing.
re fHle-ciog Or log was %emblenatic
q the same sacred fire. The suns
name ID Welsh WAS Haul; in Breton.
Ife"l. The Anglo Saxon name FIR
Christmas was geol Or iulr Danish
and Swedish, jnl: Ic~elanIic. i'll w
jal aud English, Yule. Thus Yule
liast'y meant the festival Of the Sun.
4 year WIS often called Il sun bv ne
ahclents, and Yule was the time when
the old sun died and the new one was
h'rh. Thus the birth of Christ coin
citles with the birth of the sun.
Wafmestry. in his '.Vindication of
the solefnnity of the Nativity of
Christ l6iS. says off it doth an
peare that the time of this Festival
10th comply with the time Of the Hea-
thehs safnrnalia. this leaves NJ
charge OF impiety upon it /; for since
things are best cured by their contra
fies. IL was both wisdom and uietv
III the ancient Christians (whose work
It was to convert the lIeathabs from
such. as well as other superstitions
ana miscaifiages) to vind;cate snch
times frem the service Of the Devil.
by appointing them 10 the more snl.
emne aud especial service Of God.
he Blazes are foolish aud vaine. and
not c~onnfenaced by the Church.
'Chiistmasse Kariles, if thew to
such as are tit for the time, and IF :,oly
and Sober cumposure, and used with
christian sobriety and piety, they ale
ne unlawful. aud may be profitable
heart. cue
New Yeares Gifts. if. performed
without superstition, may be harmless
p~rosocations to Christian love. and
mutual testimonies thereof to good
purpose, and never the worse because
the Heati,ens have them at The like
times
All very sensible. bit Mt the sama
time a clever example of special
pleading, not unknown in our time. in
Mhici, Heather priority is ignored.
The "blazes. = 0 Yule-logs, however.
were dlficnlt.for Warmestry to account
for or TO claim as Christian emblems,
we can scarcely suppose him ignorant
OF their meaning or Of that Of the
others, Tut he doubtlessly thought II
would not Do wiss t. enlighten the
vulgar. Heriick tells us that the
fhl--iog Of the new Christmas used ! .
% llt with last years brapd.n Ia
some places this was kept under the
bed during ii { interval as A preven-
tive against thunder and fire. Il was
SAID To cure cattle diseases, and its
ashes freed the corn from blight.
The Christmas Candles used to he
oil enormous size, and made to illumi- |
nate the whole house. They were al
ways lit on Christmas Eve. and TINS
Christmas, says BIount, was called
the .Ibe Feast of Lights" in the Lat
in Church.
Christmas is the season of carols.
derives this word from. cam
tare, to sing, and rola, a joyful inter-
lection. Talbot, however, derives it
from The Breton, coroH, to dance :
and Richardson from the French On.
role. a particular kind ''of dance.
From It's similarity of structure and
meaning 10 many tongues, we nav be
that it meant dancing accompa.
MED with music and song. like that
the affairs Of the Sun God.
Bel, or that practised BY the Bacchan-
ties Of the Sun God, Bacillus, or by the
Corybantes, the CALI OF Cybele or
bella, the Lunar deity and consort az
the Solar.
Warton says of the Christmas Car
OILS printed IN 1928, by Wynkn de
Worde, that 'these were testal
for enlivening the m .rriment
the Christmas celebrity" Indeed
there is scarcely a custom of any i'm
portance relating to Christmas which
was not an ancient one when Christ
born. The evergreens, mistletoe.
Nominations, cakes, carols, feastiDp.
dancing. and diversion of various
sorts, point to the same Pagan sour
ses, as do many other of our social
md religious customs. Even the
Bishops Crosier is the old Litnus ar