Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-30
HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS EVE
Sources of American Customs
in Observing 1t.
ENGLISH AND GERMAN LEGENDS
Traditions Concerning Santa
Claus.
with Us the Ghristmas Tres Is of Recent
Growth; But Few Years Ago IL Was
Almost Unknown Outside of Families of
Foreign origIn-The Holiday Myths,
Now York Advertiser.

New York Advertiser.
IL is not easy to draw the line dis
tiuctly between the customs aud tradi-
lions OF the eve of Christmas and those
which belong to the day itself. There
is no real distinction in fact. An eccle-
siastical festival was, in old times held
10 begin with the first vespers, I" or
at shutdown OF the day before, as in
Colonial New England the observance
OF Sunday began on Saturday evening
at nightfal, and thus the festivities Of
Christmas eve but introduce the glories
Of Christmas Day. The "eye, " how
ever, was time of watching, fasting
and prayer. which only ended with the
solemn midnight service.
On Christmas Eve the bells were rung,
On Christmas Eve the mass was sung
That only night in all the wear
Saw the stoled priest the chalice bear.
But, without regard to ecclesiastical
distinctions, the fact remains that the
night before "Christmasn ia one of
necuIiar interest as we'll az of peculiar
sanctity, and in the development of the
observances associated with the season
has come to have character peculiarly
its own.
Our Christmas customs come to us
through two separate channels, one
English and one German. They are in
many ways allied and each is enriched
by contributions from the other, as
well as from kindred sources The
Dutch, for instance, and the Swedes
have given US some Of their traditions,
though many, If not most of them may
\ be ultimately traced to common
stock. The English customs we know
kLaa g.,
actual use. The Yule log, the wassHil
bowl, the mistletoe, the waits and ths
mummera we ara all familiar with but,
except for few midnight singers, how
many Americans have ever seen any
one of these famous thingsf On the
other hand, the Christmas tree, Krss
Kringle, Santa Claus and the most
distinctive feature OF all--the general
interchange of gifts--come to us from
the Continent of Europe.
ENGLISH CUSTOMS.
The English custom of hanging up
tho mistetoe, the mystic shrub beneath
which any maiden 6traying by accident
or, il such things can be, by design,
forfeits a kiss, to be given then and
theirs. is evidently derived from the
reverence in which the mistlatoe was
held 10 the old Druidic religion and
the solemn ceremony of its annual
gathering. Tho burning of the lule
log seems TO come from tho Soraemen,
who used to kinda huge bunfirss at the
winter sostice in honor of the god
Thor. Al Christians, tine Scandinavian
people continue the custom with new
meaning, and, while the Yule log
burned and the liquor dubbed in the
wasshil bowl, old feuds we're forgotten,
OLD wrongs forgiven and the Christmas
message proclaimed, Peace upon earth,
good will to men. y
In MEDIEVAL England the celebration
of Christmas eve was most hearty and
bo:sterous, and Herrick has embalmed
the customs in his verses;
Come, bring with noise,
My merry, merry boys,
The Christmas log to the hrlng;
While my good dame she
Bids We all be free,
And drink to your hearts desiring.
With the last years brand
Light the new block, and,
For good success in his spending,
On your psalteries play
That sweet luck may
Come while the log is tending.
Drink now the strong beer,
Cut the white loaf here,
The while the meat is a-shredding,
For the rare mince pie
And the pluns stand by
To fill the paste that's a-kneadng.
In truth the Christmas customs o
our English cousins are largely con
nscted with eating and drinking. Ever
the Yuls candle, monstrous affair
which burned during the II nights o
the festival, shed its light upon tn,
festive board. There are many lora
customs such as the Devonstire ashton
fagot and the libation of hot cider o
Of spiced ale in the orchards ant
meadows, that manifest the same char
acteriatiu. The Christmas games, too
demand notice, especially the Ills
tinctive Christmas game OF snap
dragon, in which the boys and girl
pick raisns from a dish of burninl
spirits;
Here he comes with flaming bowl,
Don't he mean to take his toll
Snip, snap. dragon
Take care you don't have too much,
Be not greedy in your clutch,
= Snip, snap, dragon
A prominent place in the Christina
Eve festivities is occupied by tb
mummers Danish, mumme; Dutch
mommeI, who 60 around from house [
and in some quarters repeating an oil
Christmas drama, which is possibly
relic Of the miracle plays This is
very general custom IN ore shaps @
another; we hare it here with Ger
man interIningling that gives us til
name of Pelsnichol. A more dignifie
observance is that of the waits, f" VIII
seem to have been originally minstrel
attached to the court, appointed to AT
nounce the hours at night, thong
whether the term comes from tho
waiting, or is the name of musicI
instrument, is question which ant
quarians dispute At present, in En-,
land, the "waits" are musicians wi
play during the night hours for tn
or three weeks before Christmas, to
minating their performance on Chris
mas Eve, or. in the country district
boys and girls who go about singh
carols.
GERMAN CUSTOMS.
For our American Christmas E,
observances we must go to German
where Christmas Eve is, for the Chi
dren. the joyous night of all the yea
when they feast their eyes uuon I'll
glories of the Christmas trso, when S
Nicholas comes with his gifts and ii
sweet Christ-child passes from house
house blessing wherever he il we
coined. The poet Culeridge, in a lett
from RHt2eburg, in North German
thus writes: "There in a Christm
custom here which pleased and ii